Microsoft beat Google to the punch. It announced today that it has officially invested in Facebook. Microsoft will take a $240 million equity stake in Facebook's next round of financing. The terms include making Microsoft the exclusive third-party advertising platform partner for Facebook, and will begin to sell advertising for Facebook internationally. Google was also widely reported to be courting Facebook, so chalk one up for the Microsofties.
At stake is not just advertising revenue ... though that could be plentiful ... but also a new form of potentially disruptive advertising that Facebook calls "SocialAds" a term it trademarked earlier this year.
See also: Google and Microsoft slobbering over Facebook
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I can't believe that Microsoft has to buy a stake in a company in order to secure it as a place for its ad revenue. Oh well $240 million is nothing for Microsoft or Google for that matter. I wish I was the creator of Facebook.
Yup ... and he's just a kid
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Take a look at this post by Alex Lewis. He's got an interesting take on the allure of Facebook, too.
Facebook the perfect platform for UC penetration?