Facebook: Reaction in the Twittersphere

(Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)

By Michelle Maltais

May 18, 2012 12 AM PT

Why did Facebook go public? Twit-wisdom says: “because they couldn’t figure out privacy settings either.” You can always count on Twitter for active response to what’s going on on Facebook. And, boy, do people have jokes.

Starting with late-night comedian Conan O’Brien with his nod to the IPO: “Today, Facebook went public, just as MySpace’s last user went private.”

Another reference also beat up on Facebook’s predecessor. Thomas Towell wrote: “Facebook goes public; MySpace goes public urinal.”

Who needs Facebook stock? Not comedian Andy Borowitz, who said, “I don’t need to buy Facebook. I already bought https://Pets.com.” Aw, poor sock puppet.

There were comparisons of the extended delay in trading Friday morning to a couch-potato Christmas tradition. “Watching $FB UNCHANGED $38 since 9:30 this morning is the stock market equivalent to staring at the Yule Log on TV at Christmastime,” wrote Paul LaMonica on StockTwits.

There were also suggestions for other uses for the big bucks of Facebook. Buying Greece, a new network for Oprah and paying off the U.S. debt all were floated.

Not everyone is amused at Facebook’s trending in the Twitter timeline. Kasey Anderson has already grown weary, according to her Tweet at 9:28 a.m. “Woke up. 10:18 AM: Already tired of Facebook IPO.”

Some found the obsession a bit disconcerting.”The fetishization of Facebook stock is weirding me out and suggests to me something deeply off about our society,” wrote @nicholasstoller.

For others, social networking is akin to Fight Club. As Mike Spiegelman wrote: “Why is $FB trending? First rule of Twitter Club: We do not talk about Facebook.”

There was also a bit of humorous what-now floated. Box Chief Executive Aaron Levie asked, “Now that Facebook has IPOed, what are we supposed to talk about on the Internet?”

The best answer so far? Bacon.

Facebook sued by users for $15 billion over online tracking

‘Mayor of Wall Street’ not caught up in Facebook IPO frenzy

Follow Michelle Maltais on Google+, Facebook or Twitter