Facebook close to deal w/ Microsoft or Google

[IntenseFan]

Originally Posted by Nufy

Girls............

I wasn't getting girls anyway. At least I'd have some $$$ now.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by ken0042

$240 million for a 1.6% stake? Why would anybody bother?

Microsoft said it would be the exclusive third-party advertising platform for Facebook, one of the hottest properties on the Internet with more than 47 million users.

Google makes what, 6 billion a year off adwords? Admittedly for many more than 47 million users, but still.

And looking down the road, social networking has a chance to rival search as the interface of the net.

Not a bad play really.

[Hakan]

I'm pessimistic about Facebook's growth in the upcoming years. I don't see alot of revenue potential for it. People don't go there to buy things, advertising should bring some returns but it seems that the value is for the personal data which, IMO, is kind of scary.

[RougeUnderoos]

That's a pretty hefty pricetag for what isn't anything more than a fad.

Online social networking (and user-generated content in general) is certainly a big deal in terms of marketing, but facebook will go out of style sooner or later (sooner)and it'll be deserted.

Google or Microsoft (especially) getting in on it tells me that it's already going downhill. Like anything else -- once some "hip" thing hits the mainstream, it ain't hip anymore and the cool kids/early-adopters will go somewhere else and wherever that is will be the new facebook.

[mykalberta]

What is the cost breakdown of the 1.6% vis a vi exclusive advertising rights.

Its difficult to peg what Fb thinks its worth with this deal otherwise. Smart move by M$ - as indicated on CNBC - the $ behind Fb is shrewd and this is the prob the best deal they could get.

[Ozy_Flame]

Facebook started to go downhill with the addition of third-party applications. It is creating a clunky, un-intuitive interface, which is going the way of MySpace. In addition, changing your privacy options, while comprehensive, takes a computer guru to get them just right, and thus many people have stuff on their profiles that can be viewed by more than just their friends.

This is all on top of the fact that it's probably creating / ruining friendships, relationships, and exposing people's personal secrets and information.

I left Facebook last month, and it's actually quite nice again not being able to keep tabs on friends. Somehow with Facebook, I became more bored with people in general because I knew too much about them. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

[SaskaBushFire]

Seriously, what is face book?

[MelBridgeman]

the good thing is the consumer is back in control...

[OilersBaby]

it would be cool if Google took over facebook because geographically speaking, their headquarters are pretty close to each other! The Google HQs are about 5 miles from my house and the Facebook HQs are about 15 miles away in Palo Alto...

[metallicat]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Facebook started to go downhill with the addition of third-party applications. It is creating a clunky, un-intuitive interface, which is going the way of MySpace. In addition, changing your privacy options, while comprehensive, takes a computer guru to get them just right, and thus many people have stuff on their profiles that can be viewed by more than just their friends.

This is all on top of the fact that it's probably creating / ruining friendships, relationships, and exposing people's personal secrets and information.

I left Facebook last month, and it's actually quite nice again not being able to keep tabs on friends. Somehow with Facebook, I became more bored with people in general because I knew too much about them. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Everything you say is spot on. Why in the world did they think it would be a good idea to allow people to F up their personal spaces? When I first joined in the summer, I thought it was cool. Now it's just another long line of stupid websites that I wish I had never found.

[Wookie]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Everything you say is spot on. Why in the world did they think it would be a good idea to allow people to F up their personal spaces? When I first joined in the summer, I thought it was cool. Now it's just another long line of stupid websites that I wish I had never found.

Yeah - I had mine taken down for about 2 months. I recently went back on for arrangement of some events and to get some contact info. After I'm done with said event I think I'm going to take it back down. It's a nuisance.

[halibut]

Originally Posted by IntenseFan

Why oh why didn't I go into computer science?

Trust me, you made a good choice not doing it.

[browna]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Everytime they try to buy a niche style company with a grassroots following that company dies or gets absorbed and phased out. There will always be a segment of the population that will never like M$ (whether it be Windows, money, virus related etc). And as soon as M$ gets their hands on something like that it dies.

Hotmail?

[Clarkey]

I hear these early 30's guys on the bus talking about face page, it seems a little immature. I guess I don't get it.

Mind you, a lot of people would consider going on an online hockey message board to be kind of lame as well I guess.