How the hell can Facebook be worth $50 billion

[XabbaRus]

I just don't get it. Maybe I am thick but something that makes nothing, produces nothing, just a collection of people, some in my opinion extremely sad posting details of their life. Is it worth that due to advertising alone? That is the only way I can see it makes money is from advertising revenues.

[Schroeder]

Personal data.;)

[Tribesman]

Personal data
:yep:

[Onkel Neal]

just a collection of people, some in my opinion extremely sad posting details of their life.

Oh yeah, that reminds me, friend me (http://www.facebook.com/#!/subsim) :)

Who can say what the value of FB is? There are so many revenue stream possibilites; advertising, potential premium membership fees, application and game fees.... If I had a website with 500 million members and growing, one that was the new cornerstone of the web, I guess I would be happy. Let's see... 500 million members times a penny each day... would be....

$ 1,825,000,000.00

Yeah, that would be worth $50 billion, easy.

[XabbaRus]

I guess I'm just old fashioned Neal....

Fair play the guy's smart but to be of real value you need to create something tangible.....

I'll go back to my cave now...

[Takeda Shingen]

Don't worry Xabba, I'm decidedly anti-Facebook. I am actually rather proud of the fact that I do not have an account.

EDIT: I don't begrudge anyone who does have an account, though. My wife has one, and she likes it very much.

[Growler]

FB accounts are OK - once the novelty wears off, the privacy issues settle down, and those pesky restraining orders are lifted... :)

In honesty, I was very grateful to have access to so many people who were involved in my mother's life after I went off on my own in '90. I went off on my way, and tended to not look back - and I've discovered that I missed a neat person. She made life better for a lot of people, and I never would have known that were it not for access to those people via FB.

I've been able to reconnect with old friends, make a few new ones, all without drama. There can be actual adults on FB.

[mookiemookie]

Personal data.;)

In Web 2.0, if you don't pay for it then YOU are the product that's being sold. It's all about the personal data being sold to advertisers.

[the_tyrant]

hits=money

this is how the free porn sites still make money

[STEED]

I have about as much interest in them as I have in wrestling a dozen crocodiles, none at all.

[Growler]

I have about as much interest in them as I have in wrestling a dozen crocodiles, none at all.

Oh, I'd pay to watch you wrestle a dozen crocodiles. Does that constitute interest?:D

[STEED]

Oh, I'd pay to watch you wrestle a dozen crocodiles. Does that constitute interest?:D

As long as there all like this one. :DL

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4621636637_96f7f3832b.jpg

[Growler]

As long as there all like this one. :DL

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4621636637_96f7f3832b.jpg

Hmm... y'know, I'm sure that somewhere, someone in Hollywood is finding a way to make a fortune with this concept.

[stoppro]

What ever happen' to that other site that used to be hot? 'space book' or maybe' my space' I for get the name of it.

[bookworm_020]

It's worth $50 Billion because of all the information that can be legally harvested from the site for advertisers! Not to metion a new way to screen new employees

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/beware-getting-off-your-facebook-20110101-19cj7.html

[nikimcbee]

Personal data.;)

You mean the selling of personal data.

[Gargamel]

Don't worry Xabba, I'm decidedly anti-Facebook. I am actually rather proud of the fact that I do not have an account.

EDIT: I don't begrudge anyone who does have an account, though. My wife has one, and she likes it very much.

Wooohoooo! I'm having an anti-FB party in my cave too!

[Wolfehunter]

Personal data.;)They sell you... well those suckers who use Farcebook that is... :haha:

[Sailor Steve]

Well, since if it wasn't for FaceBook I would never have found my long-lost daughters, and would never have known I have grandchildren, or have pictures of them, I don't think it's exactly fair to characterize me as a "sucker".

[Wolfehunter]

Well, since if it wasn't for FaceBook I would never have found my long-lost daughters, and would never have known I have grandchildren, or have pictures of them, I don't think it's exactly fair to characterize me as a "sucker".In an ideal world where all is perfect FB is a great tool... But in ours its too risky with all the f--ked up people..

I'm just saying.. :salute:

[gimpy117]

or its just speculative trading etc. Kind of like oil. Its price shifts purely off of what people think it's worth.

[Gargamel]

Well, since if it wasn't for FaceBook I would never have found my long-lost daughters, and would never have known I have grandchildren, or have pictures of them, I don't think it's exactly fair to characterize me as a "sucker".

Congrats on that Steve!

[PeriscopeDepth]

Google is valuable because they are the point where people declare their intent on the internet, ie "I want to buy something so I will search for it." And then get advertisements based exactly on what you are looking to buy. Or what you are looking at in your gmail account, etc.

Facebook is considered to be so valuable because all the profile information, status, updates, etc builds a very complete picture of you to potential advertisers. And they have mind blowing traffic statistics. That being said, I do think the value of facebook is largely speculative. But the potential is certainly there.

PD

[Betonov]

Take into the account that ads are country specific, so not only you have room for 5 ads on the main site or ''the wall' but there's lets say about 80 countries (dont hang me on this, just speculation, like oil and gold), that's 400 ads in one moment.
Then the adds change everytime you refresh so you can have a hundred or more advertising space thats 40 000 ads times hundred for every new company that buys the space (the older ad goes but the money stays) we have 400 000 ads (and I believe I'm understating this).
Since this is facebook, with all its prestige the ad space cant be dirt cheap. Could be more than 200$ per day sooo, what do I get (I not we, since this is just speculation of one person, like oil and gold).... 80 000 000 $ daily.
The company has no material input of any kind, few employes compared to industry or media (a student can maintain servers), high revenue and low expenses

Plus, Zuckerberg created FB out of lonelines or something like that so we can assume his people skills are not stellar, he could be a slave driver, more profit !!!!!

[UnderseaLcpl]

I just don't get it. Maybe I am thick but something that makes nothing, produces nothing, just a collection of people, some in my opinion extremely sad posting details of their life. Is it worth that due to advertising alone? That is the only way I can see it makes money is from advertising revenues.

Well, you are thick, no doubt:DL I jest, but you're ignoring human nature in your stance. It is a hard thing to see when you're human.

People enjoy interaction. They cannot do otherwise, because they are the product of millions of years' worth of evolution that has its basis in reproduction of genes which only exist because they reproduced. There is no genetic reward for being sealed off by oneself, other than what one can conjugate. There is, however, a significant cache of biological rewards in store for those who can interact successfully with others. It is the product of natural selection that requires competitive reproduction. I will happily explain further, should you ask.

[Sailor Steve]

Congrats on that Steve!
Oh! You post so much and so well I didn't realize you were that new! Now I have another chance to brag!

Here's how it happened:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=167615&highlight=grandkids

[kranz]

Well, you are thick, no doubt:DL I jest, but you're ignoring human nature in your stance. It is a hard thing to see when you're human.

People enjoy interaction.

I guess you are right. But those FB examples which I know are related with stuff like: "In this photo I'm lying in my own vomit coz I was drinking rly hard" and "Thumbs up". In Poland we had a similar version of FB done for ppl to find their relatives, friends etc. There was no "interaction" planned, except for simple messages. Soon they applied: gifts, flowers, wishes, simple games provided you paid a bit. The initial purpose was replaced by sheer commerce. I have nothing against places like FB as long as you want to express something more than "I scratched my a*s". I guess there is some kind of trend like having a FB account for the sake of having it. And for me it's just stupid. I know ppl who posted there 150 photos of their new hair color, with emo music in the background and they asked me- why don;t u have your own? I totally approve of using FB and similar places to, dunno-show you artistic portfolio or get 1 million signatures to build a bloody well in Sudan or somewhere but if you wanna tell the whole world that you have just drunk a coffee you are, as Xabbarus said earlier, S-A-D.

[Betonov]

:agree:

I just hide those sad cases
Nothing but quality links and smart quotes on my wall

[Onkel Neal]

I have nothing against FB, it's simply a tech tool, like e-mail. Steve, your story warmed my heart, my friend. I am SO proud to have played a small role in your happiness! :up:

[kranz]

I have nothing against FB, it's simply a tech tool, like e-mail.
The problem starts when someone tries to tell you between the lines that you should feel worse than him bcoz you don't have FB.
One of the Polish journalists once said (I guess he repeated it after someone smarter) that: If you don't have a FB account you do NOT exist.

Steve, your story warmed my heart, my friend. I am SO proud to have played a small role in your happiness! :up:

yeah, thumbs up for you both.:up:

[Growler]

I have nothing against FB, it's simply a tech tool, like e-mail. Steve, your story warmed my heart, my friend. I am SO proud to have played a small role in your happiness! :up:

And THIS is why I remain a part of Subsim, after leaving many, many other fora in the dust.

No matter how much stuff we many disagree with amongst ourselves, the majority of the people here are genuinely good people. The old school forum/BBS model may not be as "nouveau" as social networking sites like FB, but I'll be damned if someone tries to sell us on the idea that those guys were pioneers in their field, when I know - and have been a part of - the real pioneers in social networking.

[Sailor Steve]

Amen to that, brother! Here we have real conversations. At least most of us try to. :sunny:

[krashkart]

^^ Even socially-inept knuckleheads. <poking fun at self :O:>



Personal note:

Cjeka!! Unite! :arrgh!:

FB helped in some small way with that.


Best of luck to anyone that's finding holes in a family firewall via social networking. Sometimes we choose the circumstances, sometimes we don't have a chance to choose them. Either way, family ought to be together. We don't know what we've lost till it's gone.

[Wolfehunter]

Another reason Why I'm not fond of Facebook.. The ability for criminals to show off there ****. :nope:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/silence-prevents-more-b-c-gang-rape-charges-20110106-114656-545.html

[Growler]

Another reason Why I'm not fond of Facebook.. The ability for criminals to show off there ****. :nope:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/silence-prevents-more-b-c-gang-rape-charges-20110106-114656-545.html

While I agree with you in many ways, I am glad to see that LEOs are using resources that didn't exist. I'm glad to see these dumbasses get nailed for being stupid in addition to be rapists.

[Tchocky]

Well, everyone is waiting for Facebook to start chugging out money to investors. Whether this happens or not, Goldman can now claim to be the place to go for your share of the pie.

[Betonov]

added Neil just for the fun of it, he did say add me on page one :03:

[Sailor Steve]

added Neil just for the fun of it, he did say add me on page one :03:
Neal wants to know who this 'Neil' is. :D

[Betonov]

Neal wants to know who this 'Neil' is. :D
Bloody hell, what a mistake-a to make-a I make-a :DL

Neal is the only owner of the word subsim on FB, so I believe I sent the request to the right one