Something weird happened this morning. I woke up, and had this really strong feeling that Google will buy Facebook. The reasons this could happen:

1. Google raised $2bn in cash recently - which is roughly the amount Facebook would sell for (ie their asking price). Regardless, Google has enough cash to make some serious acquisitions.
2. Google is making conscious efforts to move in to the ’social networking’ space, witness the Joga JV with Nike. They already have Orkut.
3. Facebook could provide a great mechanism to distribute targeted ads - by geography and by interest. Zuckerberg mentioned they will do this when they move to monetising the site further.
4. Facebook generates a heck of a lot of page views, ranked 7th worldwide according to Comscore Media Metrix, and who else in the world can monetise them better than Google?
5. Facebook originated as a utility for college students, in that sense, it is compatible with Google’s mission to “organise the world’s information” - i.e. information about the contacts and relationships you build up in college. Check out this passage from RedHerring:

“We’re a utility and not a media property or a destination.” (Zuckerberg) contended Facebook’s purpose is “helping people get information about their world and the people around them,” rather than be an online hangout spot.

So you have one company that can generate over 5 billion page views a month, and another company that probably has the world’s largest database of online advertisers and the mechanism to deliver these in a targeted fashion…why wouldn’t they?

Update: I’m obviously behind the curve, people have been talking about this since last month!

Wired Blog has some tips on how to avoid having your domain parked.

“So, if you’re shopping for a domain name, here is a bit of advice: Don’t search for a domain name until you’re ready to buy it. And, if the domain name is available, buy it on the spot. No matter where you’re performing your query [Actually, it most likely does depend on which service you use to search for availability. See Ruiz’s comments below], chances are that your query is being viewed by sets of eyeballs other than yours. Crafty companies are seeing what people are searching for, then cherry-picking the best unclaimed domains and parking them.”

For sufferers of info-mania:

“No one really multitasks. You just spend less time on any one thing. When it looks like you’re multitasking–you’re looking at one screen and another screen and you’re talking on the telephone–your attention has to shift from one to the other. You’re brain literally can’t multitask. You can’t pay attention to two things simultaneously. You’re switching back and forth between the two. So you’re paying less concerted attention to either one….”

Click here.

A tip from Michael Hyatt on being successful.

“The great thing about being responsive is that it will quickly differentiate you from your peers. People love doing business with responsive people. Nothing will advance your career faster than this.”

Guy Kawasaki quotes Bill Reichert here.

“Most guides to writing an executive summary miss the key point: The job of the executive summary is to sell, not to describe. The executive summary is often your initial face to a potential investor, so it is critically important that you create the right first impression.”