Facebook to Users: Sell Stuff, Get Paid

Facebook has rolled out a new service that encourages users to recommend products to their friends and make a little money in the process, AP reports. Called Market Lodge, the program allows users to set up personal stores on their Facebook pages and hawk a variety of products from a chosen list. Merchants handle any sales, but users make a 10% commission on each.

Facebook boasts an impressive user population but has been struggling with ways to capitalize on it. The privacy backlash over a recent program named Beacon—which tracked users’ web activities for advertisers—turned into a public relations fiasco. Market Lodge developer bSocial is hoping a system in which friends recommend products to friends will feel less invasive. Facebook doesn't get a cut of the sales, at least for now. (More Facebook stories.)