[blantonl]

badness such as this IS background radiation, but for private companies. On the eve of a highly anticipated IPO, these types of rumors that strike at the core of Facebook's business could quickly blossom to full-on nuclear fusion - regardless of whether or not they are true.

I don't disagree that Facebook's prospects look extremely strong, but I do think that their decision to IPO now was wrong and potentially sets up a poisonous precedent for how they run and manage their business.

Facebook is still figuring out how to properly grow their revenue model, and now they'll be faced with the very public distractions of being a public company. Not only that, it opens up all kinds of intelligence for competitors.

I think that Mark and his team are in for one heck of a ride this year. And it isn't going to be fun.