We’re waiting for the hammer to drop on this even though, being the filing of papers, the hammer lacks a certain percussive panache. Filing! Still, of course it’s big. Word came out yesterday that Facebook is seeking to raise 5 billion off the IPO, which is less than some had expected. On today’s tech report, we talk to CNET’s Brian Cooley who posits that a public Facebook would be a more transparent Facebook. Since the company will be at least somewhat beholden to shareholders and public sentiment, it will have to share more of what it’s doing so people know what they’re buying. Google, which has been public for some time, might change its privacy policy as it did recently, but it also has a dashboard filled with a lot of information about what it knows about you and how it controls that information. The dashboard also gives you some power over what information Google can use.
At the same time, going public means having to live up to a valuation and having to make money. Facebook does that through tailored advertising so expect a lot more opportunities to share information and tailor your buyer profile.
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