Facebook employers heard yesterday that the company could file for a public offering as soon as next month, Business Insider says. Citing "a source close to Facebook," said word of an IPO "has ramped up the past 6 weeks and Zuckerberg repeatedly has said that it is 'coming,' which he *never* said in the history of Facebook." Notes BI blogger Nicholas Carlson:

The truth is that Facebook is going to go public, and relatively soon. Because it's surpassed the SEC's 500 shareholder limit, the company has to disclose its financials in April. That doesn't mean it has to IPO, but we understand the company plans to bite the bullet and go for it around then anyway.

Whether the  company is now on the fast track toward going public remains to be seen. One thing's for sure: The whole bunch of Facebookers who have options or restricted shares would be a lot happier to see their stock moving up and down on real markets, instead of just on paper.