6. Facebook's IPO

6. Facebook's IPO

In hindsight, the expectations for Facebook's initial public offering were more than out of this world: They were out of this world, beyond the solar system, and somewhere in deep space we won't be visiting until someone invents the warp drive.

Just a quick recap: Shortly after Facebook's stock began trading on May 18 at $42.05, shares tumbled to their $38 offering price. Shares dropped all the way to $17.55 before settling where they are now at about $23 per share.

There were also trading glitches at Nasdaq, accusations of unfair practices by the big banking houses that helped Facebook go public, bankers insulted by Mark Zuckberg's casual style, lots and lots of all-day live blogs on tech sites including this one, breathless CNBC coverage (unlike the normally calm and measured CNBC coverage) money lost (but a whole lot made at Facebook and by its early investors), and the requisite lawsuits that followed.

The good news is you can still "poke" someone on Facebook. That seems important, too.