In Facebook IPO Probe, Morgan Stanley Subpoenaed | Google+ Photographers Conference | NY Weighs Anonymous Commenting Ban

Massachusetts Joins Growing Crowd Probing Facebook IPO (PC Magazine)
Massachusetts regulators on Tuesday issued a subpoena to Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter for Facebook’s initial public offering, in an effort to get answers about reports that some investors and not others were informed of earnings revisions for the company ahead of the IPO. The highly publicized IPO is facing scrutiny from several quarters for possible irregularities that may have occurred before the stock was floated and continued through the first day of trading. AllFacebook The hopes of collectors who sought to own one share of Facebook stock from its initial public offering last week were dashed, as paper stock certificates will not be made available, after all. CNNMoney reported that Computershare, which handles shareholder records for the social network, alerted GiveAShare.com and OneShare late last week that there would be no paper stock certificate. Reuters Facebook has agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged the site’s “Sponsored Stories” feature publicized users’ “likes” without compensation or the ability to opt out, according to a court document filed on Tuesday. The proposed class action lawsuit, filed in a San Jose, Calif., federal court, could have included nearly one of every three Americans, with billions of dollars in damages, court documents say. PCWorld Facebook’s Timeline profiles may be getting a redesign, but this one probably won’t trigger a backlash. The new Timeline design, spotted by TPM Livewire, condenses the biographical information at the top of the page, so it’s nested within the user’s banner image instead of appearing below. Links to the user’s friends list, photos, locations and likes are tucked neatly underneath the banner, next to the user’s profile picture. Alongside those links, a new button called “Summary” leads to a list of major life events. CNET A federal judge has refused to order a Norwegian website that describes itself as “the number one socializing porn and sex network” to turn over its name to Facebook. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White last week ruled that the court had no jurisdiction because Facebook, which sued in California, had failed to show that the owner of website Faceporn had targeted residents of the state.

Product Chief: Photos Are Lifeblood of Google+ (Mashable)
Google is hosting what it calls a “HIRL” or “Hang Out in Real Life,” bringing together some of the biggest photographers with presences on Google+. The conference is designed to help photographers to refine their photography skills, grow their brands and get the most out of their Google+ experience. VentureBeat Google+ is succeeding in small bursts, feature by feature. As an overall Facebook-esque social network it’s a flop, but its video-chat tool Hangouts is a winner. Photo sharing is poised to be the service’s next breakout hit, thanks to an enthusiastic community of photographers who like the focus on attractive full-size images,the new photo-centric iPhone app and a uniquely Google passion for metadata. WebProNews With the recent public release of Hangouts on Air, the value is even greater. Facebook only has one-on-one video calling Skype, but a third-party application, ooVoo, is looking to close the gap.

New York Legislation Would Ban Anonymous Online Speech (Wired)
Did you hear the one about the New York state lawmakers who forgot about the First Amendment in the name of combating cyberbullying and “baseless political attacks”? Proposed legislation in both chambers would require New York-based websites, such as blogs and newspapers, to “remove any comments posted on his or her website by an anonymous poster unless such anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post.”

How a New York Times Reporter Live-Tweeted Her Own Speech — and Won the #backchannel (Nieman Journalism Lab)
A New York Times reporter anticipated people on Twitter missing the nuance of her ideas during a presentation in Boston last month, so she came prepared. As slides appeared on the big screen behind Amy O’Leary, @amyoleary would somehow — magically — tweet out expertly compressed summaries of her ideas, right on cue. The secret: Apple Keynote.

AOL CEO: No Social Network in Our Future (CNET)
In case you were wondering what AOL is turning into, one item that’s not on the agenda is a social network. “We’re not as laser-focused on social as you might think we should be at this point,” said Tim Armstrong, speaking at a TechCrunch Disrupt forum.

Police Cracking Down After Teens Allegedly Make Terrorizing Tweets (WTNH)
Two West Haven, Conn., students were expelled, arrested, and charged with felonies after police say they sent terrorizing tweets. And with so many people using social media these days, authorities are cracking down.

Robotics Goes Social With RoboBRRD and Erin Kennedy (Forbes)
Social robotics is a growing field and there is some amazing work going on around the world. Erin Kennedy’s RoboBrrd is a combination of fuzzy, plush toy that Pixar might have running around its studios and homemade DIY boxy robot creation. The difference is, though, that RoboBrrd is learning to interact.

New Jersey Mayor Uses Twitter, YouTube to Defend Criticism of Obama (Mashable)
Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker has been taking heat for the controversial comments he made about President Obama’s campaign during a Meet the Press panel discussion on Sunday morning. Booker, one of the prolific tweeters in politics, has since taken to his Twitter and YouTube accounts to defend himself.

What Happens to Your Twitter When You Die? Creating a Social Media Will (AllTwitter)
Twitter does have a policy for deactivating deceased users’ accounts, but what if you don’t want it deactivated? Ethics and creepiness factor aside, you may want it to stay put for whatever reason — at least for a period of time.