Facebook for sale

Many of you (college readers) may remember when thefacebook.com first launched two years ago–started by a couple of sophomores at Harvard University. It made its way to me through the usual social networks; at first glance I thought to myself, “Oh great. Another friendster wannabe, it’ll never make it. I’ll pass.” Boy was I wrong.

Facebook, the Web site where students around the world socialize and swap information, has put itself on the block, BusinessWeek Online has learned. The owners of the privately held company have turned down a $750 million offer and hope to fetch as much as $2 billion in a sale, senior industry executives familiar with the matter say.

Looks like it caught on. Like firecrackers. This is a very ambitious move for the Harvard graduates. Myspace.com, another giant internet social network, sold last year for “only” $580 million. Market researcher comScore Media Metrix ranks MySpace as the second-most trafficked site on the internet, while Facebook is ranked at a paltry seventh. Industry analysts, however, believe that Facebook.com may warrant such a high price tag due to its highly targeted niche audience.

Everyone I know uses Facebook to stalk unsuspecting hotties and to spy on their friends. Who knew a stalking website would someday garner a $2 billion pricetag? Apparently, Mark Zuckerberg and his team did.