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Google beware, Facebook has more positions to fill

Two big names sit atop the social networking heap: MySpace and Facebook. Facebook is set on growing and is adding seasoned executives from very well-known players in the internet world to make its growth happen.

To fund its growth and give it the needed capitol to hire seasoned managers away from giants like Google required significant funds. Part of these funds came from Microsoft in late 2007 when it invested $240 million in Facebook. Estimates put the revenue generated by Facebook at $150 million per year with the majority of that income stemming from online advertising. However, reports claim that Facebook is spending more than it is making at this time.

Facebook doesn’t expect to be in the red for long and it grabbing serious managerial talent like the former Google star Sheryl Sandberg, the executive responsible for managing the $15 billion behemoth that is Google’s online advertising business. Sandberg took the chief operating officer spot with Facebook.

Sandberg’s departure pushed Google’s stock price to its lowest point in a year. Facebook has its sights set on more than managerial talent and has been hiring away some of Google’s best engineers like Benjamin Ling as well.

Google and other internet companies might want to be sure their key employees are happy; Forbes reports that Facebook is on the prowl again looking to fill a few more key positions within the company.  Facebook is looking to hire a new general counsel and a vice president of communications and public policy.

The one spot that isn’t open at Facebook right now is the top spot. Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg intends to hold on to the job, though he has admitted in the past the CEO spot was harder than he imagined. The 23-year-old Zuckerberg has by all accounts performed well as the CEO of Facebook taking the company from a startup to a valuation at the time Microsoft bought in of $15 billion.

Whether or not Zuckerberg remains the best man for the CEO position at Facebook remains to be seen. A recent report found that social networking sites like Facebook needed to become more useful to really make money.

History shows that internet companies that start off with the founder as CEO tend to need more experienced leaders as time goes by. Good examples of this are Google, Yahoo and eBay. All three companies saw their founders step down and more seasoned leaders step into the CEO spots. Facebook may find that it needs a new leader if it is to become more useful in the future.

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There is a glaring omission in this article...
By arazok on 4/30/2008 12:41:12 PM , Rating: 2
Where do I send my resume?




Execs looking to make money on Facebook...
By Screwballl on 4/30/2008 1:34:01 PM , Rating: 2
I know exactly how this will play out... some high dollar execs will get signed onto the company... they find a way to make it more profitable (for them).. then they sell it out from under the creators feet for a massive increase in their bank account...
either way Facebook is slowly dying as are most social network sites.




By Dobs on 4/30/2008 8:43:31 PM , Rating: 3
Or they'll merger with MySpace and become MyFace . =]


Facebook isn't useful
By FITCamaro on 4/30/08, Rating: -1
RE: Facebook isn't useful
By MrBlastman on 4/30/08, Rating: -1
RE: Facebook isn't useful
By onwisconsin on 4/30/2008 2:19:34 PM , Rating: 3
I disagree. I'm almost on it everyday. It's been very instrumental in keeping in touch with friends living in other states, especially when you're arranging to see them. Or coordinating events with people you don't see daily. It's a lot easier doing all this especially when you don't have their email or phone number too.

I was a doubter too, but now I'm having a good experience


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By FITCamaro on 4/30/2008 3:28:15 PM , Rating: 2
You could just call these people, email them, or chat with them over IM.

And if my only method of contacting someone was Facebook, that would tell me something. They don't want to talk to me. Just a hint.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By Jedi2155 on 4/30/2008 5:35:29 PM , Rating: 2
Or perhaps you were just too busy and never cared to ask for their email till it was too late....there can be plenty of arguments on either side, but the main thing is that lots of people, that are not necessarily dailytech users, find it useful.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By Reclaimer77 on 4/30/2008 6:00:11 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
You could just call these people, email them, or chat with them over IM.


Or he could use Facebook. Which has a live chat built in by the way.

Splitting hairs much ?


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By hp540 on 4/30/2008 8:53:47 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
You could just call these people, email them, or chat with them over IM


...right.

Or you could use sign language and smoke signals as well? FB provides another great way to keep in touch and up to date with friends.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By MScrip on 5/1/2008 2:18:07 AM , Rating: 2
I do call people. I text people. I send e-mails to people. Those are times I need one-on-one communication with one person. But with Facebook I can speak to a group. I can update my status with "Michael is home from the beach" and all my friends know I'm home from the beach. I didn't have to send a dozen e-mails telling people that. It just happens. Facebook is about passive communication, for times when you wanna share things with a group. Facebook is a community. The news feed is the best part of Facebook. You get to hear from your friends, without them speaking directly to you. I can see what's going on with my friends by simply logging into Facebook. Isn't that what networking is all about?

When I put new photos on Facebook, all my friends are told I have new photos. Does Flickr do that? No. Flickr is a photo website with no connectivity. However, Facebook photos are linked to you and your friends. Isn't that why you put photos online, so people can see them?

Sometimes Facebook is the only way I have to contact a friend. Why? Because it's so damn easy to search for someone and "add" them. Have you ever tried to find someone on the internet? Impossible. But, hundreds of my friends are on Facebook, so it's easy to contact them there.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By ebakke on 5/1/2008 4:57:07 AM , Rating: 2
Your facebook friends don't care when you get home from the beach.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By MScrip on 5/1/2008 2:32:16 PM , Rating: 2
Maybe not all of them, but some people write back and ask me how the beach was. It's a conversation starter. It's those little updates that keep people informed on what's happening with your friends on Facebook. Here is an example of my news feed:

Matthew and Katie commented on Jenny's photo.

Julie wrote on Joshua's Wall. Happy Birthday Josh!!! Hope you have a great day!!!!

Hannah commented on Jack's photo.

Jenny added new photos. In this album: 8 of your friends

Staci and Turner are now friends with Alex.

Cathy wrote on Caty's Wall.

Jenny added new photos. In this album: Jenny and Stephanie

7 of your friends changed their profile pictures.

Eric attended Midnight Breakfast.

Jeff commented on Blane's photo.

Elizabeth added new photos.

Lauren is attending Kat's Graduation.

Tia wrote on Joy's Wall.

I wouldn't know any of that stuff if it wasn't for Facebook. I haven't talked to Jenny since we worked together last summer. But, I see she has new photos and a few of my friends are in them. So I said hi to her. I wouldn't have said anything to her if I hadn't seen her pop into my news feed.

I still have plenty of friends that I phone and text, and tons more who I stay in contact with through Facebook.

If you have no friends, Facebook is pointless. But, while my e-mail inbox is empty, my Facebook News Feed is full of stuff.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By PICBoy on 5/2/2008 9:50:41 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Here is an example of my news feed

This is an example of why I hate facebook so much. It floods you with completely unnecessary "news", do you really need to be reminded any of these things? do you really need an excuse to contact an old friend? do you need to take the useless applications and things like "are you a good husband"? Trust me, if facebook says you are a good husband but your wife thinks otherwise then it really doesn't matter and you just wasted more than 2 minutes of your life wich you will never EVER get back.
Facebook has its uses. But I only wanted to "re-find" someone and she's not there but I guess that's just bad luck.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By MScrip on 5/2/2008 2:30:13 PM , Rating: 2
The news feed is the best part of Facebook! It's the equivalent of sitting outside at a sidewalk cafe and your friends walk by. Even if your friends aren't speaking directly to you, you can still hear them. Like I've said before, I have friends I talk to on a regular basis on the phone or in person. But, Facebook lets me hear from everyone else. Some of it may be unnecessary news... but it's news nonetheless. It's one line of text, it doesn't bother me that bad.
quote:
do you really need to be reminded any of these things? do you really need an excuse to contact an old friend?

Look, if I had the choice of not hearing from old friends ever again, or seeing them pop into my news feed with new photos and stuff, I'll take the news feed.

I don't need an excuse to contact old friends... however, Facebook is the reason I can talk talk to old friends.

I usually just observe the news feed. But once in a while I say hi to someone that I would have no other way to contact.

The best part is seeing photos posted by friends. I haven't seen my friend Amanda since college. Her new baby pictures showed up in my news feed. I said hi and said congratulations to her family. What's wrong with that? How many of your friends upload photos to Flickr, then send a mass e-mail to everyone with a link to the photos? Instead, they upload their pictures to Facebook, and their pictures find you.

The last e-mail address I had for Amanda was back in college in 2002. So, I couldn't e-mail her if I wanted to. And I probably wouldn't have ever sent her an e-mail anyway. But, since she added me as a friend, and she showed up in my news feed, the conversation was started.

We live in such a fast paced world. I don't have time to send e-mails like this: "Dear Amanda, How are you? I am fine. How have you been since college?" I'd just rather get a quick snapshot of my old friends from Facebook.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By ebakke on 5/2/2008 4:11:33 PM , Rating: 2
Do you work for Facebook?


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By MScrip on 5/2/2008 5:15:22 PM , Rating: 2
No. I wish. I just find Facebook to be a fantastic service. Sure, it's got its bad moments... but there isn't another single service that can do what Facebook does. Messaging, photo sharing, quick comments, etc.

Everyone is online, but everyone is scattered. Facebook is one community where your friends are. You could only send emails to people who you have addresses for, post pictures to Flickr then tell each one of your friends to go look, write your own blog and have your friend's blogs bookmarked, and use Twitter for up to the minute updates. Or... you and your friends can use Facebook.

E-mail is useful, but it's the online equivalent of mailing a letter to a person. Flickr is nice, but there's no social aspect to it. I'll stick with an online community that has the biggest population. I sure think it's useful.

Some people say that the Facebook bubble is gonna burst when the next big site comes out. That's fine. But it will be another online community like Facebook. A site where, by simply logging in, you see stuff that's going on with your friends. And it's easy to send message and share media with your friends. It's a one stop shop.

I used to be crazy about AIM. I'd sign on and read everyone's away message to see what they are doing. But times have changed. Now I just sign into Facebook, and get a quick rundown on what's going on with my friends.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By Reclaimer77 on 4/30/2008 5:47:19 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I think both of them are a great plague to our society and the internet in general.


Are you high ?

I think your just some Joe Shmoe that will NEVER have an idea that ends up being worth 15+ billion dollars.

Sure you have a right to an opinion, but if your going to accuse a simple way of keeping in touch with people as a " great plague on society and the internet " then I'm sorry, you have to at least explain why.

Child porn is a great plague on our society and the internet. Facebook ? Not even close.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By PICBoy on 5/2/2008 10:14:20 AM , Rating: 2
I think he's trying to point out that too many people are addicted to it and they forget that they actually have lives and that there are a lot of things that can be done in real life that are way better. Take for example "the virtual chocolate" which one do you prefer? the real one or the virtual one?
It's like if people become (more) stupid when they use facebook


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By lotharamious on 4/30/2008 1:20:09 PM , Rating: 1
I agree that Facebook isn't useful. However, Facebook and Myspace are revolutionizing the way young people use the internet, similar to how YouTube completely changed internet use. Can any one here remember what you did on the internet before YouTube? The same thing is happening with Facebook. I can't remember a time without Facebook. People use the internet exclusively for Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube now. It's just the way it is.

I really want to agree that Facebook has nowhere to go but down because it's becoming bloated and it's becoming annoying with all the stupid applications; but I can't agree with this. You have to remember the absolute mammoth marketing potential of this site, however. As long as people still spend at least 30 minutes a day on Facebook, it's inevitable that someone will click an ad. That's why it's only going to get bigger.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By FITCamaro on 4/30/2008 3:24:01 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
Can any one here remember what you did on the internet before YouTube?


The same thing I do now. Get the news. Read about things that interest me. Find information.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By MrBlastman on 4/30/2008 4:12:41 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Can any one here remember what you did on the internet before YouTube? The same thing is happening with Facebook.


Lets see, I'll counter that question with:

Can anyone here remember what you did on the internet prior to Windows 3.1 and Netscape Navigator?

Hmm, I can. I was using LYNX on a Sun Solaris server via a UNIX Shell account to access the internet - and even Yahoo! search via LYNX's textual browser. Before that, I was using Gopher and PeachNET (anyone remember those?).

Before that... BBS's through a dialup 2400 baud modem. I could go on.

Facebook and Myspace are NOT the internet. The world will not end without them. There is far more to the universe online than Facebook, Myspace and Youtube. I was watching streaming video online years before Youtube existed. I think we'll all be fine.

Remember Wildcat, Spitfire or Renegade? Remember posting in threads within them? Do you know what I'm talking about? :)

Young people really don't need Facebook or Myspace. You can do plenty without them. You can even host your own webpage without them...

If people want to use the internet exclusively for them, that is fine, but I see them serving nothing but furthering ones own vanity more than anything else.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By Reclaimer77 on 4/30/2008 5:57:24 PM , Rating: 2
Here you go again, putting Facebook users on trial like its a crime. If you don't like it, don't use it. Keep in touch with people however YOU like.

quote:
Young people really don't need Facebook or Myspace. You can do plenty without them. You can even host your own webpage without them...


Everyone on my Facebook friends list is 30+ years old. Its not just a place for kids. And are you really suggesting its preferable to host your own website instead of just using Facebook ?

quote:
If people want to use the internet exclusively for them, that is fine, but I see them serving nothing but furthering ones own vanity more than anything else.


Vanity ? Man you really have gone off the deep end. Its just a website for talking to people. What is with your irrational opinions ?

quote:
I was watching streaming video online years before Youtube existed. I think we'll all be fine.


So was I. Whats your point ? Did you also have to walk uphill, in the snow, both ways to use your Internet ? Youtube is just plain BETTER than the way we used to browse and watch streaming video's.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By MrBlastman on 5/1/2008 10:51:01 AM , Rating: 2
What part of MYspace and FACEbook do you not get?

Vanity? Lets see, My points to ME ME ME look at ME! And Face points to... ME ME ME look at ME!

I will keep in touch with people however I like - and have absolutely no use for either of those resources as I'm doing just fine without them. They are in many ways colossal time-wasters.

I'd rather be separate from the cattle-herd than shuffled around with a stigma associated with a pool of people within a domain.

I do like Youtube - and google video. Those are fine, and do serve a purpose, however, the world would not end without them. They do make it far easier to share video etc. in such a nifty way that it has created an outlet for thousands of people that otherwise would not have one.

It is the ME in both Myspace and Facebook which is bothersome. What is ironic is the concept is ME, but in reality the ME gets mixed up with the flock, heard and stigma of the mass use. Use it if you like - I'll continue to not do so. Socially I'm very comfortable with people I am friends with, and if I'm introduced to someone else, I don't need to go to some website about them to read all about them. Instead, I'd rather ... interact with them directly. Actions speak louder than words about people, a website can say anything you want. Anything.

With Myspace or Facebook, you can be anything you want and as far from reality as possible. In person, it is much harder to fake that. I'll trust physical interaction far more. That is the problem with these sites that many of young people are failing to see, and in fact are being hurt by them as a result. They fail to distance reality from fantasy.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By Reclaimer77 on 5/1/2008 11:38:19 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
What part of MYspace and FACEbook do you not get?


I don't know. From where I'm sitting your the one whos not getting it.

quote:
Vanity? Lets see, My points to ME ME ME look at ME! And Face points to... ME ME ME look at ME!


I get it now. Your an anti conformist social reject. If its popular, and lots of people enjoy it, than it must be bad. I was in that phase back in high school. Get over it.

quote:
I'd rather be separate from the cattle-herd than shuffled around with a stigma associated with a pool of people within a domain.


Yup, typical anti conformist social reject statement. We're all just sheep, and your different and independent. Uh huh.

quote:
Socially I'm very comfortable with people I am friends with, and if I'm introduced to someone else, I don't need to go to some website about them to read all about them. Instead, I'd rather ... interact with them directly. Actions speak louder than words about people, a website can say anything you want. Anything.


If by comfortable you mean " stand in a corner and sulk " then yes, I'm sure you are. Try to think outside of your box and realize some of us don't have the luxury of only having friends in our local area that we can " directly interact " with.

quote:
With Myspace or Facebook, you can be anything you want and as far from reality as possible. In person, it is much harder to fake that. I'll trust physical interaction far more. That is the problem with these sites that many of young people are failing to see, and in fact are being hurt by them as a result. They fail to distance reality from fantasy.


So many false assumptions I can't even begin to bother with. Everyone on my friends lists are exactly who they say they are, and I'll leave it at that. And " young people " in our society have far worse things to worry about then people being " fake ". Plenty of people you interact with on a daily basis are fakes as well. Your best friend could be a psycho drug using cereal killer and you might not even know it. So what ? Lets all be like you and reject society right.

You need to lighten up, think past your own life for a change, or just get laid or something. Cause really, the whole anti populist emo kid act isn't working anymore. You don't like Facebook and Myspace, and thats fine, but stop trying to make it seem like theres more to it than that.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By KaPolski on 5/1/2008 1:12:56 PM , Rating: 2
How do you kill someone with cereal ; )


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By MrBlastman on 5/1/2008 2:46:06 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I get it now. Your an anti conformist social reject. If its popular, and lots of people enjoy it, than it must be bad. I was in that phase back in high school. Get over it.


I've never once been one to do what is "popular" or "accepted by the masses," nor will I ever be. I do what I want to do, how I want to do it and could care less if others disagree with how I do it. This has nothing to with High School at all. I'm just pointing out that Myspace nor Facebook are necessary as the original post alluded to.

quote:
Yup, typical anti conformist social reject statement. We're all just sheep, and your different and independent. Uh huh.


How can I be rejected if I feel like I haven't? The first step to freedom in life is free-thinking. Rather than attempting direct personal attacks, why don't you conceptually argue your point. This is an open forum for discussion.

But, since you insist:

quote:
If by comfortable you mean " stand in a corner and sulk " then yes, I'm sure you are. Try to think outside of your box and realize some of us don't have the luxury of only having friends in our local area that we can " directly interact " with.


Not my problem, why don't you get off the internet and go out and make some. There are plenty of people to interact with locally.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By baseball43v3r on 5/1/2008 11:59:40 AM , Rating: 2
and my own webpage points to....ME Me Me Look at ME!!!!

so wait, you advocate users getting their own website which would definitely be all about "ME ME ME!!!" but dont want them using facebook or myspace which is more or less a community portal shared by everyone? yes that makes perfect sense!

in all reality myspace is your own webspace, it does the exact same thing i would most likely put on my own webpage, which is a blog, a guest book, some pictures and some information about me.

honestly you need to go to a college and find out how immensly helpful facebook is. it is used from everything to making study groups to hosting parties. and it makes life a lot easier clinking a couple of buttons to send out invitations rather then going around knockin on every door asking if people want to come. It also allows people to see if other s are avaible and a way of quick communication now, cutting down on peoples phone bills and messaging bills. It is a way of passive interaction.

the only stigma is the one that you place on everyone else because the vast majority i gaurentee does not feel the same way.

Socially i am comfortable with my friends as well, i would much rather see them in person then talk to them online. facebook is simply allowing the former to occur by extending the latter.

I dont use myspace very much so i cant comment on your last paragraph but from a facebook standpoint, you obviously dont know what you are talking about. in reality its a very simple concise toolset, where you are pretty much friends with people you already know and you dont need to worry about if they are just "fantasy" people. but couldnt a person in real life say they were a nascar driver and you wouldnt know the difference? the reality is that a person can make themselves into anything they want, in person or on the internet.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By jlips6 on 4/30/2008 1:22:52 PM , Rating: 1
yeah. to really make money they would have to have a product, not just advertisments. The other problem is getting the money for their product. A lot of teenagers who use facebook don't have credit cards, and getting a "premium account" or whatnot might be a bit of a hassle for them. Especially since facebook doesn't really have that much to offer, so a "premium account" probably wouldn't attract anybody except addicts. Possibly if they set up a gaming section with real games or some other scheme to make the site more enjoyable...


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By arazok on 4/30/2008 2:09:07 PM , Rating: 2
I have to agree. MySpace was the king of the mountain until Facebook came along with a better site. Yahoo was king search until Google developed a better engine.

It's that nature of free/ad-based services on the internet, with nothing to tie your users to your site you're only top dog until something better comes along and they jump ship. This is why, long term, I'd never invest in Google. It's a house of cards IMO.


RE: Facebook isn't useful
By spluurfg on 5/1/2008 9:43:14 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
I think sites like Facebook have nowhere to go but down. And it can't happen soon enough. I have a profile. But I'm on the site once a month if that. Pretty much whenever someone sends me an email. Which isn't often.


Just because you don't use something doesn't mean that nobody does. For example, I am guessing that you do not use ladies' underwear, bulk scrap metal, uranium, landfill methane, or maternity yoga classes. However, there is a market for all of the above.


"It's okay. The scenarios aren't that clear. But it's good looking. [Steve Jobs] does good design, and [the iPad] is absolutely a good example of that." -- Bill Gates on the Apple iPad











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