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Facebook says that about half its users access Facebook via mobile device. Which is great! Except that Facebook doesn’t have any way to sell ads in its mobile offering, so all of those page views are served without any hope of revenue. But this may be about to change. This weekend, in the wake of Facebook’s lackluster IPO and a bunch of shareholder lawsuits, a rumor emerged that Facebook is thinking about acquiring Norwegian browser company Opera. If you don’t know what Opera is, you’re not alone. Opera accounts for less than two percent of the world’s browser market, however, it is one of the very few well-established browsers that can be acquired. On the plus side, acquiring Opera would give Facebook its own desktop and mobile browser and help the social network create a workable mobile advertising strategy. On the negative side, it puts Facebook into competition in a very crowded space and, the user experience would most certainly change.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.