More "Insider's Guide to Message Boards" (SI)
pathfinder.com
<g>I hi-lited a couple interesting comments.>
Silicon Investor
(www.techstocks.com)
Lay of the land: Nicknamed SI by its users,
Silicon Investor is the upscale neighborhood
in town, attracting a high percentage of
advanced investors and active traders.
Anyone can read the messages for free, but
to post your own thoughts you have to pay
($200 lifetime, $60 half-year). The fee may
give SI an elitist air, but it's just steep
enough to deter the less serious from
joining, and many discussion threads are
earnest indeed. "Stocks go down ultimately
for fundamental reasons," writes dppl, the
founder of the popular Technical Analysis
for Shorts and Longs thread. "But these
reasons are often foreshadowed by
technical indications [that] can show the
writing on the wall before the wall is even
visible."
Highlights: Not surprisingly, considering the
site's address, tech discussions are by far
the most popular forums. Some, like Dell,
Intel and Compaq, have attained near
legendary status, thanks to the variety and
intelligence of their posts. But there are
also good forums that are not focused on
individual stocks, such as Market Gems,
with its bent toward short-term trading, or
Ask Michael Burke, where a guy named,
yep, Michael Burke, opines on subjects
ranging from economics to John Travolta.
Fitting in: Like a gated community, SI
quickly escorts rule breakers out of town.
Those who violate the site's hallowed Terms
of Use by posting advertisements or abusive
or obscene comments get booted without a
refund. It's probably no accident, then, that
unlike at most message sites, many
participants here feel comfortable enough
to post under their real names rather than
kooky handles.
Warning: Even the best neighborhoods
have back alleys. You should avoid the
$5-and-under forums not only here but
wherever you travel, since those areas tend
to attract users more interested in pumping
stocks than analyzing them. |
