Last November, Twitter introduced Twitter Stories, which allows users to share how they used the social media platform in an interesting way.  Facebook launched its own Facebook Stories application back in 2010.  Now, Google has registered the domain GooglePlusStories.com, hinting that it may roll out its own user testimonial campaign to showcase how people are using its Google Plus social networking tool.

On May 24, 2012, Google Inc. registered the domain names gplusstories.com (Whois) and googleplusstories.com (Whois) through the online brand protection company MarkMonitor.

It’s unsure what exactly Google will publish on its own Stories site, should it launch one.

Twitter’s site highlights tweets which gained noticeable attention, like the story of one user who wrote a book, found an agent, got published and landed a movie deal using Twitter every step of the way.  Or how one user inadvertently live-tweeted the raid on the Osama bin Laden compound.

Whereas Facebook and Twitter users have been credited with helping to topple dictators, Google+ is still relatively new to the social arena.

Still, there have been notable stories.  In February, Agence France Presse reported hundreds of Chinese flooded President Obama’s Google+ page, apparently taking advantage of a glitch in China’s censorship system to post about human rights and green cards.

At the time of this posting, neither domain resolves to a web page and Google has made no official announcement regarding Google+ Stories.

Last month, The Verge reported that Microsoft will offer a sneak peek at its Zune replacement (codenamed “Woodstock”) during E3 2012.

With E3 right around the corner, it appears Microsoft is somewhat planning ahead of its new Xbox Music service reveal, by filing a complaint (Case Number 1445087) with the National Arbitration Forum over the domain name XboxMusic.com.

The domain name dispute proceedings commenced this week along with a separate case over xbox8.org, xboxcompanion.com, xboxlivetv.com, xboxphone.com, and xboxtablet.com.

Microsoft Corporation also filed another complaint (Case Number: 1445084) against the owner of xbox8.us which currently hosts a Chinese-written blog that even discusses the xbox8.org domain dispute.

Xboxmusic.com (Whois) does not resolve to a web page at the time of this story.

Insiders told The Verge, “Woodstock will be a cross-platform play, available to Windows 8, Android, iOS, and Xbox users — playable from a browser”.

(Image of E3 2011 via Xbox.com)

Facebook just introduced Camera, a new mobile app that makes using Facebook photos faster and easier.  And on the very same day of the announcement, it appears Facebook privately registered Facebook Studio Edge domain names like FacebookStudioEdge.com.

On May 24, 2012, the dotcom, dotnet and dotorg versions of the names were registered through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor, of which Facebook is a client.

http://whois.domaintools.com/facebookstudioedge.org
http://whois.domaintools.com/facebookstudioedge.net
http://whois.domaintools.com/facebookstudioedge.com

The owner is hidden behind MarkMonitor’s privacy service DNStination, so there is a slight chance Facebook isn’t behind the names.  But considering MarkMonitor’s trackrecord with Facebook, it is unlikely anyone else.

At the time of this story’s posting, none of the domains resolve to a web page and Facebook has made no official announcement about Facebook Studio Edge.

Last year, Facebook launched a stand-alone website called Facebook Studio (facebook-studio.com), a platform aimed at agencies, PR firms and media strategy companies.

Update:  Robin Wauters has done a little digging and discovered Facebook Studio Edge is nothing more a than day long course in best-practice marketing on Facebook.

Talking about this story: The Next Web, Marketing Land and All Facebook

(Image of camera app via fb.com)

Who knows what the future holds for the Xbox, but a recent complaint (Case Number: 1445083) filed with the National Arbitration Forum (NAF), may hint at things to come down the road.

The domain dispute appeared on NAF’s website today and includes xbox8.org, xboxcompanion.com, xboxlivetv.com, xboxphone.com, and xboxtablet.com.

All of the names are owned by a resident of China who goes by the name “cheng juan”.

According to UDRP rules, if more than one domain being disputed is held by the same respondent, all of the names may be included in the same complaint. Rule 3(b)(vi).

At the time of this story, xbox8.org resolves to a Go Daddy parked page, xboxcompanion.com, xboxtablet.com and xboxlivetv.com are listed for sale, and xboxphone.com redirects visitors to a different site.

Microsoft released an Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone users in late 2011.

It’s also been rumored Xbox Live would be coming to other platforms.

Microsoft Corporation has won many of its disputes including two disputes that helped take down fake Halo 4 beta websites.

I wouldn’t expect the outcome in this case to be any different.

Talking about this story: VG247, Videogameszone, NeoGAF, Eurogamer España and GameZone

(Image of Halo 4 Concept art)

Late last month, WeaponsofRevenge.com and RevengeatHand.com transferred to internet brand protection agency Corporation Service Company.  Both names were first registered by ROKKAN, a digital design firm that often acquires names secretly on behalf of ZeniMax Media.

Weaponsofrevenge.com originally redirected visitors to Bethesda’s home page on www.bethsoft.com.

There was no new website activity on WeaponsofRevenge.com until this week.

A website has now been unveiled that lets you kill two rats and the aftermath is graphic (as shown in the image above).  However, if you choose to spare the plagued rats, the website rewards you with a Dishonored screensaver that you can download for the Mac or PC.

Bethesda has not officially announced the website, as the Kill Count which appears after you kill the rats, only stands at about 50 (of which several are mine) at the time of this story.

I discovered the website after checking the web address earlier today to see if anything had changed.  The Spanish version of the website is available at www.armasdevenganza.com.

The launch date for Dishonored was revealed earlier this month.  The video game will be released on October 9th, 2012, for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Talking about this story: VG247

Aside from 2011 rumors of a Just Cause 3 video game in development and a movie, there hasn’t been a whole lot of news lately about Just Cause.

That may be about to change as Square Enix has registered a slew of Just Cause 4 domain names on May 18, 2012, like JustCause4.com (Whois) and JustCause4.fr (Whois).

Through the internet brand protection firm Corporation Service Company, Square Enix not only picked up the dot-com, but also registered the same name in different country code extensions, as well as JustCause3.it.

The list of Just Cause 4 domains includes: JustCause4.com, JustCause4.fr, JustCause4.co.uk, JustCause4.de, and JustCause4.it.

As of today, there has been no official announcement by Square Enix regarding Just Cause 4.  Then again, Just Cause 3 hasn’t even been released.

The latest registrations hint that “official” Just Cause news may be imminent, and as a defensive measure, Square Enix registered the Just Cause 4 names.

Talking about this story: Game Informer, Computerandvideogames.com, Gamespot, PC Gamer Magazine, Joystiq, Digital Spy, Playstation Universe, Gaming Examiner, IGN, MCV, IncGamers, Complex.com, games.on.net, Blue’s News, HeyUGuys.co.uk, TheSixthAxis, Spieletipps.de, Cinema Blend, VG247, Eurogamer España, GameZone, Eurogamer.de, GameDynamo, Gamesaktuell.de, PC Games, Eurogamer.se, DemoNews, PC Games Hardware, GameStar, Videogameszone, Inside Gaming Daily, Game Rant and PSX Extreme

Back in March, a GameFAQs member completed a market research survey for Far Cry 3 box art.  They were also asked their opinion for the tagline “Face your insanity”.

Many of the people who responded in the forum liked the tagline.  One person even replied, “Face your insanity is the perfect tagline for this game.”

Now, it looks like Ubisoft has settled on the tagline “Face Your Insanity” for the upcoming first-person shooter video game.  On May 17, 2012, Ubisoft registered the domain name faceyourinsanity.com (Whois).

At the time of this story, the domain name does not resolve to a web page.

Far Cry 3 is expected to be released in September.

Talking about this story: XGN Entertainment, Playstation Lifestyle and VG247

In April, ZeniMax Media filed a trademark application for the dragonborn shout “Fus Ro Dah”.

Now, the company has filed another trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, this time for “Dragonborn”, an individual who has been born with the blood and soul of a Dragon, but the body of a mortal.

On May 15, 2012, ZeniMax Media submitted the application (Serial Number: 85626061).

The goods and services within the filing cover, “Computer game software for use with computers and video game consoles; downloadable computer game software offered via the internet and wireless devices”.

At the beginning of the month, Bethesda announced the first Skyrim DLC, called Dawnguard, would be coming to the Xbox 360 this summer.

It’s unknown whether the company’s latest filing will be for a subsequent Skyrim DLC or rather a defensive measure to protect its Dragon-born intellectual property.

Just this week, the creator of the Dragon Shout app received a copyright infringement notice from ZeniMax.

Talking about this story: VG247, GameStar, Lazygamer, MCV, Blue’s News, Game Informer, GameZone, International Business Times, Buffed.de, Kotaku, IGN, Giant Bomb, Cinema Blend, Blue’s News and games.on.net

Samsung is at it again, this time filing six different trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for yet to be announced smartphones.

On May 10, 2012, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. submitted applications for the Lunge (Serial No. 85621870), Galaxy Forge (Serial No. 8561866), Galaxy Wield (Serial No. 85621864), Galaxy Mission (Serial No. 85621859), Galaxy Rivet (Serial No. 85621854), and the Galaxy Victory (Serial No. 85621853).

Like many recent filings, the goods and services in the latest applications cover nothing more than mobile telephones and smartphones.

The newest batch has Olympic-like names such as “Lunge” and “Victory”.

Earlier this month Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S III which is the official London 2012 Olympic Games smartphone.

Talking about this story: Android Police, IntoMobile, Phones Review, Phandroid, Android Community, MobileSyrup.com, TechnoBuffalo, Android.net, PhoneArena and Geeky Gadgets

(Image of Galaxy S WiFi 3.6 via Samsung.com)

The Topps Company made some interesting domain name purchases this week that hint toward a MechWarrior movie.  On May 7, 2012, Topps registered movie-related names for several properties like BattleTechmovie.com, MechWarriormovie.com, Shadowrunmovie.com, and more.  In total, the company picked up nearly a dozen domains through the brand protection firm Corporation Service Company.

The last time there was talk of a MechWarrior movie was back in 2009, when a trusted source told Joystiq that a MechWarrior film was “in development”.

At one point in time, MechWarriormovie.com was home to a petition that pushed for Hollywood to greenlight a MechWarrior/BattleTech film.  You can see the web page here, courtesy of screenshots.com.

Here’s a full list of domain names acquired by Topps this week:

battletechmovie.com
battletechthemovie.com
garbagepailkidstv.com
garbagepailmovie.com
gpkmovie.com
mechwarriormovie.com
mechwarriorthemovie.com
shadrowrunmovie.com
shadrowrunthemovie.com
thegarbagepailmovie.com
thegargagepailkidsmovie.com

As of today, there has been no official announcement regarding an upcoming MechWarrior/BattleTech movie.

(Image of upcoming action game MechWarrior Online)