There seems to be a lot of changes on Facebook these days.
Just yesterday, the head of Facebook messaging products, David Marcus, announced that the “other” message folder, also known as Facebook message purgatory (quite possibly the location of Lost Oceanic flight 815) is finally being removed.
The “other messages” section, located next to the inbox folder, has always been the dumping ground for messages from spammers.
In its place will be Message Requests, which is a catch-all for “messages from out-of-network users”, according to Forbes.
Message Request accepts any message from someone with your full name, as it appears on Facebook, and features the message in your main inbox.
“With this update, more people can enjoy all the features that are available on Messenger – including photos, videos, group chats, voice and video calling, stickers and more”.
Ignored and deleted messages will go to the Filtered Requests folder, according to Forbes. Now all you need to initiate a conversation is a name and you can hunt for the person and send a message by typing their name directly. Aside from these problems, other issues included the fact that the folder was only accessible from the desktop version of Facebook, and not in iOS or Android mobile applications.
“Several commentators and researchers have noted that imposing a financial cost on the sender may be the most effective way to discourage unwanted messages and facilitate delivery of messages that are relevant and useful.”
What’s in the Other inbox?
As did Gawker’s Andy Cush. This samaritan then left the card with the bank, where Maiberg recovered it, thinking a bank employee had found it. He had no idea until now that a stranger had helped him out. You would now get messages only from your friends directly in your Inbox.
Messages sent to Motherboard writer Jason Koebler. “I don’t know what it says about me that most of my messages were from people who either want to know where they can make cocaine or who can empathize with being extremely hungover”, Koebler said.
A few messages from Motherboard Senior Editor Brian Merchant, whose writing about climate change often inspires passionate responses. The feature that started as a “test” actually ended up being a revenue stream for the social media company when users could pay to have urgent messages delivered to the recipient’s primary inbox.
There are a variety of uses for the now defunct “other” inbox, but mystifying love letters from creepers was, at least anecdotally, the most common.
“We message everyone that requests to join”.