When will Facebook hit 1 billion?

Facebook has had many milestones, from it’s 1,000,000th user to its’ 500 millionth.  Recently, Black Box Social Media announced that Facebook had eclipsed the 600 million mark with about 150 million of those users being from the United States.  Sooner or later, the Facebook growth is going to stop, right?

Not in March.  In March 2011, the Facebook growth continued, adding another 21.5 million new users in March to reach 661.5 million monthly active users worldwide.  According to MSNBC.com, Facebook’s fan base is expected to eclipse the 700 million user mark by this summer.  In the U.S., Facebook’s steady growth added 2.78 million users in March, for a total of about 155 million active monthly users. This aligns pretty much with comScore, which recorded about 153 million monthly actives, and an increase of about 15 million worldwide every month.  http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/04/22/6512335-facebook-a-month-away-from-700-million-users

Using Facebook Growth for Business Advertising

Many companies are now utilizing Facebook for business purposes such as connecting with customers, communicating with customers, and attracting new customers.  Facebook is being used by many companies to market their products to specific demographics of customers that are impossible to target using other more traditional advertising techniques.  In addition to brand awareness, using Facebook for business media relations is becoming increasingly popular.  While the use of automated phone systems and outsourced phone operators has taken away the personal contact that customers once enjoyed, using social media platforms such as Facebook has allowed companies to once again communicate with their customers in a personal and real-time manner.  When do you think that Facebook growth will exceed 1 billion?