After a market debut marred by technical glitches and a deep dive in the company's stock price, Facebook has spent the past year focused on its biggest weaknesses: how to make money and keep its more than 1 billion users tethered to the social network.
The results have been mixed. The company's stock price has recovered some of its worst losses, and Facebook has announced several moneymaking initiatives. But the circumstances surrounding the IPO are still under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and some investors remain unconvinced the social network has staying power, especially in light of federal and other lawsuits over privacy violations that have cost it about $30 million and obligated it to 20 years of privacy audits.
Facebook's market debut last May was supposed to be the coming-of-age moment for a new generation of tech companies and a surefire bet for the small investor.