category facebook v3.png

Facebook Potentially Worth $100 Billion? Hard to Envision Post 2015

Is Facebook worth $100 billion? I doubt it.

Facebook generated over $3.1 billion dollars in advertising revenue in 2011 from their display ads and 80% of additional revenue from Farmville creator Zynga (although they try to say it's 12% of overall revenue). But they write in their SEC filing:

"We believe that our rates of user and revenue growth will decline over time. For example, our annual revenue grew 154% from 2009 to 2010 and 88% from 2010 to 2011. Historically, our user growth has been a primary driver of growth in our revenue. Our user growth and revenue growth rates will inevitably slow as we achieve higher market penetration rates, as our revenue increases to higher levels, and as we experience increased competition."

read more

ADDICTION: Study Finds Social Media to Be Like Smoking Cigarettes

Firing off a tweet or status update is not unlike smoking a cigarette, new research suggests. According to a study conducted by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, social media may be just as addictive as cigarettes and alcohol.

Over 200 subjects delivered more than 8,000 reports and the results were clear: the toughest urge to resist was to check social networks online. Now, it wasn't the most desired activity—sleep and sex overpowered lust for tweeting—but many of the subjects actually had more trouble resisting the urge to social network than ignoring their desires for booze and smokes.

read more

PROBLEM: Facebook Has 400 Million Mobile Users and It's Not Making a Dime from Them

So Facebook has filed for its IPO, tons of people are going to get crazy rich, blah blah blah. But not everything is sugar and spice on the Facebook front: it needs to fix its mobile problem, and fast.

Most companies have a mobile problem: not getting enough active users. This isn't Facebook's problem. Mark Zuckerberg's social network has tons of them—well over 400 million, in fact. The problem is that these mobile users don't deliver a dime to Facebook, and may actually be harming the company's balance sheet by eroding web traffic, where monetization is well established.

read more

Facebook's IPO Will Mint More Than a Thousand Millionaires

Now that the world's largest social network has finally filed for an initial public offering, the dust can settle and the media frenzy can die down. Right? 

Hardly. From now until May, when Facebook is expected to actually debut on the market, count on everyone and their dog to be talking about it. All the time. Experts will ponder: will the stock go up, down, sideways, or loop-the-loop? Analysts will debate: will Mark Zuckerberg be praised as a hero or mocked as a fool? And your loony neighbour will continue to pester you with stupid questions on your wall: will monkeys rule the Earth?

read more

Telling Instant Messages About the History of Facebook from Zuckerberg in 2004

Facebook's origin is mired in controversy. The Winklevoss Twins have long claimed that Harvard University dropout Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea; Mark has always claimed he was working on "TheFacebook" before the school seniors ever asked him to code their dating site.

Eight years later, some telling instant messaging conversations have been leaked, preserved by the courts due to lawsuits. One is a chat between a 19-year-old Zuck and Adam D'Angelo, the first Facebook chief technology officer (he left in 2008 to co-found Quora). Through the dialogue, you catch a glimpse of Mark's internal debate - does he build the Winklevoss' dating site or focus on TheFacebook?

read more

Facebook Developer Launches 'Dont Be Evil' Plugin For Less Biased Google Search Results [VIDEO]

A group of engineers has built a bookmarklet that redirects Google's new social search to results that include all social networks—including Twitter, Tumblr, and even MySpace—versus just Google+. Led by Facebook developer Blake Ross, the plugin is called "Don't Be Evil"—Google's now controversial mantra—and is hosted on a website called "Focus on the User," another jab at Google's seemingly corrupt philosophy.

read more

Facebook is Going to Force You to Use Facebook Timeline and Consequently Auto-Share Everything

It's clear through the first 60 Timeline apps that Facebook wants you to auto-share absolutely everything. For the fear of those who haven't complied with Facebook's request to activate Timeline, it'll be forced upon you eventually. Some of Timeline's apps include the ever popular Oodle, Yahoo News, Causes, Flixster, The Washington Post Social, Pinterest and more. You can check out what your friends are using by clicking here.

read more

Half of Canadians Don't Want to Engage with Brands on Social Networks

Many Canadians don't really think brands and social networks mix. According to new data from research firm TNS Canada, 54% of Canadians don't want to engage with brands on social networks. Calling it a "digital wasteland" for businesses, TNS vice president Ron Caughlin says that "winning and maintaining brand loyalty is now harder than ever."

Even so, 44% of consumers agree that they'd consider engaging with a brand recommended by a friend. "The online world presents massive opportunitiy for brands," Ron notes, but "misguided digital strategies are generating mountains of digital waste, making it harder for brands to be heard."

read more

Facebook to IPO in May, Report Says

Facebook's ba-jillion dollar IPO looks due in May, according to a report by AllThingsD. Citing "multiple sources," tech reporter Kara Swisher says that "if there are no issues," such as a "turbulent market," then the much-hyped initial public offering of Facebook is slated for the "third week of May." In order for this to happen, AllThingsD notes, Facebook must file its IPO documents within the next month because the Securities and Exchange Commission generally takes a good three months to review.

read more