This is a hot button issue for me so I am going to respond....
I ask about this all the time and Matt frequently changes his mind. So I am typing this (I hope) for the benefit of all and to hopefully(?) get the rules nailed down...
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You CAN post a link to another message board if the post is MOSTLY to enhance understanding of a stock, provide a link to confirm due diligence, source or verify your information.... etc.
Yahoo Finance in particular, I understand -- links there are OK... Yahoo Finance is "iHub friendly" (with a caveat, keep reading)
However, you CAN'T:
1. Spam links to certain sites that are not "iHub friendly" -- like RagingBoot (remember where iHub came from) This list, I have learned is subject to change from time to time...
2. Just post a link to another board and say:
a. "Hey go over here and read this about the stock" with a link... (Phil's example)
b. "Ha ha look at this crap" with a link... (if it's not about the stock, it's about content and users on another site)
c. "Look at this iHub user's profile on another site" with a link... (that's most likely an iHub Violation of Privacy)
d. "Look at what so-and-so that was booted from iHub is saying over here" with a link... -- the reason for this ought to be pretty clear.
--- Examples a., b., c., and d., above, are AUTOMATIC DELETES.
You can post the info in a., b., c. and d. WITHOUT a LINK but not WITH ONE -- most of the time. Unless the content is a good old TOU violation... that's all spelled out in the TOU and Handbook.
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At least this is my current understanding of the rules.
I used to TOU EVERY post that was another stock forum and they were not deleted, and I asked why... so I have come across this before... This is a major reason why I don't moderate any single stock boards any more...
I like rules to be cut and dried, and this rule, to me, has NEVER been specific enough. I think you either allow them, or you don't.
But this is not my web site. And the vast majority of users here could care less what I think.
