Groupon’s S-1 filing for an IPO last month certainly got a lot of ink.

Unfortunately, much of it was negative, focused on several controversial parts of the document. Most scrutinized were large slugs of money taken out of the social buying site by its founders, as well as aggressive accounting terminology to make large losses look less, well, large.

Rattled by the intense media and analyst reaction to the filing, sources said the Chicago-based company commissioned a poll of its consumers and merchants to gauge the impact.

One source familiar with the survey said that top execs and its board wanted concrete reaction from key constituencies, instead of relying on “noise from the echo chamber” of Wall Street and Silicon Valley.

And, said several people who had seen the poll, it should probably come as no surprise that the impact of the drumbeat of Groupon-is-doomed news on merchants and consumers was low, with only one percent saying that they had formed a negative opinion of the company from the filing.

That, of course, does not mean that those important groups for Groupon aren’t disgruntled about a whole laundry list of other issues.

But — for now, at least — an S-1 with some warts isn’t one of them.

Whatever the case, Groupon will continue to face scrutiny as it moves to amend the filing after comments from government regulators, and also when it reports its latest financial results soon for the three months ended June 30, 2011.

And those are numbers that everyone will surely be paying attention to.

Financial markets have sent Nokia shares lower, workers have been up in arms and earlier on Tuesday a group of young Nokia investors posted an open letter on the Web calling for the Nokia chief executive to rethink his plans and instead opt for a “Plan B” that would have Nokia maintain ownership of the software layer of its phones.

But Elop said he is not surprised there has been some negative reaction. Elop noted that he has had months to weigh all the options and grow comfortable with the Windows Phone-led strategy, while others are still digesting it.

“There is both an intellectual journey and an emotional journey through which we all need to go,” Elop told Mobilized during a chat on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. “I’ve had four and a half months to go through the journey.”

As for workers walking off the job last Friday, Elop also seemed to take that in stride. “To the extent that workers need time to go through that emotional journey, that’s something I completely understand.”

While Elop said the main reason he went with Windows Phone was the opportunity for sustainable differentiation, he noted that the billions of dollars from Microsoft doesn’t hurt.

Elop said that the value of the deal reflects not just the standard business terms, but also the fact that Nokia was a “swing vote” in the mobile market and could have gone to Google and Android.

“That, by itself, has substantial value,” Elop said. “In addition to revenue streams one would normally calculate into a deal, there is a clear recognition of a special value that we are providing for which we are receiving compensation–value, money, however you want to describe it–measured in the ‘B’s not ‘M’s.”

The revenue, which was euphemistically referred to during last week’s investor event as “marketing support” will show up over the life of the deal, Elop said, and allow the company to invest more or flow through to its bottom line.

“To be clear it’s not about the money,” Elop said. “If we can be no different than anybody else, then at end of the day margins erode.”

Elop also noted that Nokia is committing fully to Windows Phone, where as Microsoft’s other partners are largely doing products for Google’s operating system as well.

“Some of the other OEMs do their best work for Android right now,” he said.

Although Nokia hasn’t committed to releasing a Windows Phone this year, Smart Devices head Jo Harlow said onstage at Nokia’s press conference that she is feeling the heat to do so.

Elop clarified where that heat was coming from. “From me,” he said. “From me.”

Update: Asked for comment on the Plan B letter, Nokia offered a brief statement.

“We are aware of the letter being posted, but have not been directly contacted,” the company said. “Nokia’s new strategy has full approval of the Board of Directors and the Nokia Leadership Team, and our focus now is on the execution of this new strategy.”

We’ll likely see a similar drop when it begins trading on the Nasdaq again tomorrow, though the company is expected to post another quarterly blowout when it reports earnings after market close. Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell suggests investors prepare themselves for a drop similar to the one Apple shares suffered after the announcement of Jobs’s first medical leave. “We’ve been here before at the start of 2009, so it’s probably going to be similar to that,” he told Reuters. “Operationally the company coped very well last time, but there’s a certain Jobs premium in the stock, and that will be the concern.”

And while that’s understandable, that concern is overblown. As I wrote back in January 2009, for investors to sell on news like this is just silly:

“Because if Jobs were to leave Apple–willingly or otherwise–people won’t suddenly stop buying Macs. The iPod won’t suddenly go the way of the Walkman and early adopters won’t suddenly lose interest in the next-gen iPhone. Nor will the Houdini-meets-Edison magic that Jobs has brought to Apple suddenly dissipate.

“Yes, Jobs’s sensibility pervades Apple’s culture and its products, but that culture and those products are not tethered to his health or day-to-day presence at the company. And Apple’s deep executive bench is more than capable of running it–and running it well–in his absence.

“iPhones worldwide will not stop working if something should happen to Steve–although apparently there are quite a few investors who believe this is indeed the case.

“Apple will endure–with or without Steve Jobs. There will be a post-Jobs era, and whether it begins this year or 20 years from now is of little consequence.”

PREVIOUSLY

• Steve Jobs Asked for Privacy–and He Deserves It This Time
• Apple Shares Down Nearly 8 Percent in Frankfurt on News of Jobs’s Medical Leave
• Citing Health, Steve Jobs Steps Away From Apple, Again
• Apple Opposes Proposal on CEO Succession Planning
• Deutsche Bank Joins the Running of the Apple Bulls
• Jobs: “I’m Vertical, Back at Apple and Loving Every Day of It”
• Apple Investors Are Wusses
• When Steve Jobs Said “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish,” He Did Not Mean This Foolish
• AAPL Sauce
• Apple’s Steve Jobs: “I Have Decided to Take a Medical Leave of Absence”
• The Entire Letter: Steve Jobs Explains His Health Problem: “Hormone Imbalance”–Predicts Recovery by Spring and Will Stay On as CEO
• Ain’t Nobody’s Business If Jobs Is or Isn’t

Reddit is a Digg-like community-powered news aggregation/curation service that Condé Nast bought a few years ago and has more or less left alone. The publisher has made a very cautious attempt to introduce some advertising into the free site, but so far, it’s just toe-in-the water stuff. Because Reddit users really, really hate advertising.

Here’s proof: The deluge of angry commentary that dominated the site Thursday after visitors started seeing a pop-up ad that wasn’t supposed to be there.

The short version of the story is that Reddit says this was an honest mistake that wasn’t really its fault–it lays the blame on other Condé sites and Google’s (GOOG) Dart ad-serving service. But Reddit says it’s sorry anyway, because “we would sooner bludgeon ourselves to death with keyboards than run pop-over ads.”

You can find a longer version of the tale via Reddit engineer Mike Schiraldi’s blog post, which is pretty entertaining. And you can get a sampling of Reddit users’ reactions here, but be warned that some of them use salty language to complain about seeing advertisements.

Oh, and the ad in question? Tangentially related to Apple (AAPL). After all–the ad was for iPad carrier AT&T (T). But it was promoting the carrier’s relationship with Apple iPhone competitor Research in Motion (RIMM).

Yahoo’s board has approved Carol Bartz for the company’s top job and Bartz has accepted. What happens next? Yahoo’s CEO post has been the subject of speculation of one kind or another for most of the past year, and BoomTown’s had the right story earlier–and more often–than anywhere else. Tune in here for the latest developments in the ongoing story.

• Sue Decker’s Goodbye Memo to the Yahoo Troops
• Yahoo’s Decker Resigned With Class–Now Chairman Bostock Should Exit Stage Right Too
• The Past Is Prologue: Carol Bartz and Autodesk in 1992=Yahoo Now
• Carol Bartz: The ALL CAPS CEO
• Live-Blogging Yahoo’s Bartz as CEO Announcement: Her First Words? “Yahoooo!” and “Friggin’”
• Yahoo Confirms Bartz Pick as CEO; No. 2 Exec Decker Out
• Is a Microsoft Search Deal With Yahoo “Ticked and Tied”?
• Bartz to Be Named Yahoo CEO: Now What’s Next?
• Yahoo Investors: We Would Have Preferred Steve Jobs…
• First Up for Carol Bartz: Deliver Yahoo’s Miserable Q4 Report Card
• As BoomTown Said, Bartz Is Tops on the Yahoo CEO Short List–Here’s the Reaction
• New Prospect for Yahoo CEO: Carol Bartz

Following on BoomTown’s report earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal followed by also naming former Autodesk top exec Carol Bartz as a contender for Yahoo CEO in a report today.

Since my post on Wednesday, I have been getting a lot of intense reaction from inside and outside of Yahoo to the idea of an old-line tech CEO–such as Bartz (pictured here in a lovely WSJ dot drawing)–with little Internet or online advertising experience, taking on the difficult role at Yahoo (YHOO).

Bartz certainly has a rock solid resume, including a computer science degree–exactly of the kind the Yahoo board has been interested in, as I have previously reported.

She successfully led Autodesk (ADSK)–which makes computer-aided design software and is half Yahoo’s size–for 14 years, before retiring in 2006 to spend more time with her family.

Bartz remains Autodesk’s executive chairman and also serves on big-name tech boards, such as Intel (INTC) and Cisco (CSCO).

What’s most interesting about the reaction to Bartz is that the kudos and the knocks track very closely.

Some think her lack of Internet and online ad experience is a problem, while others think it is a good thing, freeing her to think freshly.

Some worry about her age (60 years old), while others see it as important to get a seasoned pro in the seat.

Most controversially, some are concerned about her closeness to Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and President Sue Decker–Bartz serves on the Cisco board with Yang and the Intel board with Decker–seeing the choice as an attempt by Yang to stay in power at Yahoo.

But others think it will make for a smoother transition and that Yahoo still needs Yang’s involvement, despite his rocky tenure as CEO.

Consider the wildly different opinions on the idea of an exec like Bartz:

“It is unbelievable to me that there are NO Web monetization experts being considered for Yahoo CEO–the fix is easy–just focus on making money!!” said one former Yahoo exec.

Added another person close to Yahoo: “I don’t see how Bartz is qualified, other than as a successful former CEO. CAD software is very different from Yahoo’s technology and she has no apparent background in ad sales.”

But others disagree.

“Yahoo needs a strong executive like Bartz to get the company on track, and all she needs is to be able to focus, make deals and be decisive,” said a Yahoo insider. “And she is plenty tough enough to do it and has the tech chops too.”

In addition, another former Yahoo exec noted that she could easily be paired with a strong No. 2, with much more of an Internet background.

“There are a lot of great choices around who would love to take a COO job, since it is clear Bartz will not be a long-term CEO,” said the former exec, referring to her age. “It is a perfect stepping stone.”

But the Yang connection worried one current exec: “Jerry just does not want to let go. The person who made this mess should not be controlling a search to replace himself, especially with someone who is probably friendly to him.”

Indeed, several sources said the most prominent insider considered, board member John Chapple, is now not a choice, due to his closeness to fellow director Carl Icahn. Icahn came to the Yahoo board after waging an ugly proxy fight against the company and Yang.

But other current exec disagrees. “Yahoo has had enough turmoil and we need someone who can come in and settle things down,” said the exec. “Bartz seems perfect to do that.”

Another exec points out that Yang has not apparently been favoring Decker (pictured here), to whom he is very loyal, but who carries the same baggage as Yang about Yahoo’s current state.

“That Sue is not the likely choice is a sign that Jerry has tried to make the best choice for the company over getting an ally in power,” said the exec. “I think he also knows the reaction to her as CEO would probably send Wall Street into a tizzy and signal investors of an unwillingness to be accountable or to change by the already tarnished board.”

Whoever the new leaders of Yahoo are, they will have their work cut out for them, from deciding the strategy, especially with regard to a search deal with Microsoft (MSFT), to determining whether a merger deal with Time Warner (TWX) online unit AOL should happen.

While rich in assets and online traffic, Yahoo has suffered over the last year from a range of internal and external troubles that have shaken the iconic Web company to its core and depressed its stock.

That’s why Yahoo’s board probably must select a new CEO before it reports fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 27.

If not, it will have to answer sharp questions from investors, Wall Street analysts and the press about why the process is taking so long, especially considering the urgency.

That sluggishness, of course, is a hallmark of Yahoo, and one of the reasons for its current troubles. Yang announced he would be stepping down in mid-November.