Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has added a new “Ask” button for profiles that don’t list a relationship status. User will not be able to see the button on their profile. There will be a blank space on the friend’s page where the option of “ask” is given and a little window shows where the user needs to explain why is he seeking this information, says a report from the Daily Mail.
After providing a reason, the user just clicks “send request” and the question will only be visible to the friend to whom the question is asked. Once the request is sent, the friend receives a notification saying: ‘Hello! I am wondering about your relationship!’
Facebook seeking monetization
The responder can either ignore the question, make the information public or known only to the one who asked, or can reply with an old-fashioned “none of your beeswax.” Facebook stated that there is no way to turn the feature off.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has added this new feature following the immense success of dating sites. Furthermore, the social networking site has a very large user base and marketers can take advantage of a user’s relationship status to offer their products and services to specific demographics. When a user answers the question, he or she gives personal information about him/herself that can be used by marketers.
Mixed reactions from users
However, a number of Facebook users are not at all happy with this new button and find it to be an excessive intrusion into their privacy.
One person wrote on Twitter: ‘If Facebook wasn’t already the biggest invasion of privacy, you can now “ask” people about their relationship status.’
Some users even called it ‘naggy’, and doubted its necessity. One person wrote that it’s awkward that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has launched a ‘single’ tab to ask friends if they are single. Many users have also said they think that the button is just a trick to exploit users’ private information.
Mark Zuckerberg stated back in 2010 that people have become comfortable sharing their personal information with more people. He said that it is his company’s role to keep on innovating and updating its system to reflect what the current social norms are.
