Facebook Going Public

[Caligula]

Or the next Myspace.

I guess that is the risk on this one.

The thing with Apple is that it actually sells products.

Facebook could disappear tomorrow, and the world would be no different.

I still may roll the dice on this one.

That's where I disagree with you and others.

If FB went away, I'd lost all of my photo albums. Photos are huge on Facebook.

I also keep in touch with college roommate, old friends from back in the day, on Facebook.

I could live without Facebook just as I could live without a cell phone.

But life with cell phones and FB are better. I couldn't tell you my best friend's phone #. Before cell, I had to keep track of all of that. It was hard to reach people.

I don't even know where my friends live. When I post to my status, "I'm going to be in NYC next week," I get hit up.

Facebook is as essential to the lives of teens as text messages.

A lot of people even do much of their "texting" through Facebook.

If Facebook went away, it'd be really disruptive.

Ebay doesn't sell products, and makes good coin.

PayPal doesn't sell products, either.

I made a killing on SLV, GLD, and physical precious metals, so I'm not a stock guy.

A 10K investment might go up to 50K, and it probably won't go below 5K.

A lot of gambles, for me, are finding if the highs are going to be high enough to outweigh the lows.

Only problem I have with this is that I think Paypal and Ebay are built on more solid Markets where as Facebook is just another site to post your ads on. Maybe it's just that I have not been investing for that long but It seems like Facebook is somewhat of a replacable thing and there are tons of other sites in which you could place ads on Youtube, Google etc. That's just my two cents ahaha.

There are good reasons not to invest in FB, but this isn't one of them.

The advertising market is a huge market. It's not less solid just because it doesn't involve physical goods. Every year, more and more advertising goes online. Facebook is in a strong position to grab a disproportionate share of the online advertising market. It's only 'replaceable' in that people may choose to stop spending as much time on FB as they do on other sites.

 

[SimonRierdon]

Facebook is actually putting forward this IPO a lot sooner than they wanted to. I read an article today that they are hemorrhaging users like crazy especially among the young because kids are migrating to twitter because there parents are friending them and twitter is more private.

There's another reason I'd stay away from this by a country mile. Zuckerberg is supposedly this internet genius who figured out social networking, but the truth is his venture capital came from front companies that are run by the CIA (google it). His father is a well known CIA operative.

Read this article.

Plenty of links there to support my points.

 

[Caligula]

Facebook is actually putting forward this IPO a lot sooner than they wanted to. I read an article today that they are hemorrhaging users like crazy especially among the young because kids are migrating to twitter because there parents are friending them and twitter is more private.

There's another reason I'd stay away from this by a country mile. Zuckerberg is supposedly this internet genius who figured out social networking, but the truth is his venture capital came from front companies that are run by the CIA (google it). His father is a well known CIA operative.

Read this article.

Plenty of links there to support my points.

I agree that it's possible the IPO had to be hurried along because user growth is stagnant. Maybe FB will never live up to its potential and take a hammering in the markets.

But that article you posted is full of nonsense. The argument goes "we don't believe that a guy in his twenties could have built this without the assistance of shadowy forces". Yes, Facebook got plenty of assistance but it's pretty obvious from whom that assistance came: Well-connected Silicon Valley VCs and veteran executives like Sheryl Sandberg who know how to build companies and have the capital to make it happen. And Peter Thiel? The guy makes tens of big angel investments every year in all sorts of areas. He's one of the most active angels in the Valley. Sure he's a hardcore libertarian, but if he was really as well connected as the conspiracy nuts claim he would have made more money off his hedge fund that reportedly gave off negative returns almost every year.

That Facebook has a huge valuation despite its simple business model and relatively low revenue is explained by its potential. Investors are betting that Facebook will eventually conquer the world. Maybe they will, maybe they won't, but enough people are willing to bet that it will to pump up the valuation. Last year Facebook profited $1.20 per user. That's not a lot of money, but it's a lot of users. With some creativity they'll be able to extract more profit from each user. Even increasing it by 25% will add well over a billion dollars to their revenue. Worth $100bn? Maybe not now, but very possibly in the future.

Finally, no one forces people to use FB. It's 100% opt-in. If you don't like it, get off it. If you're not paying for a service, you are the product being sold. When you use Gmail your eyeballs looking at ads relevant to your emails are the product being sold. In the case of FB your information is the product being sold. That's how free online services work. People need to get over this. I use FB because I like being able to stay in touch with people all over the world. I'm not too bothered about the info it has on me, even if I'm aware that it's a lot of data. I would happily pay $10 / year to be rid of the ads, but most people won't pay so they stick with their current business model.

Info I want to keep secret stays off FB and the internet. You should also never send an email that you couldn't live with the whole world seeing. ALL online communication is insecure and easy to intercept. It can easily be accessed by well-equipped adversaries, whether they're governments or lone hackers. The only reason FB gets peoples' blood boiling is that it's bigger, more successful and has a bigger concentration of data than any other company apart from Google. Facebook attracts a lot of attention because what it does is easy to understand. People don't really get Google, its algorithms and multitude of business models and leave it alone.

There is not one compelling argument in that article to suggest some big plot, and plenty of discredited conspiracy ramblings about some nebulous world elite that the authors probably think descended from aliens and lizard-men.

If you don't think it's sustainable, short some Facebook stock and put your money where your mouth is.

 

[chyamor]

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/3-ways-facebook-ipo-exploit-users-172215377.html

1. Facebook is going to "sell" users for $120 each

 

[SimonRierdon]

Facebook is actually putting forward this IPO a lot sooner than they wanted to. I read an article today that they are hemorrhaging users like crazy especially among the young because kids are migrating to twitter because there parents are friending them and twitter is more private.

There's another reason I'd stay away from this by a country mile. Zuckerberg is supposedly this internet genius who figured out social networking, but the truth is his venture capital came from front companies that are run by the CIA (google it). His father is a well known CIA operative.

Read this article.

Plenty of links there to support my points.

I agree that it's possible the IPO had to be hurried along because user growth is stagnant. Maybe FB will never live up to its potential and take a hammering in the markets.

But that article you posted is full of nonsense. The argument goes "we don't believe that a guy in his twenties could have built this without the assistance of shadowy forces". Yes, Facebook got plenty of assistance but it's pretty obvious from whom that assistance came: Well-connected Silicon Valley VCs and veteran executives like Sheryl Sandberg who know how to build companies and have the capital to make it happen. And Peter Thiel? The guy makes tens of big angel investments every year in all sorts of areas. He's one of the most active angels in the Valley. Sure he's a hardcore libertarian, but if he was really as well connected as the conspiracy nuts claim he would have made more money off his hedge fund that reportedly gave off negative returns almost every year.

That Facebook has a huge valuation despite its simple business model and relatively low revenue is explained by its potential. Investors are betting that Facebook will eventually conquer the world. Maybe they will, maybe they won't, but enough people are willing to bet that it will to pump up the valuation. Last year Facebook profited $1.20 per user. That's not a lot of money, but it's a lot of users. With some creativity they'll be able to extract more profit from each user. Even increasing it by 25% will add well over a billion dollars to their revenue. Worth $100bn? Maybe not now, but very possibly in the future.

Finally, no one forces people to use FB. It's 100% opt-in. If you don't like it, get off it. If you're not paying for a service, you are the product being sold. When you use Gmail your eyeballs looking at ads relevant to your emails are the product being sold. In the case of FB your information is the product being sold. That's how free online services work. People need to get over this. I use FB because I like being able to stay in touch with people all over the world. I'm not too bothered about the info it has on me, even if I'm aware that it's a lot of data. I would happily pay $10 / year to be rid of the ads, but most people won't pay so they stick with their current business model.

Info I want to keep secret stays off FB and the internet. You should also never send an email that you couldn't live with the whole world seeing. ALL online communication is insecure and easy to intercept. It can easily be accessed by well-equipped adversaries, whether they're governments or lone hackers. The only reason FB gets peoples' blood boiling is that it's bigger, more successful and has a bigger concentration of data than any other company apart from Google. Facebook attracts a lot of attention because what it does is easy to understand. People don't really get Google, its algorithms and multitude of business models and leave it alone.

There is not one compelling argument in that article to suggest some big plot, and plenty of discredited conspiracy ramblings about some nebulous world elite that the authors probably think descended from aliens and lizard-men.

If you don't think it's sustainable, short some Facebook stock and put your money where your mouth is.

Ahead of you dude, I've got it shorted from fifteen days after the IPO to ninety days after the IPO. Ought to be a nice return on my investment.

 

[gringoed]

Gotta hand it to Zuckerberg. I think he's the epitome of the American dream for our generation, and it's unfolding right now. Guy turns a simple idea and less than $2000 into net worth in the billions, all before turning 30. For those who say the American dream is dead, just look at this guy.

 

[kdolo]

Gotta hand it to Zuckerberg. I think he's the epitome of the American dream for our generation, and it's unfolding right now. Guy turns a simple idea and less than $2000 into net worth in the billions, all before turning 30. For those who say the American dream is dead, just look at this guy.

Yup,

For an upper class(in wealth), white, Harvard and prep school educated, male who also happens to be Jewish - the American dream is alive and well.

 

[thegmanifesto]

Gotta hand it to Zuckerberg. I think he's the epitome of the American dream for our generation, and it's unfolding right now. Guy turns a simple idea and less than $2000 into net worth in the billions, all before turning 30. For those who say the American dream is dead, just look at this guy.

Yup,

For an upper class(in wealth), white, Harvard and prep school educated, male who also happens to be Jewish - the American dream is alive and well.

Yep.

A little thievery is all it takes.

Just playing.

Even though I think it is a worthless website, and I would never use it personally, Props to the cat.

 

[Caligula]

Gotta hand it to Zuckerberg. I think he's the epitome of the American dream for our generation, and it's unfolding right now. Guy turns a simple idea and less than $2000 into net worth in the billions, all before turning 30. For those who say the American dream is dead, just look at this guy.

Yup,

For an upper class(in wealth), white, Harvard and prep school educated, male who also happens to be Jewish - the American dream is alive and well.

Here you go again with the race baiting.

:troll:

 

[el mechanico]

Gotta hand it to Zuckerberg. I think he's the epitome of the American dream for our generation, and it's unfolding right now. Guy turns a simple idea and less than $2000 into net worth in the billions, all before turning 30. For those who say the American dream is dead, just look at this guy.

Yup,

For an upper class(in wealth), white, Harvard and prep school educated, male who also happens to be Jewish - the American dream is alive and well.

Yep.

A little thievery is all it takes.

Just playing.

Even though I think it is a worthless website, and I would never use it personally, Props to the cat.

What? You have to facebook links in your signature

 

[thegmanifesto]

Gotta hand it to Zuckerberg. I think he's the epitome of the American dream for our generation, and it's unfolding right now. Guy turns a simple idea and less than $2000 into net worth in the billions, all before turning 30. For those who say the American dream is dead, just look at this guy.

Yup,

For an upper class(in wealth), white, Harvard and prep school educated, male who also happens to be Jewish - the American dream is alive and well.

Yep.

A little thievery is all it takes.

Just playing.

Even though I think it is a worthless website, and I would never use it personally, Props to the cat.

What? You have to facebook links in your signature

Key disclaimer that you missed in there: "personally"

I am always very careful with what I write.

Zuck is supposed to be worth 25 billion.

Now that is some nice "walking around money".

 

[Basil Ransom]

Gotta hand it to Zuckerberg. I think he's the epitome of the American dream for our generation, and it's unfolding right now. Guy turns a simple idea and less than $2000 into net worth in the billions, all before turning 30. For those who say the American dream is dead, just look at this guy.

Yup,

For an upper class(in wealth), white, Harvard and prep school educated, male who also happens to be Jewish - the American dream is alive and well.

Lots of guys fit that description, and they don't have 1/10,000th the wealth he has. On a visceral level, I hate it, but it's still an accomplishment.

 

[el mechanico]

Gotta hand it to Zuckerberg. I think he's the epitome of the American dream for our generation, and it's unfolding right now. Guy turns a simple idea and less than $2000 into net worth in the billions, all before turning 30. For those who say the American dream is dead, just look at this guy.

Yup,

For an upper class(in wealth), white, Harvard and prep school educated, male who also happens to be Jewish - the American dream is alive and well.

Yep.

A little thievery is all it takes.

Just playing.

Even though I think it is a worthless website, and I would never use it personally, Props to the cat.

What? You have to facebook links in your signature

Key disclaimer that you missed in there: "personally"

I am always very careful with what I write.

Zuck is supposed to be worth 25 billion.

Now that is some nice "walking around money".

I don't get it. You have two links but don't use them personally but you post on them? Are you saying it's for your blog but you yourself wouldn't have a page for your personal friends and relatives? Who's Mike Mason?

 

[gringoed]

Yep that's exactly why I and everyone else set up a facebook profile. Because the founder was white, upper class, and Jewish!

 

[thegmanifesto]

Yup,

For an upper class(in wealth), white, Harvard and prep school educated, male who also happens to be Jewish - the American dream is alive and well.

Yep.

A little thievery is all it takes.

Just playing.

Even though I think it is a worthless website, and I would never use it personally, Props to the cat.

What? You have to facebook links in your signature

Key disclaimer that you missed in there: "personally"

I am always very careful with what I write.

Zuck is supposed to be worth 25 billion.

Now that is some nice "walking around money".

I don't get it. You have two links but don't use them personally but you post on them? Are you saying it's for your blog but you yourself wouldn't have a page for your personal friends and relatives? Who's Mike Mason?

Yeah.

I don't know any of those people save for a few.

I would use facebook for a biz or a blog, but never "personally".

Clear as an azure sky in deepest summer?

 

[Aliblahba]

Yeah Emech. Only the most true hardcore playa's make fake facebook pages. Duh.

 

[speakeasy]

Check this out. A graffiti artist that painted a cheesy mural in Facebook's office in 2005 agreed to be paid in stock rather than cash. He's now worth $200 million. Unfkgbelievable.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/social...i-millionaire-thanks-to-facebook-bet-in-2005/

 

[thegmanifesto]

Yeah Emech. Only the most true hardcore playa's make fake facebook pages. Duh.

No, only the most "true" "hardcore" "playa's" wear wetsuit tops out at night.

And write the word: "playa's".

And little girls write the word "playa's" too.

And kooks wear wetsuits tops out at night.

Make sense?

 

[Deluge]

Clear as an azure sky in deepest summer?

Clockwork Orange?

 

[jackson.henley]

Facebook has the 'cool' factor... then again so did My_____,