I found Saul's group to be a terrific object lesson for all of us. We were watching a version of Tulipmania that was happening in real time, where the rulers of the board chastised people for ever mentioning valuations because they didn't matter. Anyone who's read Roger Lowenstein's various books, including his Buffett bio, knows that maxim about valuations not mattering always turns out horribly for most people who believe it, especially those who come in near the end when the music stops.

I think some discussion in that friendly social way is fine. I disliked the Tesla nonsense because I found a few of the main posters to have a disingenuous approach. They feigned ignorance about most investing matters and asked for patience in having the basics explained to them and yet got extremely aggressive towards anyone who didn't agree with their blind love for Tesla culture and its stock. They gloated when they were up, up, up and radio silence when they were down, down, down.

I used the frowny face to avoid seeing these posters but so many people interacted with them that it hardly mattered. There were times when I'd visit the old board and see that 90% of the posts were greyed out. Way too off-topic in that case.

I do think we should allow discussion of other stocks that show long-term promise here, since if you visit the boards for other stocks most have no one commenting on them and posting on those boards would be talking into cyberspace with no one aware you've posted there.

Hope this post is accepted in the spirit it is offered, as an honest assessment of what a rank amateur sees and what I'd like to see instead.

By all means, keep up the ON topic posts. I learn from them. Slowly, but I learn, eventually.

SD