02-21-2014, 06:03 PM
I generally agree with you, DW. A while back I started a separate thread about a stock that already had a thread, and a couple of people didn't like it, saying that it was confusing, so I consolidated them. At that time, though, the forum was a bit younger and less active. When there were just a few of us posting, it maybe was silly to have several PM threads.
But as things get more active (yay!), my feeling is that new threads are appropriate. When a company issues a new earnings report or a dividend raise, or when someone has a question about a company, I don't think they should feel expected to search around for the "official" thread for that company and post at the end. A new topic with a descriptive title is the better way to go.
At the same time, I also don't mind when a thread evolves away from its original topic. It is natural, I think, and just reflects the same way an in-person conversation might evolve. If it is a really juicy topic, I think it makes sense for someone to start a new thread and point folks to the new discussion (I've seen you do this nicely at least a couple of times), but I personally wouldn't be a stickler about it.
My instinct is not to impose any specific rules at this point, but to encourage people not to be shy about starting new threads as they see fit (and not feeling obligated to stay in an "official" thread for a company). If after some more time, the threads really start to get unwieldy, we can always revisit the question. But if folks want a more stringent approach, I'm all ears.
What do others think?
But as things get more active (yay!), my feeling is that new threads are appropriate. When a company issues a new earnings report or a dividend raise, or when someone has a question about a company, I don't think they should feel expected to search around for the "official" thread for that company and post at the end. A new topic with a descriptive title is the better way to go.
At the same time, I also don't mind when a thread evolves away from its original topic. It is natural, I think, and just reflects the same way an in-person conversation might evolve. If it is a really juicy topic, I think it makes sense for someone to start a new thread and point folks to the new discussion (I've seen you do this nicely at least a couple of times), but I personally wouldn't be a stickler about it.
My instinct is not to impose any specific rules at this point, but to encourage people not to be shy about starting new threads as they see fit (and not feeling obligated to stay in an "official" thread for a company). If after some more time, the threads really start to get unwieldy, we can always revisit the question. But if folks want a more stringent approach, I'm all ears.
What do others think?