Infinite Path

Move over Twitter; Facebook has won the latest battle between the giants of the social media industry. The world’s largest social networking site announced at TechCrunch 50 that not only does it have 300 million active monthly users across the world but the company has also started to turn a profit well ahead of schedule.

Previously expected to start making money at some point next year, Facebook has sent out a strong signal of intent by keeping cash-flow positive through continuous innovation and sensitivity to the role of advertising on the internet.

The founder of the company, Mark Zuckerberg, believes that this financial stability “sets Facebook up to be a strong independent service for the long term” and represents the manner in which the service is looking to become “sustainable” whilst remaining highly ambitious.

Worryingly for other social networking sites and social media platforms vying for supremacy alongside Facebook, the 300 million milestone is regarded as a mere stepping stone in the company’s quest to connect the entire world. Officials at the company will be thrilled that they have managed to create ad products which turn over a profit. As the service scales up even more, the scope for additional advertisements and more varied ways of generating revenue is cause for real excitement.

Indeed, these are exciting times all round for the service. It has managed to fight off competition from Twitter to make steady inroads in its major British and American markets, whilst also finding innovative ways to attract users in other global locations. Facebook Lite, a stripped down version of the site, has been designed to appeal to individuals living in regions without high-speed internet access. With this global spread, Facebook will undoubtedly attract advertisers who are keen to make an impression upon individuals living in countries such as India.

With Facebook’s talented team of innovators and entrepeuneurs, the possibilities for further expansion and subsequent profit are huge. At the moment at least, it seems as if the world really is Facebook’s oyster.