Silverstaff: At least in an MMORPG you can hit the maximum level, you can explore a world, you can do something more. When I play WoW or DDO I at least feel like it's something more than a mindless money-hungry time-sink (even if it's not an entirely inaccurate description, it's a lot more fun).

Agreed. I completely closed my Facebook account as a result - the constant nagging and pestering of who got what level in some *ville game was just too much, not to mention like you said - the non stop recruitment messages, and the need to recruit people into your profile who you don't even know, drove me crazy. It's the primary reason why people who play these games have fake profiles and names. I played Mafia Wars too, wasn't really competing against other players, but it really is mindless! There is no strategy and no sense of accomplishment not to mention the daily turn limitations so you can't grind at it for 24 hours a day

On another note since you mentioned you play WOW, I completely finished the Loremasters achievements and reputation grind in about 2-3 hours. Now with account level achievements, it's even better now with grinding once and getting the achievement no matter which toon you play - I already did most of my dailies, but the thing with MMORPGs is you can continue to work on something else if you get bored. With Mafia Wars, its the same thing, every day. I've never regretted closing my FB account and will probably never go back.

DaCaptain19: I don't even by single stocks anymore...single-person or HHLD "investors" are a joke to Wall St. - all the power in determining stock price are the institutional investors that own millions of shares.

Yeah... when I was in the markets, my strategy was pretty much to piggyback the big players moves. Anything else you would get eaten alive by HFT machines etc.

Jelly and ice cream as Zynga dies.

Gordon Bennett: Jelly and ice cream as Zynga dies.

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.

So what I am getting from you all is...
1) Wait for Pincus's next venture to go public.
2) Short 10k units
3) Profit?

Everything about this company is fail. They are a parasite.

KierzanDax: Wait, isn't this the plot to "The Hudsucker Proxy"?

1) Crash the company stock
2) Buy back the company stock
3) Stop being tools and run the company correctly
4) Stock price rises
5) Profit

It's 6 steps, counting the mezzanine.

This is what happens when your CEO only cares about cash.

sure haven't: I saw the CEO guy on some news show, and he acted like the most insufferable of insufferable douche bags.
I don't wish ill will on anyone, but the schadenfreude I'm feeling on this is immense.

They expanded way too quick. How does anyone in his position think this will last? You're going to build an empire... out of a stupid game app thing? Sell it to a sucker and retire. How can anyone not see that?

Being a CEO at a company like Zynga is more of a lifestyle than a job. You're already financially set for life (assuming you don't have a hookers and blow habit worse than Charlie Sheen) through selling millions in stock given to you by the company when the IPO dropped. The actual work is done by other people reporting indirectly to you. You spend your time jet setting around the world (first class of course) selling your "vision". This consists of rubbing elbows with other high paid CEOs and swiping your expense card until the mag stripe melts. Worse comes to worst, you might have to do a speaking gig or two. Your board of directors, who you technically report to, is made up of executives from other companies whose boards you sit on.

Company doing great? Bonus for you, you deserve it! Company doing poorly? Bonus for you, fire your financial forecasters! Company about to go bankrupt? Bonus for you in the form of a golden parachute, and pick up a new job at one of your other friend's companies!

Fark this company. I hope EA bankrupts them if they don't bankrupt themselves before they get farked in the arse by EA in court for stealing their Sims social game wholesale. They are the worst kind of company. They steal shiat from other companies instead of making their own shiat and treat their employees like shiat. Fark them.

I just want to play Scrabble words with friends... enough with the farking video ads.

stopped playing Draw Something when the ads became too intrusive... like full screen ad after every screen tap intrusive.

fark zynga

valkore: sure haven't: I saw the CEO guy on some news show, and he acted like the most insufferable of insufferable douche bags.
I don't wish ill will on anyone, but the schadenfreude I'm feeling on this is immense.

They expanded way too quick. How does anyone in his position think this will last? You're going to build an empire... out of a stupid game app thing? Sell it to a sucker and retire. How can anyone not see that?

Being a CEO at a company like Zynga is more of a lifestyle than a job. You're already financially set for life (assuming you don't have a hookers and blow habit worse than Charlie Sheen) through selling millions in stock given to you by the company when the IPO dropped. The actual work is done by other people reporting indirectly to you. You spend your time jet setting around the world (first class of course) selling your "vision". This consists of rubbing elbows with other high paid CEOs and swiping your expense card until the mag stripe melts. Worse comes to worst, you might have to do a speaking gig or two. Your board of directors, who you technically report to, is made up of executives from other companies whose boards you sit on.

Company doing great? Bonus for you, you deserve it! Company doing poorly? Bonus for you, fire your financial forecasters! Company about to go bankrupt? Bonus for you in the form of a golden parachute, and pick up a new job at one of your other friend's companies!

Pretty much this.

The people at the top are set for life. It's the regular joe who bought stock in the company or ended up going to work for the company that are going to get shafted.

I bought in a week ago, 100 shares at about $2.4, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

One of my friends who graduated a year before me moved to California to work for Zynga. I feel sorry for him on several counts:

1. That a great, very talented artist like him was forced to stoop to the level of creating clip-art for Facebook "games"
2. That he works for a company that has no interest in the well-being of its employees

While I care about my friend, I wouldn't lose sleep over Zynga being obliterated. They are everything that's wrong with games. Here's everything that games should be. Oh, wait, that isn't as profitable as the next Call of Final Modern Fantasy Battlefield: Gears of Duty 19

aircraftkiller: One of my friends who graduated a year before me moved to California to work for Zynga. I feel sorry for him on several counts:

1. That a great, very talented artist like him was forced to stoop to the level of creating clip-art for Facebook "games"
2. That he works for a company that has no interest in the well-being of its employees

While I care about my friend, I wouldn't lose sleep over Zynga being obliterated. They are everything that's wrong with games. Here's everything that games should be. Oh, wait, that isn't as profitable as the next Call of Final Modern Fantasy Battlefield: Gears of Duty 19

Yeah a freshman suitemate of mine from college works for them. She just started working for them- in the finance department. Moved from Ohio to California for the job. Almost want to get a betting pool going on how long till they axe her.

I like Castleville. I also play wow. Castleville amuses me because sometime the quest npcs say funny things, and I like to see how efficiently I can finish the quests. It's a time sink, like many other games. I actually don't know who they stole Castleville from? I bought the fountains that give crowns. Figure the crowns it gives makes up for a one time fee for the game (think I spent $20 on them). I spend almost that much every month for wow. But, they have started releasing too much buggy content for Castleville recently, so I might stop playing soon. What makes it funner for me is an alt account and a site where you post your links and anyone can help. No bugging real friends and less relying on your strangers to help through your feed.

Couldn't happen to a 'nicer' bunch of scumbags and thieves.

dmax: I bought in a week ago, 100 shares at about $2.4, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

You threw away 240 bucks... that could have bought a couple really nice sex toys instead.

dmax: I bought in a week ago, 100 shares at about $2.4, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

the f*** is wrong with you!!?!?!?

firefly212: dmax: I bought in a week ago, 100 shares at about $2.4, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

You threw away 240 bucks... that could have bought a couple really nice sex toys instead.

Or a dozen twenty-dollar whores.

King Something: firefly212: dmax: I bought in a week ago, 100 shares at about $2.4, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

You threw away 240 bucks... that could have bought a couple really nice sex toys instead.

Or a dozen twenty-dollar whores.

But enough about Zynga's development staff...

I bought in a week ago, 100 shares at about $2.4, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

Sell now. You are an absolute fool if you keep this stock.

styckx: I can't be the only one who had to Google to figure out exactly what Zynga does right?

Did you figure out what Zynga does right? Because this thread is chock full of what they've done wrong...

/Just curious.

Buy Zinga!