Forget Twitter : 5 Companies Facebook Should Buy/Merge with

3. Hi5 or Friendster

Hi5 and Friendster are the last remaining major independent social networking websites as Bebo and Myspace have already been acquired. Facebook could acquire Hi5 or Friendster to bolster its presence outside North America, in an all-stock transaction and could literally add nearly 70 million visitors to its userbase (that's roughly 50 percent) overnight.

4. Rapidshare

Rapidshare is a site which allows its users to upload files online. While this is a fairly straight forward and no-frill thing, it is one most popular websites on the planet, ranked 12th in Alexa's table (Facebook is 5th). File uploading (and associated features) could also become a killer app for Facebook as it would allow its millions of users to share files seamlessly within a secured environment. Rapidshare has 40 million daily users, generates 60 billion page views per month and churns 4.5 petabytes of data. Like Hi5 and Friendster, Rapidshare's strengths lie outside the US.

5. Daily Motion

Daily motion is a video sharing file website like Youtube but currently is a distant second to the Google-owned company and like most of the above potential acquisitions is strong outside North america. The company, whose slogan is Watch, Publish and Share, would be an exciting match for Facebook given the fact that it would bring in online video facilities to the social networking website (with around 1 billion pageviews per month) and bolster Facebook as a better Myspace. Facebook as a video player but its functionality is rudimentary and not properly integrated in Facebook.

And a bonus sixth one is Yahoo.... As it stands, Yahoo is worth less than Facebook on paper, so a merger, even if it appears inconceivable would give Yahoo some fresh blood.