Facebook IPO ignores 'mums and dads' investors

I've been thinking a lot about Facebook's IPO lately and what has struck me most is that "mums and dads" investors have been left out of the world's biggest tech listing. It's all very well for Mark Zuckerberg, the social-networking site's chief executive, to court institutional and wealthy retail investors as it seeks to raise up to US$16 billion. But what about the core of Facebook's nearly 900 million users? Who are they? They are mums and dads investors, the very people who have helped Facebook become the success it is today. Without them, where would Facebook be? I'm sure they'd also want a slice of the IPO action, even if it was just a small tranche. And there's nothing wrong with that. Check out my On The Money column on Page 3 of Business tomorrow. I talk about my attempts to get in on Facebook at the IPO level - and ask why the small investor has been ignored, despite the majority of Facebook's users respresenting this demographic.