Replies to post #115515 on The Question and Answer Board (IHUB)

[Mattu]

On that note, I'm going to see WALL-E with Clem. Back in a few hours.. :-)

[lucky, mydog]

matt, let me be the first to ask; what about the paided bashers?

[TraderRick47]

It's a great idea and most likely a profitable idea for Ihub. However, those designated as IRP's should probably be required to hold the proper brokers license. I think it's a Series 7. That would keep everything on the up & up. If I'm not mistaken , in order to be a so called "promoter" you must be properly licensed.

[flyonawall]

Matt, I can see what you’re attempting to do with this IRP setup. However, being that this is the Internet, and no one is who they proclaim to be 90% of the time. How could you “Prove” anything that they are or not. Unless they state they are. You would have to step away from the alias registrations and use real names and real identifications. That as well could be tricky. I honestly think that all this will do is add a heck of allot more PM’s to you and Admin and people posting your covering up the IRP by not making them post their disclaimer. I see a new level of accusing and postings off topic about who is and who is not. Let me say it, A 21st century Salem Witch Hunt. I feel this is what will be the out come once you take steps to do this. I have been accused of being a “Paid” basher myself; The IRS can prove otherwise as well as my bank account. These boards have offered a whole new way for me to look at the cyber world, I have learned much from your boards. And I think the IRP thingy will most likely place you guys on the endangered list of lack of reputation. You guys will become the target of the cover-ups and the conspiracy theories on the Internet. I wish you well on this. But I see a train wreck coming. GLTY! Jean, “UNPAID” housekeeper.

[Phil(Hot Rod Chevy)]

Matt, as I have stated numerous times, the problem IMO, is not with those that disclose, it's with those that don't.

I can give you a recent example of one that I suspect is a paid pumper clown, but hasn't disclosed.

Let me know if you want details.

Please let me know if you want details.

Phil

[Stock Stallion]

so Ihub will make some money off of us and the ones that don't disclose will still run a muck. LOL yeah sounds like a plan.

[rebelgirl]

How do you know of those not disclosing if they don't disclaim anywhere . I mean I can relay to you at least a dozen people I know for a fact promote,having had face to face meetings, conversations, pm's, dialogue of promotion even relating to certain member(s) of your mod squad. So, what do you do with those in the closet whom are hiding. Do they pay the same fee and wear the same label. Would you like me to send you my list/contact numbers in private? Or put it on the board here. What's fair is fair, I'm willing to pay as long as the others are mandated to as well.

[rebelgirl]

How about the CEO's of companies posting here under numerous anonymous aliases, do they have to pay more because they are higher income. Do those that disclose get discounts for turning in those that don't..like a buddy system discount rate.

[cygnus_1]

IRPs will allowed to Moderate boards and are subject to the same duties and limitations as any other moderator when moderating stock-specific boards..
I believe this part is really not an option.If you have a paid promoter,as a Mod,it sets itself up as place where they,the paid promoter can scam investors while making sure that bonafide DD ,against said company,will not be allowed. It's called censorship,by paid promoters.........not good for business

[Churak]

I like your concept except for the part where IRPs have a higher subscription price...that seems discriminatory to me. Do you give Seniors a better rate if they say they have an AARP card? Family discounts? Tag 'em with an icon, fine. Have a link to their disclaimer, fine. Sanction those that don't disclose if it has been determined that in fact they are an IRP. Your win-win by having them here is more posts & reads - if they weren't here, there would be less posts. You guys have always said that you don't enforce the SEC rules nor determine the veracity of posts - I don't see how this is different. An IRP who discloses is up front & should have more credibility than an IRP that don't - ASSuming either have credibility. Using your proposal, why not have special icons also for company officials and, if you go through with your proposal, charge them more to subscribe?

[rebelgirl]

I don't care for the name Investor Relations Professional (IRP). Something more along the lines of company awareness is more fitting. If I have to wear a label I would suggest..

Company Awareness Professional(CAP) and you can put a lil ball cap on my head.




Disclaimer>http://www.vegashotstocks.com/disclaimer.php

[soupoftheday]

Honestly, I think it's a complete waste of time. There are more important issues that need to be addressed here on ihub.

[jimmenknee]

Thank you Matt for starting the discussion/effort :-)

I think the prevailing thought is not to charge a higher fee. Although I agree in principle, I believe it will most likely result in the unintended consequence of fewer disclosures.

I offered this suggestion a little while back:

Have every member sign a disclosure re: paid promotions. Add a requirement to update their profile upon change. Having everybody required to do it, 1.) makes it even across the board, and 2.) encourages disclosure given one would have to deny being a paid promoter.

The disclosure data would not be available to the general public. What would be available to the general public would be a spot in each user's profile called disclaimer.

I also think it passively aids the SEC and might make it more worth while for those who find out/know promoters who don't disclose to report them to the SEC instead of to iHub admin.

And all iHub would do is maintain a little more data in each profile...

Overall, I think this discussion is way worth the think effort based on future projected viability of investment message boards. I haven't gotten statistics, but I would think this venue has become the prime choice alternative to spamming.

Thank you for initiating the discussion :-)




How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
Abraham Lincoln

[ClayTrader]

Matt,
Just my $.02... IMO you'll be opening up the floodgates for a whole new set of off-topic posts. I think things would literally become a huge soap opera on every single board. Instead of just the typical off-topic posts, there will be a whole new wave of accusations posts that will flood the boards. And then, I'm assuming you'll be making an effort to "research" these accusations... sounds like you may need to bring on a whole new staff for that department...

Although I do not really believe in paid bashers, I am a realist and understand I could very well be wrong. Let's suppose there are, why is there no effort being tossed that way to clean it up? Once again, lets say you do attempt to clean up that problem... full circle again, a whole new wave of off topic and accusation posts that will have Admins chin deep in posts to review...

I can understand how you'd want to charge more, but IMO, that is counterproductive. If you're trying to clean up the problem, that is the wrong way to go. "We want you to disclose if you promote, BUT, we will be charging you more"... just doesn't sound right to me. And as others have mentioned, in this day and age with computers and internet, how can you really "prove" what someone is doing (once again, sounds like a lot more work for admins).

My proposal, is to offer the paid promoters a discount. This is an actual incentive for people TO DISCLOSE. I understand this is a business in the end, but as much as people don't want to hear it, these penny stocks DO NOT move unless people are pushing them (paid or unpaid). These people can go through the same routine (providing all info. on their compensation), and then they would be given a price break. Kind of like giving tax breaks to the wealthy since "they" provide the jobs for a country. The same principle here, the promoters are the ones who get these stocks moving, so roughing their feathers may just make things worse. If there aren't any moving stocks out there, no one cares about penny land, and traffic at iHub would drop significantly. I know this is a bit of a radical idea, but in my mind encouraging people to disclose, but at the same time telling them they will be charged more just doesn't jive.

iHub is a great site, and we all know off-topic posts are very annoying. I can't imagine seeing a whole new flood of drama/accusation posts filling the boards because now their is a massive witch hunt taking place.

Once again, just my $.02

Clay



Need an Annotated Chart? Stop by my board -- http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.aspx?board_id=8765

[asus]

Matt it's a great idea and long overdue. I always imagined a potential liability for IHUB without such a system. This closes the potential legal loophole.

The big problem will be enforcement. People will CONSTANTLY be submitting anyone who acts like they're promoting or demoting a stock as an IRP one way or the other. It's going to increase your workload IMO.

[EvilTweety]

Why charge them more? I'd much rather see those who do not disclose and are found out be banned forever. I know that's a bit tricky but losing your alias, membermarks and what not takes away a bit of the "legitimacy" they now have. I don't have a problem at all with folks who disclose. Perhaps you could put shakerzzz in charge of ferreting out those who don't, he seems to be pretty adamant about smacking them when he can. Just a thought :)

[janice shell]

Sounds very good to me, Matt.

[hopscotch]

Are you serious? How are you going to regulate that? How do you know who is compensated? 97% of the promo people on ihub don't disclose. How will you "find out" that they were compensated? "We'll encourage users to notify ME of those not in compliance -- links to disclosure/compensation will be needed, not just "I think.." or "I believe." -- all of which needs to be sent to Matt for review/research."

So people who are SEC compliant will be penalised and those who are not can run rampant as always. Sounds like you are covering your ass and making a profit on it as well Matthew.

[Zorax]

"IRPs will allowed to Moderate boards and are subject to the same duties and limitations as any other moderator when moderating stock-specific boards.."

~~~ Could this be an opening for board control abuse? If so, perhaps IRP's could only mod PREMIUM boards. As premium boards are more or less allowed complete control of content.
fwiw.

[asus]

I was brought up to date on 47 USC 230. Apparently that isn't a problem. It's probably a good idea anyway charging for commercial usage and readily disclosing it.

Instead of (IRP) how about "UCSNP" (Used car salesman now pumper)

[righty]

1-Why is it necessary to allow posts about the disclosure contents, if disclosure, is to be HIGHLIGHTED?

If the intent is to make the disclosure a no brainer for all to see then is that not enough?

Case in point, certain posters make an all to often habit of mentioning the promoter's disclaimer's contents, over and over and over again on certain stock boards, this does nothing for the signal to noise ratio and in fact clutters up boards.

I absolutely agree that IRP's should have an icon, a disclaimer area in their profile, and even allow links to their website. But to make it part of the on topic conversation, even when a promoter is not working for that company but a third party, is excessive, IF the promoter is disclosing.

I understand how when an investor discovers a stock is being promoted outside of ihub, that this information is of importance.

But it seems to me, to be nothing more than another reason for the "bashers" to hammer upon, rehashing the fact a certain poster is a paid promoter, when in the future IHUB model this information would be readily and easily accessed!

2-Undisclosed promoters. As far as I can see right now the only option IHUB has is to make every user answer the yes or no question mentioned earlier. Make that visible in their profile, and leave the rest up to the feds. Unless of course you can ascertain some way of determining who is and is not paid, I cannot see how this will happen.

[ronning999]

Matt,

Basically your plan is sound, proper disclosure is a MUST, however, in NO WAY should an IRP be allowed to be a Moderator or Asst Moderator on any board.

This situation has been the source of numerous problems on many boards with the blatent deletions of valid and factual posts that was not in the best interest of the IRP. It has also created a VERY biased board in most cases.

[TikiGal]

IMO!

I honestly wouldn't charge them more for it will sway them to not disclose.

Why not limit them to only one board that they are allowed to discuss their promotions on? Kinda of like a mall. Each pp has their own store where they can sell their goods at.

I also find the one stock boards are where all the abuse takes place. Why not limit how many posts a person is allowed to make on one stock boards?(I mean all posters not just exclusive to pp's) You do have instances where a person becomes stuck in a stock and will spew all kinds of crap inorder for the stock to run, so they can dump IMO! Anyone that spends months at a time posting daily on a pos penny stock board pretty much again IMO! has an agenda. Honestly I feel one stock boards are not only worthless in penny world, but is where most of your non-disclosing paid promoters are hanging out at. I can name several one stock boards where you have the same posters posting for over a year now speaking nothing but bs inorder to lure the sheep in. They are not open to anything but pro discussions on the stock. These posters should be banned IMO! for spam. Better yet why not do away with one stock boards entirely? It would lessen the work load of the mod squadders thus giving them more time to police the boards around here.

I do feel PP's should carry some type of icon in their siggy and perhaps make the icon a clickable one in which leads you to a definition of what a paid promoter is. It would give the newbie investor a edge on the game here.

[TraderDog]

Right on. Nice move, and very good idea. I'm sure you will get hit hard for a while by users claiming to know one of these IRP's.

Again great idea once you are able to pan through the BS. If I can help anyway I'm in.

[littlejohn]

'Promoter' should be in flashing red letters next to the poster ID in each post made...Be kinda like having a hot, status symbol...

How many nuts beside me take the time to ever check an ID to see if it has a disclaimer?...

And if there is a Noticable disclosure such as 'Promoter' in each post during the day then folks all have the same choice to slow down and do some checking or proceed full speed ahead...

Advertising costs are in all types of products...It should be easy for folks to decide if the 'Promoter' advertising costs are reasonable or not after reading their disclaimers...

A small amount of up to about 5% or so more than the average poster rate might seem fair...Other posters are trying to make money also from the promoter posts...

The disclosure on a much wider basis would seem to be the most beneficial point for all to benefit from any changes...LJ

[Zoom-Zoom-Away]

Matt, God bless you and this idea. IHUB will become much more successful because of it. It also would help me in my work in progress of promoting stocks in a much more equitable way for all involved, The Co"s, shareholders and what would be my startup promotional business. Currently the way things are, the Co"s and promoters are decimating the fish stocks by over fishing in factory ships and thereby destroying the ability of the lemmings to replenish themseves. LOL Another-words their gonna end up starving. Ya gotta feed the fish and letem breath/swim some.

[DUCKY]

I was kidding about me promoting GLOP. I have no shares in the company.

[Zoom-Zoom-Away]

Matt, the idea is great and so refreshing. It would go a long way in cleaning up to a good degree the many garbage piles a few decent Pink and OTCBB stocks find themselves being crowded out by. It"s like getting all the dope dealers out of the neighborhood etc... LOL-you could do for the Pinks/OTCBB what Mayor Guilliani did for NY. First things first, by by sqeegie guy-lol.

Also, because of the way my new Promotional business is going to be structured your idea will help push a lot of business my way. When investors and even other promoters find out how I"m structuring it...well, I"ll just say I won"t be suprised getting bribed to see what Co I"ll be promoting etc... next. The lines gonna be around the block, it woulda been anyway too.

[MistySteel]

Couple of questions, Matt:

Does this plan include a log for each IRP? More specifically, if he/she is no longer an IRP status, what happens to the profile? Obviously, the classification would modify but will it show a track record with details?

[rheddle]

Sounds like a great idea so that we know who is paid to post and who does it for fun. I would add that anybody that doesn't disclose and is subsequently found out to be promoting without disclosure, should be given the boot !

[fastlizzy]

Good start! You have booted some of the worst offenders...kudos for that! There's one I know of who likes to bash IHUB from another site....funny at best! It says alot about the quality of IHUB!

Trading stocks for a living is risky business to begin with and not for everyone. I find IHUB a great source of information and help once you've identified the good traders/boards, but I'm going to keep most of my opinions to myself from now on...it's so much less stressful that way! LOL

Maybe someday I'll join again, but not anytime soon. The threat of being jailed in the playpen is just too scary for me! LOL

Sounds like a good plan Matt.....I can't wait to see it come to fruition! What will the icon look like?

[cantgetmyname]

Disclosure is everything. As long as its out in the open I do not see any problem.

[JamaicaBaby]

Good idea.
It's a start.
But I think all anyone needs to know is, 'buyer beware' with respect to pinkies.

jmho

[JamaicaBaby]

<At any time that a user is classified as an IRP there will be a special icon designating that in their profiles and posts (alias colored?, any other ideas?). Maybe a golden triangle of some sort with an attached explanation. It will also link to a "My Disclosures" page where the user can input their affiliations and compensation details." That will include a place for them to make any legally required notices and disclaimers, and the presence of a disclaimer will be noted on their posts and profile>

Maybe a picture of a snake oil salesman/woman?

LOL, jk

But on the flipside, do the posters who advertise their own products subject to the same icon? For example, CD's on how to trade, etc?

[cosmoworld7]

Matt, how many of these IRPs do you think are currently on Ihub? Also, I guess this only takes into account those who disclose they are paid posters. What about IR people who work for the company and are obviously compensated, but they choose to post (ie: they are not compensated for posting itself, but rather their IR role).


Disclaimer: all my posts are my opinion

2,300,000

[rics1997]

Interesting replies. You sure can tell who was being paid from them. I think many made some good points in their replies. I think they should pay a commercial rate but I see many peoples point that it may discourge disclosure. But then too the worse offenders that lie on the message boards to trap people into these stock with lies will never disclose who they are and it probably will be nearly impossible to tell. I think the honest ones will be the ones that would disclose in the first place and the low lifes will still be low lifes.

[amrca]

what about stock "demoters" or should I dare call them bashers? and please dont tell me they dont exist...


"Elshorto, Elidioto... is in Eltroubolooooo (Adam Sandler from SNL)

[Scad]

Hey Matt. Question for you. First of all, I'm all for disclosure and I think it's great that you are offering posters an opportunity and a means to be in compliance with SEC rules and regs.

However, what if ...what if a poster is paid to post on XYZ stock and not paid to post on ABC stock. If you place the designation of IRP on the "PROFILE", it will appear that the poster is paid on all stocks he mentions because the "icon" will appear on all his posts. I'm quite sure there are times when IRP's mention and/or discuss companies they were not paid to post on.

How do you intend to distinquish the paid posts from the casual conversation posts?

Suggestion: At the bottom of the box where you enter the text for your post, next to "submit public post", "cancel post", and "preview"...maybe put another box "Paid Advertisement"?

That way, the poster can click the "Paid Advertisement" button and THAT will generate the icon being attached to the post. Then, you can set up the posts that are submitted as "Paid Advertisement" to link to disclosure pages...etc.

Just a thought...

Carla

[Moot]

Matt, would this IRP designation apply only to people who are otherwise independent of the company per se, or would it also apply to company officers, directors, etc.?

[fourkids_9pets]

matt

i love the idea.. i'm sure it will be tweaked over time ..
but to have an *icon* next to those promoters' names ..
is a great start ..

one of the few positives i've found on ihub ..
is the ability to *track* promoters whether they've disclosed
or not .. all one has to do is check out the boards and who
is modding .. quality stocks is a perfect example ..

i also think having everyone check off -- if they are
compensated <doesn't matter if it's an shill or a hedgie
troll> as long as they are compensated in some *format*
on a form <and i'd make it retroactive to every ihubber>
makes sense to me as well -- and it shouldn't matter if
one is a free acct or a paid sub .. no one posts without
checking off the yes or no ..

i came to ihub after almost 7 years on yahoo .. and
i've never found a sense of *community* here <as a matter
of fact after my first 9 months.. most of my fellow longs
began posting to an alternative venue> ... i will say one
thing i am grateful to ihub for .. is i had no idea how
rampant the shills and trolls were on stock msg blogs
until ihub .. on yahoo <due to their unlimited ignores>
i just put the most obnoxious <of either stripe> on ignore

in my time here on ihub
i've been accused of being a promoter <i'm not>

i've also been both ihub stalked and cyber stalked
via my email to my yahoo acct from *ihubbers* which
truly astonished me .. after all we are all adults making
decisions .. why in the world is my *investing* in a
fully complaint pink worthy of such vitriol ..

as a comparison .. in almost 7 years of posting on yahoo
i never had one *issue* ..

so if you want a sense of community to be reestablished
my suggestion would be to boot those who are less than
*civil* .. especially when *proof* has been forwarded on
to you .. and other admin ..

and since it does *appear* that multi id's are the norm

i'd make one other point .. i have one id .. and
it's essentially the same on other stock mgs blogs ..
and because i only have one id .. i actually care about
the *content* and *veracity* of my posts .. <as to the
format .. folks love it or hate -- folks who hate it
should put me on ignore .. if they are so easily offended>

i understand the tou and in one way it's quite clever
however to have zero consequences for those who consistently
lie .. <doesn't matter to me which side> especially if it's
a repeat *pattern* offender .. should also be reviewed

you have folks who *live* to deliberately create fud .. or
noise .. add no value to the *honest dialog* and just post
to harass .. and they tend to operate via tag team efforts

but -- they are also easily *tracked* .. are they any different
from those who *front load* .. and run the promotion ---
in one way no .. because i suspect both are *compensated*
but they have different end goals ..

like others have posted .. there is a difference between
investing and trading .. some of us are actually investors
it's not for everyone ... but it's why i and the other true
*investors* .. i've stumbled across <few for sure> on ihub
spend our time on just a few boards .. <another topic>

here's another thought .. so one poster or a group of posters
don't *take over* a board for whatever reasons .. if one is
a paying member limit every person to 15 posts per day --
that should get point across <obviously i'm talking stock msg
boards .. none of the premium ones>

if one is a free member .. limit that poster to just 5 posts
per day ..

but whatever decisions .. admin makes .. make them consistent
across the board

there are some very petty and vindictive folks here ..

which when i first came here to ihub .. i couldn't understand it

i sure do now ..

i hope you do something matt .. imo ihub will be *better* off
for it .. than it is now ..

good luck to you

---
4kids
all jmo








i very rarely ever check anyone's signature line
i normally check a born on date for a *dusted* off id

[MinnieM]

I'd find it much more useful if you simply gave us a liars button. Being able to membermark those I like is great, but, I'd like to be able to create a seperate list of those I feel are liars. It should be invisible to others in case I make a mistake, but, I'd love to have it.

The ignore feature isn't sufficient since I like being able to see what the liars are saying. I'd just like to have them flagged. ;)


My opinions are worthless to most since I don't know anything about your bank account or trading style. Your own entry and exit points will determine whether or not you made a good trade.
I'm in many I never mention, & discuss some I'm not in.

[joelegs]

This is one of the most well thought, beneficial, forward thinking posts that I have read on this board. Would greatly
enhance the value of the info on this site.
Good luck and congrats!

[magicatlast]

Matt, what about a legitimate IR person who only posts official PRs from the company? I do not think they should be included in any increased rates, especially when they have fully disclosed their real identity. I will provide specific info if you want. It is NOT me.

Magic

[itlogic]

Matt, I hope your going to read all of these replies to your suggestion. I'm not sure how you would prove who is or isn't a paid anything.

But, in the meantime, you could make it like a software licence to use iHub. You could have a private home license that would be the same as it is now. Then you could have a more expensive commercial license which would cover people who post here as a business, aka paid pumpers or IRP's.

Obviously, that would be based on the honor system and I doubt many would be honest about it. But, it would at least start some sort of infastructure for disclosure and accountability.

Instead of pirated software, they would be pirated posters. Once that is in place, then you could start nailing down some means to prove and catch those who are paid to play and don't disclose it and they could be held in violation of licensing.

[Rocky959]

I think that's great. Let me know what you need from me.

Rocky

[Wayne R]

It is a very complex question. I just stumbled on this post.

Suppose you have a IRP getting compensated, oh, lets say, $5000 to post about WXYZ.

Now, on WXYZ there is also a guy that bought $20,000 worth of stock.

The guy that bought the large position has a larger financial interest in posting away than the IRP in this case.

What if the IRP and the investor are the same person and the company offered him $5K to continue posting away since the guy calls the company 3-4 times a day.

I agree about the disclosure; it should be mentioned. But how do you decide who to charge extra to?

In the above situation, I'd probably take the $5K, since I was posting it anyway. But no CEO in his right mind would ever offer it since my first question to a CEO is usually "How do you plan to screw over investors?" <click>

They usually hang up at that point. I could never figure out why.....

[Jeff.Mitchell]

Three simple rules:

1. Label all paid promoters with a red "Paid Promoter" tag that is clickable for a definition of what this means.

2. No need to charge extra for such a membership, but-- no signatures that can be considered advertising unless they pay extra for an ad and thus members at a particular level are able to filter them out as they do now.

3. While disclosures are welcome and perhaps even required by law in many cases, they must be written in such a way as to not constitute free advertising. If they do rise to the level of advertising, iHub must be compensated accordingly.

Any paid promoter not abiding by these rules will be documented on a paid promoter outing thread and their personal information sent to the SEC. The implied threat here is that if you don't play fair on iHub, your reputation may be so tarnished that you may never get another such job again.

It should be common sense that anyone paid to promote an agenda should not be a moderator of a message board dedicated to free and unfettered discussions.

- Jeff

[crazy horse 0]

Does this pertain to posters

who are paid to Bash Stocks as well? So Pumpers and Bashers who are paid must notify you?

"Our initial plan includes charging a significantly higher rate for users who are compensated to post or otherwise promote specific stocks."

I'm going to open up for discussion the topic of Compensated Users posting on iHub.

My primary goal is to clean up iHub to where it is made clear who is compensated to post and who is not and bring back a friendly atmosphere.

Our initial plan includes charging a significantly higher rate for users who are compensated to post or otherwise promote specific stocks.

I've picked the name Investor Relations Professional (IRP) as what we're going to refer to this type of user as. Feel free to suggest others.

How it will work:

At any time that a user is classified as an IRP there will be a special icon designating that in their profiles and posts (alias colored?, any other ideas?). Maybe a golden triangle of some sort with an attached explanation. It will also link to a "My Disclosures" page where the user can input their affiliations and compensation details." That will include a place for them to make any legally required notices and disclaimers, and the presence of a disclaimer will be noted on their posts and profile.

We are not out to demonize IRPs. We consider this to be a win-win situation for both IRPs and readers. This is more about disclosure - letting them "advertise" their professional bona fides while at the same time letting readers be aware they are compensated.

Anybody that we know or find out is compensated to post on iHub will be reaquired to become an IRP on iHub; if caught not disclosing/elevating status during promotion, strong Administrative action will be taken against them. I promise it won't be good for business. :)

We'll encourage users to notify ME of those not in compliance -- links to disclosure/compensation will be needed, not just "I think.." or "I believe." -- all of which needs to be sent to Matt for review/research.

No special TOU for IRPs; all posts must comply with normal TOU. Their compensation as it relates directly to the company is on topic. They still can not be attacked personally.

IRPs will allowed to Moderate boards and are subject to the same duties and limitations as any other moderator when moderating stock-specific boards..

Display a list of IRPs, with information on what it means. We will advise that we cannot guarantee accuracy or that everybody on the site is disclosing, etc.

Biggest potential issue is forcing people into not disclosing – fine, they can be deal with the SEC/Feds.

Keep in mind, this is a start. I'm opening this for discussion with you guys because we recognize there is a problem. I don't know where all of this may lead to, but I think it's a nice way to start tackling some of the issues.

Comments welcome. :)

[Degreed]

Great job I hope it is implemented well IHUB needs this.

[hopscotch]

One legal glitch you might have overlooked. By giving the red letter IRP to those who you think promote, or know do, you are also implying that every stock they post on has paid them. There are plenty of promoters here who also daytrade on the side. You are going to have to ascertain which are paid and which are daytrades if you want to pull off what you are suggesting, and you have neither the time nor the resources.

[Snackman]

Matt,

I support you 100%.

I think there should also be a distinction for posters that are on the payroll of a company that is out do damage to a rival company.

In other words, a software company that is bashing a hardware company that has the same functions but the software company knows that eventually the hardware company will win out against the software company. But, meanwhile the paid software employees bash the hardware company, trying to force them out of business or seriously damage their share price.

[BRIG_88]

about time Matt and a good idea....of course you have some people on here that aren't going to be very happy about it since they don't disclose as it is now.....BRIG

[The Paper Chaser]

I think that designating IRP's is good for business and a great start to an issue that needs to be addressed. Rebel and legal have a great site and disclose as does Shakerz, Midwestconsulting, and many more including myself.I have spent much time and $$ to make awareness legitimate as far as I have a business certificate stating I'm an LLC, an office, a bank account in the business name, I have legal counsel, an accountant, and have a disclosure on my siggy that links to my web site which I put out what i've been compensated, when and by whom.I leave them up for a calendar year which is longer than needed.I know for a fact that there are MANY people on Ihub that DO NOT DISCLOSE. That is really where the problem lies.(No pun intended)Also you have paid "Bashers" to contend with(although harder to prove they were paid).Setting the parameters for an IRP will be the big issue. Just wanted to speak my peace! I have to say , you have your hands full with this but headed in the right direction!

[MWM]

I just wanted to say I like your idea for the IRP's very much, good luck!

[2future4u]

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