Microsoft buying Facebook????

I just saw this on Techmeme (link back to the InsideMicrosoft blog). I have not heard any rumblings around this. But I don't hear rumblings about anything until the deals are announced. It is remarkable how in the dark employees are some time.

I am not a real strong social networker. I am trying, but I am finding it difficult to click. I invited several people to Facebook that have been online for 20+ years in the BBS/iRC/Chat worlds (arguably a very socially connected group) and no one responded to join. One friend of mine emailed me saying he was planning to join Facebook but was waiting. He didn't elaborate on why. My guess.....he doesn't know what Facebook really is.

I did some searches on Facebook for people at MS that I actually know. Practically no one. I don't know if I should be disappointed or not. I am all for meeting new people, but it would be more compelling to me if there were a few people that I know personally that were involved.

I have been on Facebook for several weeks and I do know what it is. But I don't know what it is doing for me. I have a dozen friends or so, but I am not really getting anything out of it. Call me greedy, but I need to get something out of whatever I am involved with to make it worth my while.

Anyway.... I do think a Facebook acquisition would make a good fit. Just like the InsideMicrosoft blog states,

"Live Spaces should become the blogging component of Facebook, while features of Facebook should become full-fledged services with those of Live Spaces, like the photo sharing. Soapbox could be integrated with Facebook for video sharing, Live Messenger has a ton of integration opportunities for messaging, pokes, notifications. Facebook applications could be ported as Live.com Gadgets and Sidebar Gadgets. A Windows Live Search box could top every Facebook page."

Connecting all of things would be a huge win. As it stands now, all the individual MS properties pretty much stand alone. They are individually sticky, but linking them to each other provides stickiness to each other. Advertising is a little siloed and nothing really drives people from one site to the other. If I were in advertising I would be sending emails to everyone on the board at MS begging them to make this acquisition.

Oh yeah....it might even get more MS people involved in Facebook. I need some MS people I actually know to be involved....

Cheers!