Sep 27th, 2009
by admin.
I created a new investor discussion group built on the Google Groups platform. It’s called simply Apple Investor. You can join it now by entering your email in the widget on the right sidebar of this page. This isn’t a brand new thing for me. A couple of years ago I started an investment discussion group called Investor in the Wilderness. It grew in a few short months to over 600 members, producing nearly 300 posts a day! And the membership was awesome! It was diverse, experienced and insightful.
We talked about the markets, fundamentals, technical analysis, individual companies and their associated sectors. Of course, there were great conversations about Apple as well, and companies that either competed with or were directly influenced by Apple.
So what happened? Well, a few malcontents infiltrated the group. When I say a few, that’s all it took, two or three people that started spewing vitriol, becoming extremely argumentative and attacking other members with foul language and insults. They essentially spammed the group. At first these few bad apples were pretty good members, with good posts and insight. But at some point they went afoul. It ruined it for everyone else. I tried disciplining these people, but the damage had been done, the group disbanded.
I learned a great deal from that experience, and since have ventured into other social media like Twitter and Facebook. They’re fun and have produced many great relationships and even business opportunities, but they don’t come close to the level of interaction and quality of discussion we had with Investor in the Wilderness.
This time around, I’m adopting new rules of engagement and conduct. There will be no tolerance for people that become disruptive, 2 strikes and you’re out. This time, the Apple Investor group will thrive and grow, hopefully beyond the 600 plus members we had before, to several thousand. So, if you want to participate with some of the most vibrant investors around, people that love Apple like you do, but also a steeped in all aspects of investing, then join our group. I look forward to speaking with you.
