I recently read that Facebook is pushing out the IPO date to next year. While I'm sure there are a multitude of reasons why they might push it out, I'm curious to know what people believe to be the primary reason. Is it the lack of interest in their stock? Is it possibly that they can reach a higher valuation with new features that they are about to release? Possibly, wait for the market to settle a little bit more before jumping in?

While the Facebook example is interesting and current, I am more interested in the thought process that companies go through in timing the IPO? What are the soft and hard measures that are used when deciding the timeline?

Supposedly, people "close to the company" told the Financial Times that Mark Zuckerberg wants to hold off on the IPO until September 2012 or later "in order to keep employees focused on product developments rather than a pay-out."

Meanwhile, Facebook investor Peter Thiel told FT.com that it is generally desirable for tech companies to wait as long as possible. He thinks that Google set a good example by waiting almost six years to go public.

"It was a good competitive strategy," said Thiel. "And it culturally orientated (sic) people toward long-term value and not quarterly numbers."

Read more: Facebook IPO Officially Delayed Until 2012? (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/09/14/benzinga1917909.DTL#ixzz1YQWQtl2T)