The way to an IPO — Facebook [Infographic]

The thing about Facebook is that we are all obsessed, whether we like to admit it or not. Facebook’s impending IPO is the most talked about of recent times. Rumour has it Facebook is likely to go public in the first quarter of 2012 with a valuation of more than US$100-billion.

Despite CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s reluctance to comment on the impending offering, analysts and social media enthusiasts are awaiting the biggest IPO since Google’s 2004 offering sometime in 2012.

The young billionaire finally opened in the Wall Street Journal, saying: “The blue chip stocks are the ones that people talk about belonging in widows and orphans funds. Historically, technology IPOs don’t make that list. Because of its scale, Facebook could be different.”

Accounting degree online — an “online informational resource for individuals looking to pursue accounting-related education and careers” — has created an interesting infographic, that tracks and maps out the possible permutations of the projected US$10-billion Facebook hopes to raise in its IPO, which will value the social network at US$100-billion.

Facebook’s US$100-billion valuation will make it one of the biggest companies in the world. Even bigger than Disney, Amazon and McDonald’s. This will leave Zuckerberg with US$25-billion in spare change.

Interestingly, this infographic also details some other little to well-known facts about the world’s biggest online social network.