Food for thought for new investors.This is a post that sums it up nicely how bashers work. I wish I knew this over 2 years ago when some bashers scared me out of my shares in FAT before it went .09 to just over a buck. Not going to happen again! I'm long on FDM. GLTA IT IS EASIER TO SCARE PEOPLE INTO SELLING THAN IT IS TO SCARE PEOPLE INTO BUYING A STOCK. Message boards and "shorts"(some) can manipulate with lies, and deceit. Now think about that, you have elderly that invest and find their way to the message boards only to see false posts about "SEC Violations" and "Class action suits" or you have a Yuppie with a kid to put in college going to these message boards only to see posts by 15-20 (probably 5 or 6 under alias) "pack of shorts" posting the same false stuff about SEC Violations or lawsuits or "there's bad news coming out" ....what do you think they will do ? It's easier to sell the stock and put the money into the bank for nervous people like the elderly and the Yuppie who needs college funds. THAT'S WHO THE PACK OF SHORTS PRAY ON AND DEPEND ON. They bet on a stock to go down-not up! Understand? And they have just as much money and risk as you. But they have the edge of fear, lies, falsehoods to post and pray on the nervous. Longs don't have that. Lesson 1: Remember, BASHERS NEVER BASH A BAD STOCK. Watch the board for stocks with no potential. They never have any bashers. Bashers only go after stocks that are going upwards or have excellent potential to go up. Bashers get left behind, so they want to bring the price down to be able to get in at a great price. Lesson 2: BASHERS ALWAYS BRING UP OLD NEWS THAT YOU HAVE HEARD MANY TIMES. New startup companies always have a few bits of bad news. The basher will post this over and over again. The stupid basher will try to make the old news a bit fresher to try to fool you. Lesson 3: BASHERS POST MANY TIMES A DAY. They try to wear you out. They comment on everything, every other post, and can answer every question. THEY KNOW IT ALL! There is no positive comment they won't bash. They try to control the board. True longs may have to address the bashers or they will appear to the newbies as being the people with all the information. Lesson 4: BASHERS WILL LIE TO YOUR FACE. Never trust a basher. The truth on startup companies is that many mistakes are made and losses happen. The basher will try to make you believe all startup companies make a profit, release financials every quarter and all aspects of the business run smoothly. THIS IS NOT TRUE. THE BASHERS LIE TO YOU. Startup companies can go years without profits, financials and good business, this is the nature of the beast. Lesson 5: BASHERS KNOW YOU CAN'T VERIFY THEIR STATEMENTS. That's why they make the statements they do. Lesson 6: BASHERS PLAY ON YOUR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. They can lie about information and you couldn't know the difference (unless you have done your assessment of the company and know the truth and facts). Lesson 7: BASHERS PLAY ON YOUR LACK OF PATIENCE. YOU have held a stock for a while. You knew it will be a big stock someday, but the BASHER CAN GET TO YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOUR GAIN. That's when the basher is best. You are tired. You have forgotten the goal for the stock was to hold it for one year. The basher is bothersome, so you dump it on a bad day. Some others also dump. Then you get mad for your loss and return to let everyone know how mad you are. Then you turn into a basher as well. THE BASHER HAS WON, AND GAINED A NEW PARTNER, TOO! Lesson 8: BASHERS BRING THE PRICE DOWN. That is the basher's job. The truth is not important. Lies are the norm. Post continuously on the board every day. They are trying to hit the newbies visiting the board. They are trying to wear out the longs on the board. They do whatever it takes to wear the longs out. A BASHERS HANDBOOK: Do not underestimate a bashers influence on a stock. The Pro's are good at what they do and what they do is profit from your losses. Below is their "hand-book" so to speak. Learn from it or donate your money to them! 1. Be annonymous 2. Use 10% fact. 90% suggestion. The facts will lend credibility to your suggestions. 3. Let others help you learn about the stock. Build rapport and a support base before initiating your bashing routine. 4. Enter w/ humor and reply to all who reply to you. 5. Use multiple ISP's, handles and aliases. 6. Use two (2) or more aliases to simulate a discussion. 7. Do not start with an all out slam of the stock. Build to it. 8. Identify your foes (hypsters) and the boards "guru" Use them to your advantage. Lead them do not follow their lead. 9. Only bash until the tide/momentum turns. Let doubt carry it the rest of the way. 10. Give the appearance of being open minded. 11. Be bold in your statements. People follow strength. 12. Write headlines in caps with catchy statements. 13. Pour it on as your position gains momentum. Not your personality. 14. Don't worry about being labeled a "basher". Newbies won't know your history. 15. When identified put up a brief fight, then back off. Return in an hour unless your foe is a weak in reasoning powers. 16. Your goal is to limit the momentum of the run. Not to tank the company or create a plunge in the stock; be subtle and consistent. 17. Kill the dreams of profits, not the company or the stock. 18. Use questions to create critical thinking. Statements to reinforce facts. 19. DO NOT LIE, DO NOT NAME CALL and DO NOT USE PROFANITY. 20. Encourage people to call the company. 99% won't. They'll take your word for claims made. If they do call you can always find something that is inaccurate in how they report their findings. 21. Discourage people for taking the companies word for anything. Encourage them to call the company. They won't out of laziness. 22. If the companies history/PR's are negative constantly point to that. Compile a list of this data prior to beginning your efforts. 23. If the price rises blame it on the hype or the PR, temporary mass reaction, the market, etc. Anything but the stock itself. 24. If other posters share your concerns, play on that and share theirs too. 25. Always cite low volume, even when it's not. 26. Three or four aliases can dominate a board and wear down the longs. 27. Bait the hypsters into personal debates putting their focus/efforts on you and not the stock or facts. Divert thier attention from facts. 28. Promote other stocks that would-be investors can turn to instead of the one your bashing. 30. Do not fall for challenges on the "values" of what you are doing, it's a game and you are playing it with your own rules. Grade A Basher: Posts lots of old news, responds to all positive posts with a negative side. Never responds to being called a basher, never posts on another board. Can spend up to 80 hours a week bashing a stock. Grade B Basher: Very good way with words, always claims to be your "friend" taking the positive poster into confidence, never posts on another board, spends about 60 hours a week. Grade C Basher: Spends less time than the others but is somewhat effective and gets a C grade due to getting excited when bashers rules say not to get excited, spends about 40 hours a week. Grade D Basher: Needs to learn the basics about being convincing when making a negative statement. Spends a good amount of time working the stock, maybe 20 hours a week. Grade F Basher: A complete idiot, most readers are not convinced he knows anything about stocks in general. The type that says a stock "sucks", but gives no rationale, shows up every so often but no regular schedule. LEARN ABOUT HOW BASHERS WORK: how they are paid: I know the following from a "friend" who needed extra money. I never answer a basher because I then become a basher's little money machine. IGNORE THEM FOLKS... How bashers are paid: When you REPLY to bashers you give them an opportunity to earn 5-7 bucks. The service agreement they enter into with their employer states their messages will be monitored for content, profanity, lies, etc. but Money Manager's 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. A basher will attempt to milk three to five replies per post at one to two dollars each. This way the basher spreads negitive 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! 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 Dilegence 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 decieving. Their 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.