SLATE: Nationalize Facebook. Really?

[radiofriendly]

Writing for Slate, Philip N. Howard has an article today calling for the nationalization of Facebook or at least a “thought experiment” on the subject. And, as far as I can tell, it’s not “Write a Joke Socialist Article Day.” Apparently, he’s serious. Check it out:
http://iroots.org/2012/08/16/lets-nationalize-facebook/

http://iroots.org/wp-content/uploads/Facebook-Commie3-e1345168654246.jpg
(http://iroots.org/2012/08/16/lets-nationalize-facebook/)
"Over the last several years, Facebook has become a public good and an important social resource. But as a company, it is behaving badly, and long term, that may cost it: A spring survey found that almost half of Americans believe that Facebook will eventually fade away...it’s time we start discussing an idea that might seem crazy: nationalizing Facebook."

Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! First off, why is it automatically assumed that Facebook's eventual demise is a bad thing? Is Facebook a poor lost puppy that needs to be given warm milk and medical intervention even though it's suffering from head trauma and broken bones from being run over by a semi? What is it about freedom that the Left can never understand?

It's called creative destruction...


Read it: http://iroots.org/2012/08/16/lets-nationalize-facebook/

[RickyJ]

Facebook is already nationalized by the CIA/Mossad much like google is. Gee guys, who do you think funded and promoted the thing?

The "facebook" name just shows how uncreative the CIA is, they borrowed it from their "factbook" name, which list their publicly available knowledge about other nations.

[Anti Federalist]

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/199/693/disgusted-mother-of-god.png?1321272571

[The Goat]

It became apparent to me that to save Facebook, we must turn it over to the government. only the government could make it more irrelevant than myspace. XD

[angelatc]

Did you read the comments? They're not quite ready for that. Maybe next generation.

[tttppp]

If facebook goes out of business, who gives a fuck? Some other company will provide the service better. Plus, if the government ran it, nobody would use it anymore.

[The Goat]

Its become....GASP... TO BIG TO FAIL!

[Indy Vidual]

"Rather than allow Facebook to serve authoritarian interests, if nationalized in the United States, we could make Facebook change its identity policy to allow democracy activists living in dictatorships to use pseudonyms."

You really can't make this stuff up...

[tttppp]

Its become....GASP... TO BIG TO FAIL!

We need a bailout. Our economy will collapse if facebook goes under.

[RickyJ]

We need a bailout. Our economy will collapse if facebook goes under.

Facebook is not going anywhere unless people stop using it. It may be lose money in the long term, but what it provides in intelligence makes up for it's lack of profitability.

[tttppp]

Facebook is not going anywhere unless people stop using it. It may be lose money in the long term, but what it provides in intelligence makes up for it's lack of profitability.

I obviously wasn't serious about facebook going bankrupt, at least not in the near term. Its yet to be seen whether they will survive in the long term.

[r3volution]

look at facebooks stock , it already needs a bailout lol .

[The Goat]

look at facebooks stock , it already needs a bailout lol .

That went according to plan. the inside holders knew what the books were saying, they hyped up FB like it was gold and cashed out. Because of that It will take about a year to even out.

FB doesn't make much money anyway. The FB game/app companies do though. that's where FB is to be taken advantage of on wall street. FB is kind of like the real estate company that owns a mall.

[r3volution]

That went according to plan. the inside holders knew what the books were saying, they hyped up FB like it was gold and cashed out. Because of that It will take about a year to even out.

FB doesn't make much money anyway. The FB game/app companies do though. that's where FB is to be taken advantage of on wall street. FB is kind of like the real estate company that owns a mall. i know , i fell out of my chair laughing when i first heard what it was priced at . and then got pissed when i seen what they did to it at the end if its first day .

[jonhowe]

Made good money buying FB August 25 puts last month.

[Noob]

Who uses facebook?

[Anti Federalist]

Facebook shares drop four percent, hit another low

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/17/us-facebook-shares-idUSBRE87G0MO20120817

By Alexei Oreskovic

SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Aug 17, 2012 12:15pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc shares sank as much 4.3 percent on Friday to set a new low, a day after early investors got the green light to sell for the first time.

More than 270 million shares owned by the early investors became available for trade on Thursday after a 3-month curb on sales ended. That's more than one-half the 421 million shares sold in its initial public offering on May 18.

Facebook hit a low of $19.01 Friday morning and were down almost exactly 50 percent from the $38 offering price at its May IPO. At midday, the stock had eased to $19.15, off 3.5 percent.

Nearly 62 million shares of Facebook traded hands in the first two hours of trading on Friday.

[PaulConventionWV]

Who uses facebook?

Only billions of people...

[kahless]

Subtract all the duplicate and bogus accounts, millions.

[QuickZ06]

Facebook stock and a message to investors.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z78sM326Vc

[JorgeStevenson]

I think the saddest thing about the article was that there actually were a couple of people in the comments section defending it.

[Rudeman]

What a dumb idea, I can't believe anyone would support such a stupid idea. If Facebook fails something else will replace it(if there's still a market for it), it is not vital in any way.