Advertising's just the beginning: Facebook chatter heats up even more
Looks like every social-media-obsessed blogger's predictions have been correct: the Facebook news just won't stop flowing out of Palo Alto, Calif. And it's still coming.
On Wednesday morning, some inconvenient blogger leaks led the company to admit that it will be making a major, advertising-related announcement in New York on November 6. Then, at the CTIA Wireless conference, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskowitz not only announced a BlackBerry-friendly version of Facebook's mobile platform, he also said that developers using the Facebook Platform are now welcome to extend their applications to the mobile realm.
Now, some dirt-digging by my colleague Ina Fried has revealed that a big-time Microsoft stake in Facebook is all but confirmed. Tired of losing out to Google, the Redmond, Wash., tech titan apparently fought its way to the conclusion of this deal--and from what sources have said, the deal will not only mean an ownership stake but also an expansion of the company's existing advertising contract with Facebook.
Sources close to Facebook are telling me that we will be hearing something literally within the next couple of hours--stay tuned.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
