Reports indicate the company is testing a feature that allows a member to "highlight" a status update -- for a price -- to make sure more of their "friends" see the posting.

"We're constantly testing new features across the site," Facebook spokeperson Mia Garlick told , a New Zealand news website.

"This particular test is simply to gauge people's interest in this method of sharing with their friends," she added. Facebook has not yet returned PCWorld's inquiries regarding the validity and breadth of such a trial.

An obvious problem with a pay-for-views system is that it has the potential to poison a news feed. After all, isn't the feed algorithm supposed to prioritize postings based on the closeness of a friend or the popularity of a particular posting? Pay-for-views can corrupt that scheme. Worse yet, it could open the door for more junk -- like spam -- appearing in news feeds.

Here's how it works: you'll get an option of highlighting a status message beside the "like" and "comment" options by a status box. If you choose the option, a pop-up window appears, asking for a payment. Payments must be made with a credit card or PayPal -- no virtual Currency Credits accepted.