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Pastimes : SI Beta Site Launch - 7/01/99 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Caroline who wrote (416)	7/12/1999 3:26:00 AM
From: Jeff Dryer	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 2340

Caroline, There are lots of opposing viewpoints on this thread and it's great! However, many of the stock specific threads are one-sided affairs where opposing viewpoints are discouraged. I believe an ignore feature would make the bullish slant of many threads even worse... be used by many members to discourage people with negative comments from posting. ---- Additional observations/conclusions: 90%+ of SI members post because they are bullish about a stock, most likely one they own. The bullish tendency of many threads means discussion isn't really a debate designed to understand the valuation of a company and its prospects... discussion threads on SI are often PR threads where negative (opposing) opinions are not wanted. Some of the most interesting/educational discussions on SI occur when opposing viewpoints are being expressed... bulls and bears are posting, arguing... sometimes fighting (g). I believe that a primary use of an ignore feature would be to use it as a tool to ignore bearish viewpoints and to let everyone on the thread and the bearish poster (often only one) know that the bear is being ignored with the hope of driving the bear away. Example How often would the bulls on a thread ignore someone who posts the following a couple times a day? "We're up 20% today! WHeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!" I believe many participants would feel this post is a contribution to the thread because it is supportive. Many of us smile when we own the stock and see a post like this. On the other hand, if a bear posts to the thread that, "your company xyz (eg. Iomega) has product problems, is being investigated by the SEC, is overvalued and is being hyped." ... and variations on this theme with more details are posted by the bear over several days, then, my bet is the ignore feature goes into action to drive the bear away before the bear hurts the stock. The bear is discredited by statements from bulls such as "This person doesn't know what he/she is talking about. Ignore! Ignore! Ignore!" and "I just used the ignore feature on you. You are a complete waste of my time. Doesn't everyone else on this thread agree?" Truth vs. Hype My belief is that many SI members value group think (positive spin only) at the expense of seeking out the truth. Once people own a stock, then it seems like the truth doesn't matter anymore and that investors only want to hear the good news. Like many SI members, I also believe HYPE creates value. Therefore, it makes sense to HYPE (and only focus on the positive) and squelch the bears. So, it's really a question of truth seeking or hyping. There's probably merit to both investing approaches/activities. In general, I worry about the abuse of an ignore feature by SI members who have other agendas other than discovering the truth. For example, the under $5 area is a particular worry where often times non-reporting OTC BB companies have no operations at all, and there are lots of bullish opinions being posted for everyone's consumption. Someone (a bear) gets on the thread and tells the negative truth and then all hell breaks loose and we get flooded with emails demanding that SI have an ignore feature. If members are spamming or posting dumb information on a recurring basis, SI members do let us know and we often terminate accounts. I understand the benefits of an ignore feature, but I also believe that an ignore feature will be used to limit opposing viewpoints. Maybe an ignore feature can be implemented in a way that makes sense for everyone, but it's a tricky puzzle to solve.