PAID BASHERSLittle story done the rounds before, don't ask me for the link never kept it, but here was someone else's tale and it highlights part of the reason I really gave in with this thread ages back, some good posters but read on if you can be bothered.......
......Hello,
As many of you are aware, I am a paid 'basher'. As childish as bashing might seem on the surface, a lot of money actually exchanges hands based on the work we do. I work(ed) for an investment firm based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I worked in cooperation with several others and under several aliases in several online investment forums. Including PresidentBush, Tooth18, OneVultrue, 7Midniqht and Herbacious on Stockhouse.
To make a long story short. I have had an epihphany in the past few days. I watched the movie Fight Club, and as brutal as the movie is on the surface, it actually caused me to question a lot of things I do or have done in my life. The next day I was involved in a single vehicle car accident, which caused my vehicle to roll-over. I walked away from it all, but it got me to thinking. I only live once, is this what I want from my life? Is this what I've always wanted to do - I am not even proud of my career or myself. I say that I am a stock broker, but that is a lie. We are basically paid con-men. I quit today, no questions asked. Just walked out. I am 23 years old, and this is not what I want out of life.
The scheme works like this. Be aware of it so you can guard yourself. Our company monitors undervalued companies with strong assets and strong potential. When this company, XXX.V, for example, reaches an overbought situation, our company begins selling shares that we do not own in hopes of purchasing these shares at a lower price later on. As the share price dips, our company purchases these shares for a cheaper price at the lowered ask price. That is where we come in - we bash the stock online to try and further the negative sentiment so that the stock gaps down further and increases our profit margin. This type of activity is called naked short selling and it should be illegal. Our firm is a well established one that deals out shares that we do not own, then send out an army of online rats to undermine the company's successes to drive the price down.
As an employee, I never really realized the effect it had on investors or companies. I just really cared about opening the gap as much as possible, so that I could make a larger commission. It was all just a big game.
LEARN ABOUT HOW BASHERS WORK: For instance: did you know that some Bashers are paid?
Golden Rule:
IGNORE THEM ...learn how professional Bashers are paid: When you REPLY to Bashers you give them an opportunity to earn appox. 5-7 dollars. The service agreement they enter into with their employer states their messages will be monitored for content, profanity, lies, etc. but Overseers and the like don't have the time to check all their Bashers messages. Only occasional spot checks are done. Those who manage the Basher will generally read the headlines to see if a Basher is replying to other posters by name. That tells them the Basher isn't just "posting blindly" or repeating the same message over and over since they won't pay for those.(True to form a Basher will put the bite on anyone, even their unscrupulous employer). A Basher will attempt to milk three to five replies per post at one to two dollars each. This way the Basher spreads negative influence to as many stockholders as possible. A Basher will create this discussion thread because it takes less time reading more messages than is necessary. This ultimately allows the Basher more time to post and make money. In general, NEVER ENGAGE A BASHER. Make them read all the posts and think up ways to enter the discussion. NEVER ENGAGE A BASHER; if you do so then YOU BECOME THE BASHER,S AID! If you feel compelled to challenge a Basher do so without mentioning his/her true alias in your response. This will make it hard for the Basher to use your post as a revenue stream. Read the news, do your own homework and make your own decisions. Get real time quotes and follow the stock for a couple of weeks. Due Diligence is key here. Know that there will be a time when the stock runs up which will be followed followed by the Bashers and those that missed the boat. The Bashers will trash the stock by saying such things as "it's a Pump and Dump" and "the company is lying" and deceiving. There goal is to scare off newbies and potential new investors by "shaking" you out of your shares. Take the time to confirm your DD ,trust your own judgement and believe in yourself, pick your point of return or loss and live with it. Don't listen to hype or Bashers trust your own judgement. Live by the rules you have created ."