Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- Now that Facebook is friends with Wall Street , this journalist is giving her timeline a rethink . I rejoiced when it launched Facebook Pages , as this was a chance to build a professional presence on the network separate from my personal feed . I was also riveted by the work of Wael Ghonim , the Egyptian internet activist and Google executive who devised the `` We are all Khalid Said '' Facebook page after a businessman who died in police custody last year . The page helped spark the revolution that toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak . The faces of Egypt 's `` Revolution 2.0 '' And I was thrilled when Facebook hired a dedicated journalist-program manager to build ways for reporters to be more socially savvy . But now Facebook will answer to its shareholders as a publicly traded company . To keep Wall Street happy , it will have to make more money -- quarter after quarter . Journalists have to face up to the fact that we -- along with about 800 million Facebook users worldwide -- are the product being sold . How you help Facebook make billions . Reporters have invested countless hours updating their Facebook feeds . Take a look at NBC 's Ann Curry who joined Facebook in 2008 . She regularly posts updates on big international stories . In recent days , she 's been quoting Eleanor Roosevelt and photos of her commuting life in New York City . She currently has more than 519,000 subscribers . And then there 's me with a Facebook page that deserves to stay in the archives as I stubbornly refuse to add a subscribe button . I post daily about works of journalism that have caught my eye to a small but valued audience . Timeline : Mark Zuckerberg 's rise from child prodigy to Facebook billionaire . By contrast , CNN has been embraced by the Facebook community in a big way . With more than 3.5 million fans , the network 's Facebook page is one of the world 's most popular news brands . But is Facebook an essential tool for journalists ? When Facebook wakes up to a new reality as a publicly traded company on Friday , journalists will have to ask : `` Why are we here ? '' I use social media to do three things : find out what stories matter to people around the world , interact and tune in with my viewers , and cover newsmakers who are increasingly getting social . I turn to Twitter for real-time information , especially during breaking news . I turn to Google+ for thoughtful conversation around stories I share . Infographic : How we use Facebook . As for Facebook , I believe its strength can be summed up in the marketing jargon that makes me squirm : `` personal branding . '' It feels like a fan convention . My fans are more interested in a photo of me posing with a light saber on Star Wars Day than a fresh link to a developing story out of China . I 've worked hard to cultivate a more sophisticated level of discourse on Facebook , which is something established reporters like Nicholas Kristof have been able to achieve with great success . But my Facebook page remains a fan zone , and I 've come to the conclusion that Facebook is a social tool for engagement and not journalism . Facebook is all about consumer engagement -- the engagement of nearly a billion consumers . That 's why advertisers ca n't ignore it . And here 's where it cuts to the heart of my profession . Journalists have been flocking to Facebook to create content and connections on a platform that the company can use for all time . Not only that , we 're feeding an advertising rival that 's only going to get bigger after Friday 's IPO . I 'm not quite convinced that Facebook is a must-buy for journalism . After the IPO , I may be holding on to my account , but I 'll be holding off on any extra contributions to the site .
Facebook plans to go public this week with a multi - billion dollar Initial Public Offering ( IPO ) The social network 's 800 million followers are the ones being sold , says Mr . Stout : Facebook has become a social network for engagement and not journalism . ` ` My fans are more interested in a photo of me posing with a light saber on Star Wars Day ''