"If it continues to slowly improve, I think that will be adequate for them," he added. "It would be a much, much worse problem if they make some wild move that fails."
Internet companies, like Google and Facebook, have been struggling to figure out how a rapidly accelerating base of mobile users can be monetized. Companies risk of filling up to much of a small mobile screen with an ad, which could alienate users.
However, ignoring mobile advertising puts Internet companies at significant risk as their users quickly move from browsers to smartphones and tablets to access the Internet.
"Ads are challenging on mobile small screens," said Gottheil. "Mobile traffic is going nowhere but up. If users will tolerate advertising, then the revenue stream is ensured. It looks like Facebook has found a way to get users to tolerate advertising."
It's critical that Facebook continue moving forward, Gottheil added.
"It's more than positive," he said. "It's absolutely necessary. Once it had its loyal user base, Facebook was always going to be successful. The questions were when, how, and how much. It looks like when and how have been answered."
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at @sgaudin, or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed . Her e-mail address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.
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