Tech News

Is Facebook here to stay or will it "do a Bebo" by crashing and burning in a few years time? A lot of Americans believe the latter.

With Facebook set to go public on the Nasdaq this week, potential investors are looking for any potential weaknesses that could lower its expected $34-$38 initial public offering.

While that share price - which could make Facebook worth over $100 billion - sounds extremely impressive, many are wondering how long such success could be sustained.

In an Associated Press and CNBC poll of over 1,000 people, the majority surveyed had a favourable impression of Facebook (51 per cent), with greater than half also stating that they felt Facebook would be a good investment.

However, half of those polled also felt that the initial asking price was too high, while just 18 per cent have a deep confidence in CEO Mark Zuckerberg's ability to run a public Facebook. Perhaps most crucially of all, 46 per cent felt that Facebook will fade away as new things come along, compared to 42 per cent who think that it will be successful over the long term.

If Zuckerberg is feeling anxious about this week's IPO, he certainly won't be thrilled to also hear that his former assistant has signed a book deal to share her memoirs of working for the 28-year-old.

Katherine Losse, who joined Facebook 2005 and stayed for five years, has signed a deal for "The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network", due for release on June 26.

Losse left the company in 2010. On "friendly terms", apparently, although we're not sure how long that amicability will last...