A lesson for rampers? Yes, we had that on the boards this week, together with some share analysis and all sorts of varied thoughts.
How to ramp properly
Our community of private investors is pretty much immune to attempts by ne'er-do-wells to pump up their favourite shares -- you know, the "This one's about to fly, fill yer boots" types. But could it be that the rampers are just losing their touch? On the Oil & Gas - Companies board, WShak offered them a few tips...
"I've been very disappointed with the quality of ramping across bulletin boards generally and feel that people have been getting rather lazy. Whilst a single line of mischief can be quite effective if circulated on every website known to man (well done, Pro!), I can't help but feel that the long-term future of this niche business model will suffer if using easily replicated techniques. We at TMF pride ourselves on higher standards so I provide to you a step-by-step connoisseur's guide to ramping O&G."
We're not going to give it away here, so you'll have to join the crowd in the know to get the details.
Thoughts of an investor
We all entertain whole headfuls of thoughts as we go about our daily lives, though we rarely write them down. But it can be quite enlightening if we do, as TaurusTheBull found at Paulypilot's Pub - Other Stuff...
"As someone who doesn't keep a diary, I thought it might be a good idea to textualise (?) some of todays's thought processes. Here's a brief summary, in no particular order:-"
Naturally, we're not going to copy them all here, so you'll have to read the list yourself. But here's just one as a taster...
"7. It seems to me that the Western World has taken on too much debt over the past 40 years, will never re-pay it (as is already being shown by Greek writedowns), and that its citizens, by and large, don't know the meaning of "austerity". That word, like "poverty", is very subjective. Can you imagine having a clothes ration card (1946)?
"Try telling that to the Facebook generation, and they won't believe you! They won't!!"
More competition entries
The write-ups for the 2012 share competition on the Paulypilot's Pub - Share Ideas board are still coming in, and one of the most recommended ones this week came from jseth123...
"My pick for NFSC 2012 is Ithaca Energy. I believe the next 12 months will see Ithaca undergo a fairly radical transformation as key milestones are achieved in developing its key assets – Athena, and the Greater Stellar Area. I have been a shareholder in Ithaca since September 2010.
Ithaca Energy is a North Sea oil exploration and production company. The company is currently producing approximately 5,100boepd (12th Jan). At 31st December 2011, it had a cash balance of over $100m and undrawn debt facility of $180m."
There's some great analysis, covering the company in some detail. And even if you're not interested in investing in this one, it still helps show us how we should be weighing up our investment ideas.
The generosity of Fools
We have a very generous Community here at TMF, as illustrated by TheCurryMonster's kind offer to give away a very expensive book on the Recipes & Cooking board recently...
"Anybody here fancy a copy of Heston's Big Fat Duck Cookbook (hardback) for free? I have a copy that I will give to somebody who wants it free of charge. I'll even pay the postage. This stunning book originally retailed for £150 and is available today for £85 on Amazon."
There were some rules that had to be satisfied, and this week the result was known...
"Well the deadline I gave was midnight on Sunday and that has now passed. Based on recs alone there would obviously be one clear winner, however, this would require some 'flexibility' based on my original rules that I made up."
Who won? You'll have to read it to find out.
Another 10-year Fool
Community members like to tell us when they reach various anniversaries, and we like to hear of them. On the Your Tomorrow Starts Today board, it was the turn of TheMinx to tell she's been here for 10 years...
"I can't quite believe how much my life has changed in the last decade, mostly in ways I never dreamed it would, and my fellow Fools have been a wonderful source of help, information, advice and comfort.
Fool on everyone and I hope we'll all still be chatting here in 2022."
We hope so, too! Thanks for all your contributions over the years.
Last week's roundup: The Value Of Management
