Facebook Says It's 'Free and Will Always Be'

If you're a fan of Facebook, don't worry. Although there have been claims that the social networking site will soon turn into a pay-to-use service, Facebook is has made it clear that it is "free and will always be."

In fact, to drive the message home completely, the site has put those very words on its home page. When users go to log into their accounts, a big message above the sign-up form states Facebook's intentions loud and proud.

Why is the social site still available for free? Well, the Facebook makes most of its money from advertising. Many companies pay to post small ads on the right column of your page. Some are more obvious than others, but those spaces are paid for and basically allow people to enjoy the rest of the site for free.

But in the end, does this really make a difference to account holders when they have reported less usage or have stopped logging onto the site all together? Facebook sure hopes so. What do you think? Is it reassuring to know that the site won't charge in the future?