What bloggers are saying about the latest in information technology

The dotcom boom never really busted, it just had the air let out of its sails. But, there is still unfounded excitement over rumors of potential dotcom IPOs to this day. Sure, we've all learned our lessons about unproven business models, dotcoms with no revenue, and startups with cool technology that has no practical application. Still, the prospect of a dotcom IPO still gets our hearts pumping.
The Internet Outsider played a little game of speculation, floating the idea that maybe Microsoft is planning to acquire Facebook for $6 billion. But is it true? Will Microsoft make an offer? Maybe, but according to the Outsider, Facebook thinks they're worth more, and although he didn't mention the word "IPO", others did, and that started the VCs salivating-and now the blogosphere is abuzz with hopeful rumor.

As of this writing, Facebook has said nothing about anything, but an e-Consultancy blog added fuel to the fire of the IPO rumor, taking note of the fact that Facebook recently placed a classified ad for a Stock Administration Manager. The ad reportedly referenced SEC rules about public listings, which would indeed give one cause to wonder. And the consultancy blog also adds an interesting metric, noting that Facebook has grown its UK audience by 2123 percent from May last year, giving it a more rapid growth rate than MySpace. And what happens when a dotcom grows that quick? If it doesn't collapse in the meantime, that is? IPO! Even the stock market blogs are getting excited, with StockMarketBlog predicting that Facebook will be publicly traded by next year.

Of course, Facebook would be a nice acquisition target for a new media company, and they've already turned down Yahoo. So either they're holding out for a mega-offer, or going IPO. Cnet's blog also takes note of the job posting, adding that the notice asked for a person familiar with Sarbanes-Oxley regulations. If you're not familiar with Sarbanes-Oxley, it's accountability for publicly-held companies, and if Facebook isn't planning on going public, knowledge of Sarbanes-Oxley would not be a high priority. The Cnet blog said that Facebook responded to their request for comment however, and the company said that the reason for the job ad was because they need someone to administer stock option grants to full-time employees. They're playing their hand close.

The Valleywag blog, always up on the latest Silicon Valley gossip, jumped into the fray, naturally. Valleywag takes note of the fact that a member of Facebook's board is an Accel Partners venture capitalist. Clearly, this dotcom lacks the "hippie ethos" of other dotcom sites like Craigslist, which claims to be above the attraction of profit-making. Valleywag asks us to take a deep breath and look around for a moment, however, and reminds us that most of Facebook's revenues come from a revenue guarantee from Microsoft, and not from organic ad sales.

I took a look at Facebook, having never used it before, and it seems to be useful, although I probably wouldn't use it myself. It's good for connecting with others in your workplace, region, college, or high school, but it doesn't have groups based on interest or career. I found LinkedIn a bit more useful for seeking out people of common interests, although I have to admit I haven't used that one much either-but LinkedIn did discover for me that I have a relative I didn't know existed that lives in Israel. My point is, clearly there are a lot of social networking sites, and Facebook is one of many. Will anybody remember that it existed five years from now? It's no slam dunk, IPO or no, but either option-IPO or high-dollar Microsoft buyout-will give it a fighting chance.

ITworld.com

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