facebook

Netflix Gets some Insider Love -Insider Buying week 01-28-22

by

  Curious how well insiders are doing with their buys? Scroll the significant buys of the last year. Last week, I started the blog saying, “at some point making money begins to matter. I’ve long scoffed at relative value analysis as a way to cultivate bad habits.  It’s addictive and should be banned. Comparing companies by silly metrics as a multiple of sales versus a multiple of earnings seems insane yet the madness of crowd behavior is a well-documented phenomenon.  It’s called bubbles and we’ve been in one for quite some time.  I love bubble investing- just point me to … Read more

Pounding the Table on $EVRG

by

  For trade, details click on this link to the trades It’s hard to get excited about insider buying during an earnings blackout.  It’s even harder to get excited about it when there is only one investable idea but sometimes, maybe all the time, it just takes one good idea to make your fortune. That was certainly the case for Dustin Moscovitz, the CEO and Founder of Asana.  He’s been buying millions of dollars worth of stock in a company that he just brought public, a year ago for 3X the price it went public for. Normally it works the … Read more

Follow up on Vocus (VOCS)

by

I have to give Vocus management credit for being responsive to shareholders. I know firsthand that the management of a public company can become beleaguered by shareholders when their stock gets crushed.  So when  I complained about not getting one of my questions answered by the CEO , I didn’t expect an immediate response.  Yet I got one today from the CFO no less. Vocus is one of the new companies staking out the social marketing space.  It’s a cloud based software suite that includes PR Web, iContact, and tools to listen and interact with Facebook and Linkedin users.  I … Read more

Silicon Valley Faces Private Sanity Check – WSJ.com

by

Silicon Valley Faces Private Sanity Check By ROLFE WINKLER A wave of sanity is washing over Silicon Valley after Facebook’s FB +3.00% listing debacle, and that may be bad news for private companies looking to raise money. Suddenly, investors seem to care about business fundamentals again. Instagram surfed the wave perfectly. Despite having no revenue, it sold itself to Facebook for cash and stock currently worth $920 million. But the new focus on fundamentals makes it trickier for hot start-ups like Twitter,LivingSocial and Square to justify the peppy private valuations they have recently received or are seeking. via Silicon Valley Faces … Read more

Facebook IPO Seen Deepening Investor Distrust of Stocks – Bloomberg

by

Facebook IPO Seen Deepening Investor Distrust Of Stocks By Elizabeth Ody and Margaret Collins – May 25, 2012 10:01 PM MT Facebook Inc. (FB)’s initial public offering, plagued by trading errors and a 16 percent drop in the share price, will push more individual investors out of a stock market they already distrust after the financial crisis. “This is clearly the latest in a long string of events that is eviscerating the confidence investors have in the market,” said Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago attorney who represents retail investors. “The perception is Wall Street jiggered this IPO so the underwriters made … Read more

The world is coming to an end but we can share it on Facebook?

by

Reasons why Facebook marks some kind of weird market top. 1.Round the clock coverage on CNBC and Bloomberg about the Facebook IPO and how much money everyone is making. 2.The largest tech (maybe any IPO) in history. 3. People you know that you didn’t know ever bought a stock, asking if you could get them some Facebook stock. 4.Savy insiders selling enormous stakes.  Who cares if Goldman keeps half. At the valuation they’re getting the 50% remaining is all a free toss of the dice. 5. Billion dollar side deals for companies with no revenue to speak of. 6. The … Read more

Facebook Action Done In Secondary Markets

by

Looks like May will bring Facebook shares out of the shadows of the secondary markets and into the spotlight. The month before may will be a quiet one though, as the social media company halted all trading of its shares this week.   According to SharePost, Facebook is looking “to help ensure its orderly transaction into the public markets”.  While it’s common to see a halt before the IPO, this is the first time trading has been halted for as long as a month.  Although the $100 billion valuation on the company should merit some special consideration.     Facebook sets … Read more

Google Probed By Regulators Due To Privacy Issues

by

Google just can’t seem to stay out of the spotlight in the arena of online privacy.  Ever since they decided to “simplify” their online agreement, (see here, and here, and here) they have been scrutinized from every angle possible.  Sure, the policies they had in place were convoluted and ineffective.  Sure, they needed to play catch up on the data mining front to compete with the likes of Facebook.  However, they managed to do so with the grace and precision of a hand grenade.  This time around, the FTC is investigating to determine if Google intentionally tried to set a … Read more

‘s High-Tech Spy Network: Just Had An IPO?

by

In the high-tech world of espionage, deep pockets prevail.  Not this time though, as Chinese spies have mined substantial amounts of data.. through Facebook.  Proving that the social data mining machine is a double-edged sword, the spies gathered email addresses, phone numbers, names, and details on family members on a number of high-ranking military officials.  The fake account of United States Navy admiral James Stavridis befriended a number of other officials for an undisclosed amount of time before the intrusion was identified.  Considering the number of ‘spoof’ accounts of a number of famous celebrities and the sensitivity of these high-ranking … Read more

‘s What To Expect From Apple Today On The iPad 3

by

In case you’ve been trapped in a car for the past two months like this guy, the new iPad is coming out today.  Here’s Business Insider’s coverage of what you can expect from the new device.  Although, 4G is probably the only thing that most people will notice on the third version of the extra large Facebook device..   Retina display Quad-core processor / more RAM Improved camera LTE Siri integration Slightly different form factor Similar pricing iOS 5.1 Home button March 16th release date THE APPLE INVESTOR: All Eyes On Apple’s ‘Special Event’ Today, Here’s What To Expect.

More Ads? Facebook and Twitter Stepping Up Mobile Coverage, And Revenue

by

Enjoy the unusually ad-free browsing of Facebook and Twitter on your phone?  Not for long..  Both companies are adding an ad platform to mobile devices in the upcoming weeks (reaching 425 million Facebook users and 55 million Twitter users)  While this will fill major gaps in both social media companies revenue streams, it will result in the following changes: Twitter: Promoted (paid advertising) accounts will be recommended for you to follow, Tweets by promoted accounts will appear no matter if you follow them or not, and Tweets from brands you follow will move to the top of your newsfeed. Facebook: … Read more

‘s Privacy Policy: Strike One

by

Not nine days after Google releases their new-and-improved privacy policy, we have some first hand results of its intrusiveness.   Jonathan Mayer, a graduate student from Stanford University, discloses some rather disappointing findings.  In his comprehensive article (found here) he identifies four ad-based companies that place trackable cookies in Safari’s browser, and code in two of the four show an intentional circumnavigation of Safari’s privacy feature.  I’ll give you a hint: one starts with a G and ends in oogle.  Now almost every browser has some type of privacy feature in place: “Every popular web browser, save Opera Mini and … Read more

Use Google? YouTube? Have a Gmail account? Worried? Maybe You Should Be: Part 3

by

It’s here.  Google’s new simplified privacy policy popped up today when I opened my Reader account, (if you don’t follow, here’s Part 1 and Part 2) and after 30 minutes or so I came to a single profound, concrete conclusion: it’s long. Now I have to give Google credit, it’s the most user friendly privacy document I’ve seen to date; complete with unsophisticated illustrations that firmly reinforce it’s benign nature. A caricature of how Google uses the information it gathers to improve the user experience. Simplicity aside, what does this mean for the user?  Well, as previously stated it’s a matter of perspective.  Interestingly … Read more

Sallie Mae: Fees the Unemployed, Then Deletes Backlash on Facebook

by

Nominal fees targeted at the demographics who will feel them most simply don’t work.  Bank of America thoroughly illustrated this concept with the short-lived monthly fee on their debit cards, resulting in a plethora of negative press and a number of former clients transferring assets to credit unions.  So why did Sallie Mae think applying a $50 fee to unemployed borrowers would work any differently?  Following BAC’s footsteps and a 100,000 name strong petition, Sallie Mae restructured the fee and now applies the money toward repayment of the loan.  Damage being done however, several people chose to speak out on … Read more

WATCH: Facebook’s $200 Million Graffiti Artist

by

WATCH: Facebook’s $200 Million Graffiti Artist Posted by Jackie Cohen on February 2nd, 2012 12:58 PM David Choe, the graffiti artist who covered Facebook’s walls took compensation in the form of stock currently worth $200 million, and the value of it is getting him a lot of ink. Videos of Choe are also getting more views than ever, especially footage showing the artist incorporating a pair of stick figures that the Mark Zuckerberg put up on one of the walls at the Menlo Park headquarters. We’ve embedded three clips of Choe’s work at Facebook below. Let us know what you … Read more

Thinking About Retirement? Forget 401Ks, Graffiti Pays… A Lot.

by

Ok, so maybe picking up a can of spray paint isn’t the best retirement option for everyone, but it certainly worked out for David Choe.  Back in 2005 and under the direction of Napster kingpin Sean Parker, he adorned the walls of the Palo Alto with his street styled tagwork (the rest of his mixed medium works can be seen here).  Upon completion, Parker asked if he would like to be compensated in cash or in an equal value of stock.  While Choe is no beacon of the mainstream social environment, he took a gamble and accepted the offer of … Read more

Facebook Under Fire as it Approaches IPO

by

I’m sick of Facebook.  The name makes me cringe every time the talking heads on CNBC spout out the same regurgitated facts; all too reminiscent of Armani  clad penguins feeding vast fields of their young.  Regardless, here’s some news that might  get a smile out of your spiteful inner self: lawsuits against the social media giant are rapidly piling up as we near the initial public offering.  No, the company didn’t decided to go on one last rampant crime spree just before going public.  It’s the scent of money in the air that drives the shoals of patent lawyers into … Read more

Use Google? YouTube? Have a Gmail account? Worried? Maybe You Should Be: Part 2

by

OK, the previous post on this topic generated a LOT of emails.  With excessive use of the caps lock.  All the shouting aside, the responses formed two very distinct camps: those who welcomed the changes with open arms, and those angered to the point that their accounts will be deactivated within the next month.  This apartheid is primarily due to difference in perspective rather than an actual misrepresentation of facts.  Let’s break down the two mindsets so we can understand both sides of the equation. Now it is clear that purely from a functionality standpoint (ignore the politics for just a moment), the … Read more

Use Google? YouTube? Have a Gmail account? Worried? Maybe You Should Be: Part 1

by

I admit, I constantly use all three in almost every aspect of my life.  But it looks like my Hotmail account, Yahoo Finance, and Vimeo are about to see a lot more of my traffic, and here’s why.  I received an email from Google just earlier today about their ‘new privacy policy’.  It seemed harmless enough, even like a step in the right direction of reducing these longwinded legal documents into something the average user can understand: We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to … Read more

Your Reading, Watching, And Cooking Habits Will Start Showing Up On Facebook This Wednesday

by

Secretly enjoy a good cry to a romantic comedy?  Well , you’re about to know a lot more than you wanted to about the personal habits of your ‘friends’.. Think this could be a nice avenue for exposure for companies like Netflix?  Other than the benefit of name recognition, the intrusive nature will very possibly be a negative attribute.. In September, Facebook announced a variety of partners for its new Open Graph platform like Netflix, Nike+ Plus, Spotify, and others. These Open Graph apps will pop updates into your live News Ticker like “Ellis Hamburger ran 2.8 miles using Nike+” … Read more

”s stock

by

Balkanization, or Balkanisation, is a geopolitical term originally used to describe the process of fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or non-cooperative with each other.. You need to look no further than a stock chart of Google or this unbelievably depressing Chart of the Day from the SAI Business Insider. Facebook’s Unbelievable Effect On The Rest Of The Web. Or for that matter the meteoric rise in price of LinkedIn’s IPO.  When I first started an Internet company in 1994, the web held the promise of making the world … Read more

Is it an Internet bubble? If So Everyone Wants In

by

I’m starting to get some of the mania.  You have to think of it in different ways.  For example, who would every pay monthly fees to Ancestry.com.  Evidently there are growing numbers of people who can’t complete their curiosity in an evening.  Zynga and online games I sort of understand.  I raised two kids addicted to them.   I can’t wait until they can start paying for them themselves. But then again, time away from Call of Duty is expensive to get. Linkedin, well I personally use that one a lot but I don’t think I’d spend any more money there … Read more