Facebook in talks to buy Opera to create "Facebook Browser"

Gambit

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Nov 21, 2011
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Facebook Rumored To Be In Talks to Acquire Opera to Create "Facebook Browser" - Forbes

Facebook is in talks with Opera to acquire it and create it's own "Facebook browser."


And since I am positioning myself as a guru of Wickedfire similar to guerilla and others,

I would now like to take this time to show you one of the many prophetic posts I have made on this forum:

source: http://www.wickedfire.com/shooting-shit/157714-official-facebook-ipo-thread-4.html#post1753130

3. Facebook creates it's own web browser. This one will take the most strategic maneuvering, but will lead to an insanely huge payout. Facebook creating it's own browser and gaining massive user adoption is huge.

Imagine Facebook controlling the internet, much like AOL was able to do. It really isn't that difficult. Think of a non tech internet user, very different than anyone on here. Tell that user that the only way they can log onto Facebook now is through FB's new web browser. But that's okay because it will be an "amazingly enhanced user experience." The masses may groan at first, but then they'll accept it like everything else they've been fed. Facebook isn't gonna see a mass exodus of it's user base because that would take too much work.

Now think about it. Facebook now has every user accessing the internet in their own enclosed ecosystem. If they want to search something, they use Facebook Search. If they want to visit external websites, they are all essentially iFramed within Facebook.

Facebook gets more useful user data for it's Adsense Competitor by storing all its user's search history.

Facebook slowly begins encouraging businesses to create their own websites on Facebook instead of their own .com domain. Facebook gives incentives for businesses to build on Facebook by giving those sites favorable rankings in Facebook Search.

Many companies aren't happy, but traffic is traffic and begin playing by Facebook's rules. Facebook eventually runs the internet.

Also, I would like to bring up this comment:

I was with you for 1 and Meh on 2, but Facebook browser.... let's be serious.

....(long rant edited to keep this post relatively small)....

You are crazy, but it was a good attempt.

;)

So there we have it.

Mods feel free to move this to the enlightened members section.

Please like, share, and comment!


-Gambit
(Wickedfire Guru)
 


very smart move, which I didn't really see coming. I always laughed at the idea of fb's own browser/phone, but buying Opera is huge.

Also opera has a huge market share on mobile, no?

And it is quite the innovative company too.

This article is total bullshit though:

Tell that user that the only way they can log onto Facebook now is through FB's new web browser.

LOL

Facebook gets more useful user data for it's Adsense Competitor by storing all its user's search history.

more lol.

Also Opera's userbase will cry a lot if that happens.
 
is it really bullshit?

i know they've already made users uninstall certain adware before logging into facebook...
 
lol I'll be surprised if facebook is worth even $1 billion after 5 years
 
is it really bullshit?

i know they've already made users uninstall certain adware before logging into facebook...

making someone uninstall adware(which by most people is seen OMG!! VIRUSES!!!) is one thing. It hurts their monetization too.

Spying on someone's search behavior and tying it to their real life profile is something completely different.

They have privacy issues and concerns now. Can you imagine what will happen then?
 
They have privacy issues and concerns now. Can you imagine what will happen then?

FB and the financial institutions backing them (ie. Goldman Sachs) will buy a bunch of hookers and blow for politicians, and have the laws changed?
 
The quote is from my prophetic post, not the article.

Yeah buying Opera would be a pretty huge step in the right direction. They have mobile users and a pretty large market share behind just Chrome, Firefox, and IE I believe.


is it really bullshit?

i know they've already made users uninstall certain adware before logging into facebook...

Yeah I honestly don't think it would be that tough to tell the people they MUST login to facebook through facebook's browser.

Remember, the demographics that Facebook wants aren't tech savvy people like us that wouldn't be happy with it.

Facebook is catering to people that have almost no idea what they are doing on the internet and are responsive to advertisements. Tell them to use FB's browser and they will eventually become conditioned to using it all the time.
 
Yeah I honestly don't think it would be that tough to tell the people they MUST login to facebook through facebook's browser.

I doubt they'll ever FORCE that requirement, but they'll make it very compelling to do so. "Facebook Chat was been discontinued, but the new version is available in our browser! Download today, and stay more connected than ever!". Then a dozen of their friends will be bitching at them to get the new browser so they can chat, and they will. It'll spread like wildfire.

Ohhh, man... why does the term "police state" just keep ringing in my ears? Another reason FB won't have any privacy issues.
 
Also, the definition of what a browser is, is slowly changing and morphing. With mobile devices, the browser is essentially an app that you click on. Facebook can become one big browser soon and be sly enough to not even call it a browser, just call it Facebook.

Coming Soon:

Facebook Browser, Facebook Phone, Facebook Search.

Facebook becomes the interwebs to the masses. Mass control and censorship of the internet begins.

Us tech-savvy individuals yell and complain and demand it to change, but the masses have no clue what we are even talking about.
 
I doubt they'll ever FORCE that requirement, but they'll make it very compelling to do so. "Facebook Chat was been discontinued, but the new version is available in our browser! Download today, and stay more connected than ever!". Then a dozen of their friends will be bitching at them to get the new browser so they can chat, and they will. It'll spread like wildfire.

Ohhh, man... why does the term "police state" just keep ringing in my ears? Another reason FB won't have any privacy issues.

Yeah I agree. Forced probably isn't the right term, but they have their ways to get what they want.

Remember, when the newsfeed feature was first introduced, everyone what outraged about how it was a huge privacy breach. Now, no one even remembers FB without a newsfeed. Facebook is very skilled at conditioning the masses to accept their changes.
 
FB will never force people to use their browser, just like google never force people to user theirs.

They'll just improve the user experience for people using their browser, to encourage people in.. Integrate some fb functionality into it etc.. So that you can easily share a page you're on with your friends, like a page that you're on, etc etc..

It's a perfect next step for FB and vital in their path to monetising.

Collecting its user's browsing data is pretty much the final step before being able to make a contextual ad network akin to adsense, one which is immensely better targeted.

All they need to do then is take search. What better platform to launch your search engine to than making it the default search in both FB and the FB browser?

Still long on FB, returns at current valuation still don't justify the investment though. FB would have to be apple sized in 5-6 years to achieve the sorta growth which I'd merit worthwhile putting cash into as opposed to my own projects.
 
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I hope facebook at least fixes Opera.
Slowest browser that I've ever used, but claims to be the fastest on slow connections. Tried it. Fail
 
Still long on FB, returns at current valuation still don't justify the investment though. FB would have to be apple sized in 5-6 years to achieve the sorta growth which I'd merit worthwhile putting cash into as opposed to my own projects.

Yeah this is where I'm at too. I'm waiting for Facebook to disappoint for a year or two, and its share price to drop to about $10, where it's valuation would be around $20-30 billion. Not sure if this will happen, but if it does I'll definitely be buying low.
 
I love opera but if FB does buy them out, I guess I will be sticking to older versions.
 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/reuvenc...o-acquire-opera-to-create-a-facebook-browser/

;)

So there we have it.

Mods feel free to move this to the enlightened members section.

Please like, share, and comment!


-Gambit
(Wickedfire Guru)

I love that you quoted me.... By, you taking the position of "Wickedfire Guru", you have automatically increased my status to "WickedFire Guru of Gurus", the one every quotes...

First.. You think Opera is going to rule the world, and take out Chrome, Firefox, and IE? These clowns couldn't even get it right years before Firefox, and Chrome came out.

A better "acquisition" would have been Mozilla... Opera.. seriously.