The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reportedly been investigating Facebook’s recent purchase of Instagram. This process could last for up to a year, an interesting development considering that the Facebook IPO is currently set for May 18.

In similar instances, the FTC would only delay an IPO if any information concerning the acquisition were to affect stock prices. The investigation itself is routine. The FTC often requires extremely detailed filings for any acquisition over $68.2 million. For now, the IPO should remain on schedule.

In order to stay on schedule, Mark Zuckerberg has been hard at work, speaking with select investors in an attempt to convince them of the stock’s value. Currently, 901 million users spend a combined 8.5 billion minutes browsing Facebook every day. It doesn’t take an economist to realize the value of such a widely used platform.

Earlier this week, CNBC reported a planned increase in Facebook’s IPO size by a reported 85 million shares. Such an increase could value the IPO at as much as $18.5 billion. Facebook’s available shares would jump from 340 million to around 420 million if the 25 percent increase is successfully carried through. All things considered, this could set the total value of the IPO at nearly $20 billion. The final decision on share price, which should fall somewhere between $34 and $38 per share, will be set on the eve of the IPO.

To Buy or Not to Buy

I’m tempted to invest in Facebook stock, especially because I make a living working in the social media industry. However, I’ve never purchased stock in anything, especially anything as high level as the Facebook IPO.

However, I am very good at research. Apparently, getting IPO pricing on a stock like Facebook is very difficult (unless you manage a large amount of capital). The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) explains “the underwriters and the company that issues the shares control the IPO process.”

Facebook will likely target big-time investors, not different from the investors visited by Zuckerberg himself earlier this week.

Basically, Facebook’s IPO will initially be invite-only.

The Average Investor

Individual investors have a few options if interested in purchasing Facebook stock at it’s initial offering. Buying into a mutual fund that invests in IPOs is a good place to start. There are few of these funds in the market, and the returns on these funds tends to be baseline.

You could also buy on the aftermarket. From what I understand, this seems a little tricky. So tricky, in fact, that I’m not even sure how it works. This type of move is best done through a broker, and even then, it can be risky.

Lastly, investors always have the option to watch from the sidelines. Eventually, Facebook stock will be available to the average buyer. Sure, you may end up buying at a higher rate, but at least the rate will have evened out.

What I’m Going to Do

I’m no financial expert, and that’s exactly why I won’t be attempting to buy into Facebook’s IPO. That’s a game for investment professionals, and one I am wildly under-qualified to play.

Once Facebook stock becomes more readily available to the average investor, however, I will likely buy in (if nothing but for the novelty of it). Facebook is a powerhouse, likely to grow even more over the next few years. Buying a few shares could be worth the risk.

Facebook is set to begin trading tomorrow on the Nasdaq under the ticker “FB”.

→ David Pemberton, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @Dave_Your_Fave

How to Dress for the Job You Want

I had a conversation with my granddad recently about how the professional world is changing. He finds it hard to believe that I don’t wear a suit to the office, even if doing so would single me out just as much as someone wearing jeans to the office in his day. The truth is, being a professional no longer means being well dressed.

Zuckerberg’s hoodie is a great example of this. Should investors be upset that Facebook’s CEO doesn’t dress like they do? I don’t think so.

I say this as a personal advocate for dressing well. It seems to be a lost art, especially among men my age. When done intently, the way you dress sends a very specific message about who you are, where you stand, and what you want. It’s a boast of confidence, a first impression, a way to set the tone to any conversation. Basically, it’s really important.

Granted, Zuckerberg has proven himself a capable business person. Maybe the clothes don’t make the man, but I do believe there is something to be said for respect. Facebook was started to automate the college social experience, but that doesn’t mean that Zuckerberg is still a college student. While I respect his work, accomplishments and general rebelliousness, I think it might be time for Facebook’s founder to start dressing like a grown-up.

→ David Pemberton, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @Dave_Your_Fave

ADDY Award-winning Blog

AREA203 Digital was awarded two gold and two silver American Advertising Federation (AAF) ADDY Awards during the AAF District 7 Spring 2012 Convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. AAF’s District 7 represents 23 affiliate advertising clubs and federations in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Our agency won gold in the Interactive Media division for its work on the website for The Crash Pad, a boutique hostel in Chattanooga, and in the Interactive Media division for this blog. We also took home silver in the Interactive Media division for our website, and in the Elements of Advertising division for an agency-branded animated video.

“I couldn’t be more proud that our team received this recognition,” said Tavis Salazar, chief creative officer of AREA203 Digital. “Our work is a reflection of our team’s dedication and talent, and we are excited to continue on to nationals.”

The winning entries will be entered in the national competition, which will take place in Austin, Texas in June.

Thanks for reading.

Oh, and yay us!

→ Bill Colrus, Managing Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @billcolrus

• UC Berkeley student rigs his dorm room to become an amazing automated experience.

• Tired of celebrity status updates polluting your feed? There’s an app for that.

• Ever wonder what physics go into the Hulk’s massive jump? Here’s an explanation.

• Tech giants are trying to change journalism.

• Will Instagram-like apps make video sharing popular?

• Briggo Coffee has hired robot baristas. The end is nigh.

• This elephant never forgot…how to play the harmonica.

• Speaking of music, this TED talk may not be the newest, but it is certainly inspiring.

• Looking for a new way to keep your teeth healthy? Try a good ol’ massage.

• What would happen if you put your hand in the LHC’s beam? What’s the LHC? Just watch this video.

• This guy drove over an iPad 3 with his truck. He might be evil.

• If you like I Can Has Cheezburger, you’ll love somuchpun.com. Less cats, more puns!

• What would you do for free Wi-Fi? Ad agency DDB  in Mexico finds a creative way to offer dog owners free Wi-Fi.

• Here are 10 awesome uses for a USB flash drive.

• Apple is worth a lot.

• Learn a new language while surfing the Web.

→ Bill Colrus, Managing Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @billcolrus

Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg explained the motivation to make this addition to Facebook in an open letter:

“Today, more than 114,000 people in the United States, and millions more around the globe, are waiting for the heart, kidney or liver transplant that will save their lives. Many of those people – an average of 18 people per day – will die waiting, because there simply aren’t enough organ donors to meet the need. Medical experts believe that broader awareness about organ donation could go a long way toward solving this crisis. And we believe that by simply telling people that you’re an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role.”

Inspire through Sharing

The idea is that, by sharing your own experience as an organ donor, you will influence your friends and followers to do the same. This is an interesting strategy for Facebook, as they are effectively using viral marketing to promote positive social change. Once again, we see the Internet, or more specifically the culture of the Internet, moving towards a more human aesthetic.

→ David Pemberton, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @Dave_Your_Fave

• Steve Jobs wanted to be Willy Wonka for a day.
• Meet @TextInstagram: The Instagram Without Photos
• Science explains why so few people are left-handed.
• Dream jobs you’ve never heard of: Senior Animation Supervisor
• Yes, writing is important on Pinterest.
• Klout takes social influence mobile with its new iOS app.
• If YouTube had been invented in the 1990s, it would have worked like this.
• Will cellphones be able to see through walls? New research says yes.
• You’re the guinea pig: Experimenting with Your Sleep and Dreams
• In China, you can eat the iPhone 5.
• Bored with real things? Try this list of things that aren’t real.
• Dude, where’s my cube?
• The Tupac hologram wasn’t a hologram.
• Here are 10 angry robots you should never let in your home.
• Speaking of robots, this dog is awesome.
• Build your own laptop stand for, like, eight bucks.
• Wanna be smarter? Just exercise, dummy.
• Why won’t Pizza Hut stop putting non-pizza ingredients on their “pizza”?
• Turn your iPad into a light show with this addition. It’s pretty sweet.
• Take a look at this awesome drawing machine, built out of an old bike.
• Survive the apocalypse with this shopping bag. No, seriously.

→Bill Colrus, Managing Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @billcolrus

As both a former student of journalism and a social media professional, I’m torn on this issue. On one hand, I say let social media be the spreader of news, the timely messenger that allows everyone to have a voice and their own, custom news stream.

On the other hand, journalism is still a vital part of society and we need people who are trained to find the closest version of the truth on the beat, creating valuable content from an informed perspective.

The “Pros vs. Cons” section of this infographic by Schools.com does an excellent job of battling out the positives and negatives of living in a socially streamed news world.

What do you think? Will social media replace other media outlets?

Check out this other blog post for more discussion on how social media has already made an impact: The Impact of Social Media.

→ Louise Elliott, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow…@geez_louise_

]]> http://area2oh3.com/old-news-social-media-infographic/feed/ 0 http://area2oh3.com/linkcited-april-13-2012/ http://area2oh3.com/linkcited-april-13-2012/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:23:56 +0000 Bill Colrus http://area2oh3.com/?p=25258 [...]]]> • Your cat needs fun Internet videos, too.

• The next time somebody tells you they can smell trouble, they might be right.

• Remember how you hated SOPA? Well, get ready for CISPA.

• So, who needs a buying guide to glasses with integrated displays?

• Keep calm and create your own “Keep Calm” poster.

• Your desktop needs more Shaq.

• Not so keen on Facebook’s purchase of Instagram? Print out all of your Instagram photos.

• Twelve dumb things you can buy on Etsy for $100,000

• Learn how to fold a world-record airplane.

• Are your social media efforts worth the money?

• Meet the smartphone assistant of the future.

• Try to identify the 20 different video game worlds imagined in this animated video.

• Please limit your use of this nooooooooooooooo button to dire situations only.

• Forget birdwatching, this field guide to the many faces of the Internet user is much more helpful.

• Instagram’s new icon is unveiled in this week’s webcomic.

→Bill Colrus, Managing Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @billcolrus

Earlier today, Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s purchase of the mobile app Instagram. The app offers a fast way to edit and share photos and is popular among a wide variety of social media users. That said, it’s no surprise that Facebook and Google have been trying to buy the company for the past 18 months.

Instagram currently boasts over 27 million users (on iOS alone). With last week’s Android launch, the user community is predicted to grow to over 50 million. These growing numbers were increasingly positioning the service as a social network, not just a photo-sharing app.

The Future of Instagram

While some critics fear this purchase means the end of Instagram, Zuckerberg has no plans to dissolve the company. In his Facebook post, Zuckerberg writes:

“We’re committed to building and growing Instagram independently. Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people.”

Instagram’s stability is echoed in a blog post by CEO Kevin Systrommade soon after Zuckerberg’s announcement:

“It’s important to be clear that Instagram is not going away. We’ll be working with Facebook to evolve Instagram and build the network. We’ll continue to add new features to the product and find new ways to create a better mobile photos experience.”

With this acquisition, Instagram will have access to the gargantuan design and engineering resources offered by Facebook, a notable change after operating with an impressively small number of employees. At this point, it would seem, the deal allows Instagram to remain functionally independent while maintaining most of their company culture.

For competing apps like Hipstamatic, Snapseed and PicYou, this is terrifying. Instagram was already one of the most attractive photo-sharing apps, but with the strength of Facebook’s community now backing Instagram, there really seems to be no stopping it.

→ David Pemberton, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @Dave_Your_Fave

• Can Ubuntu become the next Apple?

• It was only a matter of time: An infographic that pokes fun at other infographics.

• Make your own Peeps this holiday weekend. (Hint: It’s actually not all that difficult.)

• Everyone loves that new Google Goggles video. Remember when it came out in 2009?

• Speaking of Google Goggles…

• Sergey Brin loves them so much, he wears Google Goggles to dinner.

• YouTube is going to convert all videos uploaded in 1080p to 3D.

• Wired took to skies to take photos of Apple’s secret “Area i51” site in North Carolina.

• We all hate traffic, but would you want to live in a large city with no people?

• Check out the coolest surfing pictures created with ink and a Lego figurine you’ve ever seen.

• Do you think you’re smarter than a soccer player? Chances are, you’re not.

• Twitter finally takes a few spammers to court.

• Looking for a cool new lens for your hip new camera? Glue an antique camera to it!

• You taste with…your ears?

• So, how many nukes would it take to blow up the entire planet?

• This week’s webcomic is adorable—and focused on cats.

→Bill Colrus, Managing Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @billcolrus