Facebook turns profitable as it gets bigger
Well this is a good bit of news for Facebook and supporters of social media. According to this Reuters story, the social networking giant has surpassed 300 million members and is now making enough money to cover its own expenses.
Facebook is not a publicly-traded company, so its financials aren’t open for inspection. But company leaders said yesterday the firm is generating enough cash to cover operations and its capital expansion needs.
Analysts said this shows the financial viability of Facebook, which has faced questions about its underlying business model, despite its popularity, and was a good sign for a potential initial public offering.
“It’s certainly meaningful to show that this is absolutely the real deal,” said Broadpoint Amtech analyst Ben Schachter. “They are executing. People are spending money on the site.”
But while a public offering could be in the works, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this year that such a move is still several years away.
Tim has covered a wide range of topics, including tourism, crime, aviation and gambling, since becoming a reporter in 1990. The Oklahoma native joined the Post-Dispatch in 2007 after spending nine years in Orlando. In his spare time, he's often exploring one virtual world or another. He can be reached at tbarker@post-dispatch.com. 
It has put one more barrier between young people and older folks like their parents,teachers,relatives,employers.
I’m surprised no one has thought about taking out the little machines and demanding they be either kept in a locker,or kept in a vault in the home,school,or work.
This does not simply apply to youngsters.Far too many retail clerks,roofers,carpenters,plumbers,mortgage file assistants,real estate salespersons,mothers,philandering husbands keep their facebooks on full blast. Someone should a time study on people on facebook and productivity.