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Facebook insiders could sell 773 million shares Wednesday

The largest set of Facebook stock shares available since May, when the company went public, could hit the market on Wednesday as the social network's employees are given the green light to sell off 773 million shares.

Wednesday marks the expiration of another "lockup" period, which means early investors and Facebook employees, including those who joined before 2011, will be able to sell off 773 million common shares, plus 31 million in restricted stock units.

The previous lockup expired at the end of October, and that fresh infusion of stock into the open market left the share … Read more

Now Paul Ceglia might even owe Facebook legal fees

As if Paul Ceglia doesn't have enough problems.

Now the man claiming to own half of Facebook -- who last month was arrested on fraud charges for allegedly fabricating evidence in the case -- might end up paying part of Facebook's attorneys fees.

Ceglia, who was released from jail today after posting a $250,000 bond, is continuing to fight his civil lawsuit against Facebook and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The case now centers around why additional hard copies of a purported contract between Ceglia and Zuckerberg were destroyed. Ceglia's legal team has said that additional files -- … Read more

Facebook says it again: We are mobile

Facebook really wants people to know that it's got its mind on mobile.

The company put out a blog post today detailing the work of its product teams since its mobile first transformation. Wall Street has been highly critical of Facebook in the past for not paying attention to mobile, which is where many users have moved.

But now, Facebook says, it's all about mobile. The company has been updating its main Facebook app frequently, and paying attention to standalone apps is key to that process, Product Manager Michael Eyal Sharon wrote in the post. He used the … Read more

Facebook tries to get some love for Friendship Pages

Facebook today revamped its Friendship Pages, a little-known feature that's suppose to take you on a trip down memory lane with any of your Facebook friends.

The social network may be using the redesign to bring more attention to the feature. The idea, the fruit of a hackathon, was rolled out about a year ago. The pages exist for each relationship you have and shows any posts, photos, and events that you and another person have shared.

If you are "in a relationship with" someone, like the happy couple pictured above, you can go to www.facebook.com/us … Read more

Election 2012 on Facebook: Chatter reaches new heights

While there's no telling how much impact Facebook had on U.S voters, the social network says its users talked a lot, creating more election buzz than ever.

There were 71.7 million election-related mentions in posts and comments in the U.S. yesterday, and 88.7 million globally, Facebook said today.

The company's data team used its "Talk Meter" to measure the chatter -- posts and comments -- around the election and, ranking them on a scale of 1 to 10, Facebook said. Election 2012 buzz came in at a 9.27. That compares to … Read more

An Election Day Instagram is worth a thousand tweets

If there's been one sacred cow that's stood the test of time in America, it's the secrecy of a citizen's ballot. But in the age of Instagram, that cow has wandered straight off the farm.

Do a search for "Election2012" on Instagram today and there's no shortage of pictures of people's ballots. Or polling places, people's "I voted" stickers, and even Big Bird waiting to exercise his franchise. Whether they're excited that they voted -- maybe for the first time? -- or if they just want all the world to know who they picked, it's clear that a lot of people think Instagram is the obvious way to share their enthusiasm for the election.

Regardless of the fact that there seems to be a school of thought that Instagramming your ballot may be illegal, there's no doubt that the election, following immediately after Hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast, is a big moment for the young photo-sharing service. … Read more

Young people talk about election on social media. Well, duh

This may come as a shock, but social media is a "significant" part of the voting process for young people.

A new report from Pew Research finds that 22 percent of voters have told others how they voted via social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. For young people between the ages of 18 to 29, that percentage jumps to 29 percent.

And even more people -- about 30 percent of registered voters -- have been "encouraged to vote" for a certain candidate via posts on the sites. For the 18- to 29-year-olds, a whopping … Read more

Morgan Stanley tries to stop Facebook investor arbitration

Morgan Stanley, the lead banker on Facebook's messy IPO, is attempting to stop a Facebook investor from seeking securities arbitration related to the stock offering, according to a report from Reuters.

Because the investor isn't a Morgan Stanley customer, the firm has argued in a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court that the arbitration shouldn't proceed. It argues the investor, Uma Swaminathan of East Brunswick, N.J., ordered shares through Vanguard Financial, according to the report.

Swaminathan, meanwhile, has said the botched IPO has cost the investor $1.9 million in damages.

Swaminathan filed a claim with … Read more

Regifted! Facebook resets Gifts event for post-Sandy NYC

Facebook has rescheduled its Gifts events for November 15, making its second attempt to hold the presser in New York following problems from Hurricane Sandy.

The event, originally scheduled for November 1, will now be held next week. It will still take place at the FAO Schwarz on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

Sandy, which swept through New York early last week, caused widespread power outages and transportation issues, and that led many companies to cancel or postpone their events. That included a couple events scheduled by Facebook, as well as a device launch by Google.

Facebook again gave few details … Read more