How to Contribute
Before emailing us your blog post contributor submission, please consider the following:
Make Your Posts Informative
When contributing to discussions, it’s important to make your posts as informative and clear as possible. Before asking a question or sharing an opinion about a company, take a few moments to do some basic research. If you’re talking about a specific company, be sure to include both the company name and its stock ticker symbol. This helps ensure that others can easily understand your post without needing to search for more information themselves.
Sharing relevant information, such as a company’s products, services, or recent developments, is highly valued. For example, if you work in an industry and have insights into a company’s products, like networking equipment, your firsthand experience can provide a valuable perspective. Including numerical data, like earnings reports or balance sheet figures, further enhances the quality of the conversation and invites more thoughtful responses from others.
Posts that lack substance, rely solely on hype, or attack other users aren’t well-received. For instance, a post like “XXL, this stock is HOTTT! Buy before Monday! It’s going to double in 6 months!!” offers no meaningful data, and its excessive excitement will likely deter other users from engaging. Remember, you don’t have to write an essay, but making sure your post provides value will make it worthwhile for everyone involved.
Agree to Disagree (With Civility)
How to Win the Stock Market Game aims to create an enjoyable and resourceful environment for discussing investing. It’s natural for people to have differing opinions, especially when it comes to stocks, but disagreements should always remain respectful. It’s completely fine to challenge someone’s opinion on a stock, but it’s never acceptable to attack the individual who holds that opinion. In online communities, this type of personal attack is often referred to as “flaming,” and it’s something we do not tolerate here.
We encourage lively discussions, including opposing viewpoints, as long as they stay constructive. Remember, investment outcomes often speak for themselves over time, and it’s important to allow space for differing perspectives. The ultimate goal is to foster an environment where investors can access quality information and share informed opinions without the conversation devolving into negativity.
Type Like a Newspaper Editor
Take a moment to format your posts properly. This means using capital letters where they belong and avoiding ALL CAPS, which can feel like shouting. Similarly, avoid writing in all lowercase, which gives the impression of carelessness. Well-formatted posts are easier to read and help you come across as thoughtful and serious about your contributions.
Don’t Send Questions via Email
For legal and ethical reasons, How to Win the Stock Market Game advisors, analysts, and editors cannot respond to personal finance or investment questions via email.
You’re in Public (AKA the “Keep Pants Up” Rule)
Be aware that anything you post on our message boards can be excerpted by How to Win the Stock Market Game. While your email conversations remain private, your posts may be used or referenced elsewhere within How to Win the Stock Market Game’s platform.
Copyright Violations
It’s against both our rules and U.S. law to post content from copyrighted sources without permission. This includes articles, research, or any other materials that belong to someone else. While summarizing an article or quoting a few lines is acceptable, copying entire pieces is not. Posts that violate copyright laws will be removed, and repeat offenders risk having their accounts terminated.
No Advertising or Solicitation
Advertising or soliciting business on our message boards is strictly prohibited without permission. This includes promoting your own business, requesting to be emailed, or sharing commercial websites.
No Touting, Hyping, or Other Disruptions
Posts that promote a stock unrelated to the discussion or intentionally disrupting conversations is not allowed. We want to maintain useful, on-topic discussions, and off-topic promotional posts undermine the quality of the conversation.
No Spamming
Repeating the same message across multiple posts within a short time frame is considered spamming and goes against our rules. Spamming makes it difficult to have meaningful discussions.
No Posting of Stock Quotes
Repeatedly posting stock quotes is not allowed. These take away from meaningful conversations about a company’s fundamentals.
By following these guidelines, you help create a valuable and enjoyable experience for everyone on the How to Win the Stock Market Game platform. Let’s keep the discussions insightful, respectful, and productive!