WHAT A PLEASENT SURPRISE....SERIOUS FINANCIAL MAGZINES ARE WATCH US HERE ON SILICON INVESTOR...AND THEY EVEN THINK I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY OF VALUE...NO GUARANTEES I'LL BE IN THEIR BOOK BUT THEY ARE INTERVIEWING ME AS WE SPEAK NEXT WEEK...IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD THAT I AM GIVING SOMETHING BACK TO THE CYBER COMMUNITY..HOPEFULLY IT HELPS JUST ONE PERSON OUT THERE...AND AT LEAST SOMEONE IS TAKING NOTE OF THIS....THEY SAID THEY ARE LOOKING AT 25 PEOPLE PLUS+++, THEY DID SAY THE NAME OF THE BOOK MAY CHANGE OVER TIME<G>
Jerry,
We are columnists for Forbes.com and regular contributors to Forbes
Magazine. We are also co-authoring a new book for John Wiley & Sons
tentatively titled, "Stupid Internet, Smart People -- Network With the Best
and Brightest of the Financial Internet." We're hoping to include your
insight in this book... so please read ahead and get back to us with your
thoughts. The basic gist of the book is as follows... With all the talk of
bits, bytes, and bandwidth, people often forget that the Internet is, at its
core, a network of interconnected people. It's a realization that comes
slowly to most--that behind the screen, at the other end of thousands of
miles of fiber optic cable and telephone wire, in another state or another
country, there is an actual human being.
And some of those human beings, including yourself, happen to have
above-average stock-picking skills and market savvy that they enjoy sharing
with other investors. But there is a major problem. There are over fourteen
million messages posted on Silicon Investor and five million on Raging Bull;
there are thousands of financial web sites; and there is constant discussion
in hundreds of online chat rooms. We'd be generous if we said that any less
than 99% of all that content--that mass (and mess) of information--was
garbage.
The best way to avoid all that--the only way--is to know your source. Know
who posted those messages or made those comments. Know their viewpoints and
track record. Make sure you have a reason for listening. Make sure they're
not just full of hot air.
That's where "Stupid Internet, Smart People" comes in. It is the online
investor's ultimate rolodex, a chronicle and directory of the modern-day
Warren Buffetts--the best and smartest moneymakers on the 'Net. It tells who
they are, how they invest, where they put their money, and most importantly,
where investors can find them. Before our book, this type of due diligence
was never possible.
Where do you fit in? Basically, we think you are one of the smart people on
this stupid Internet. The Internet has gotten a bad rap as dot coms have
plummeted in the market. But the bottom line is that the Internet will only
to continue to grow in popularity and importance as an investment tool.
While covering the online financial space for Forbes.com and Forbes Magazine
over the past several years, we've discovered one thing--the Internet's most
intriguing contribution to the investing game is its ability to facilitate
investor-to-investor communication. While 80% of Wall Street pros fail to
beat the market in their cushy offices, stellar online investors are racking
up startling gains and sharing their views with the world. Yet very little
attention has been paid to this facet of online investing in the media or
general business literature. "Stupid Internet, Smart People" will be the
definitive and ground-breaking guide in the investor-to-investor
communication space.
After spending years sifting through thousands of web sites, message boards,
and chat rooms, we've identified you as one of the sharpest, most
successful, honest, entertaining, and informed investors on the Internet. As
such, we are hoping to profile you in our book along with 25 - 50 other top
investors. While the book contains information regarding the use of Internet
and software investment tools as well as basic financial advice regarding
performance metrics and the like, the bulk of the book will focuses on these
25 - 50 online investors. We are including extensive interviews of each
individual in the book which we hope will perform two main functions: 1) to
provide an entertaining read and offer investment insight from a diverse and
unique set of financial minds, and 2) to convince investors that our "smart
people" are worth keeping a continual eye on.
We hope that you are intrigued by this idea. Our basic purpose in writing
this introductory letter is to see if you are interested in being profiled
in this book as one of the Internet's star investors. If so, we would like
to send you a follow-up e-mail with a list of questions. Since "Stupid
Internet, Smart People" is being published by one of the most highly
regarded publishers in the country, we are obviously looking for our "smart
people" to devote a good amount of time to providing in-depth and
provocative answers to our questions. After you answer our preliminary
questions, we will likely follow up with you on your answers and address
further specific issues.
Please pardon the long e-mail... but we hope you are excited about taking
part in this project. We think there is an opportunity to help usher in a
new age of individual investing. If you have any questions, please feel free
to send us an e-mail or give us a call at the number below. We hope to hear
from you soon.
Best,
Adam Leitzes & Joshua Solano
--------------------------------
Net Cents Columnist, Forbes.com
forbes.com
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