First Instagram, now Whatsapp; Facebook's dominance in Social Networking knows no bound...

' If you can't beat them in their core competencies then simply buy them ', has been mantra for Facebook in their quest to dominate the social media, across the globe. Facebook, by far the best ever social networking venture the world has ever seen, has been bullish in their approach to capitalize on everything that is trending in the world of social media.



Facebook initially started as a portal to share pictures and posts and was available only for students of Harvard University to begin with and then went onto become the most popular social networking destination and has grown by leaps and bounds since it's inception i.e 4th of February 2004. It has been the most popular website for several years now, only after Google and there is no doubt in their success as they have precisely bridged the gap in the society by linking people over the virtual network.

Facebook has made as many as 45 mergers and acquisitions since 2005, with Whatsapp - the instant messaging app for smart cell phones being the latest entrant in the list, this is a clear evidence of Facebook's hunger and appetite to dominate the world of social network. Currently with almost 2 billion active users of FB, Instagram and Whatsapp put together, the company and its products are the most used or talked about across the world. 



The most interesting part of Facebook's journey has been their strategic acquisitions with the course of time. Mark Zuckerberg, Chairman & CEO of Facebook INC. and his team have been very particular about each and every 
M & A that they have inked as every deal
 of their's has not only added a value to
 Facebook's business model but has also 
been a fruitful venture in terms of 
monetary benefits that it has added to 
the company's bottom line. Especially 
the apps like Face.com made by an Israeli company that helps Facebook users to recognize people by their face and tag them have been some landmark achievement by Facebook in terms of mapping the real world with virtual world .Now with Instagram - the picture sharing app being named as the most trending and frequently downloaded app on Google's Play Store for Android phones and Whatsapp  out smarting the BBM as the most used messaging app on smart phones, Facebook couldn't have asked for anything better to be in their kitty.

From getting themselves listed in NASDAQ and releasing the largest IPO ever in the history of the world to buying of  most unheard start up from a metropolitan city of India, Facebook INC. has always taken Big - Bold decisions and has been effectively able to write off the speculations of reaching the saturation point and has timely sent out a strong message that they are here for a Marathon run. 

As an MBA in making, what interests me more is not just the journey that Facebook has embarked so far but analysing the next move that they make in terms of expanding their business. As the buzz of Whatsapp merger sinks in the minds of people I wouldn't really be surprised if Facebook comes out with yet another giant leap by acquiring Twitter, Linked In, Pinterest or Snapcha or by enabling these features in their website to further strengthen their dominance in the world of Social Networking.



Reference Links:

http://static1.businessinsider.com/

http://www.alexa.com/topsites

http://newsroom.fb.com/news

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/9269601/The-biggest-IPOs-in-US-history-in-pictures.html