Excellent advice and very nicely worded!! Many times people rely too much on what is written on message boards, when what they should be doing is their own research.
Message boards are fine, and do have a useful purpose, but nobody should be lured in to a false sense of security based on what they read on a message board. There are most definitely people out there that use public forums to "try" and fool people. Messages read here, or on any public forum should be looked at as only being that person's opinion or point of view.
They could be right on with what they are saying, or they could also be totally mistaken. There are things people can do to help discover if someone is being honest with what they are saying. Like for instance, if someone says something about you and then blocks you so that you can't respond, that should be a sign as to that persons weak character. Another is inconsistency. If messages are all over the map as far as sentiment goes that is something that should be closely looked in to.
I guess the best rule of thumb is to just use message board services as one small part of a person's DD. And it should probably be the smallest part when making decisions that involve the spending of hard earned money. Always verify information you read about, don't just assume what you read on a public forum is completely accurate. Check it out on your own.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
