Recruiting Volunteers for a Foolish Field Trip
February 02, 2012
– Comments (34) |
RELATED TICKERS: HL
, PPP
I need (at least) 15-20 of our finest precious metal enthusiasts from this community to join me in a very special field trip. Don't worry, you won't have to move your back sides from where they presently sit. :)
The Motley Fool is a phenomenal online community of investors, but in reality it is a segmented one. Nowhere is that physical separation more glaring to me than in the divide between this CAPS community and the Foolish discussion boards -- and because my/our particular interest is focused on the metals -- my attention is drawn to the specific divide between the CAPS blogs and the Mining and Metals discussion group.
If the world's experience with the Berlin Wall offers any context, walls are not dismantled bit by bit, but rather demolished by an unstoppable movement for reform. I want us to tear the wall down that separates these senselessly isolated communities, and I need your help tomorrow, Friday, February 3 to make it happen. I think we will ALL become better investors for it, and we can only stand to enhance our collective enjoyment of this site overall.
This is a highly sensitive and diplomatic mission. Theirs is a proud segment of this online community, laying claim to a much longer history than the comparitively young CAPS community. For that reason, and others, we will go to them rather than trying to coax them here. After tomorrow, we'll see what results. We may find that we enjoy making periodic field trips like it, or we may find that connections will be made that help to bridge the gaps between the 2 communities in more seamless ways. Whatever the case may be, please understand this ia not an attempt to convince Fools there to give up what they know and come here, and nor are we likely to cease making the CAPS blogs our primary home in thie site. It is solely about breaking down barriers and reminding ourselves that we can have ties to other segments if this community that enrich our understanding of the sector and make us better investors.
And I sense that in some cases there is a history there of unpleasant experiences they may have had outside the discussion groups over the years. I also sense there may be some potentially bruised egos to contend with amongst those who presently enjoy the status quo. So above all, this is a mission requiring the utmost kindness, polity, and respect as we go in search of discovering a bond that links us together through our shared interest in this sector. I know it can be done.
I am going to post a new "thread" within the Metals and Mining Discussion Group tomorrow, with the heading: "A Foolish Delegation of fellow mining investors". I need for at least 15-20 of you to commit to stopping by this discussion thread during the day tomrrow, preferrably beginning early in the day to get things started with some momentum, and ideally checking back on multiple occasions to stay involved with the resulting dialogue.
I propose that each of us/you begin with an introductory post saying hello to the group, highlighting your own investment focus, favorite stocks, etc, and expressing an interest in learning similar things about them. I think some folks over there may have me on "ignore", a feature they do have over there. So with that in mind, please also don't hesitate to start your own thread of you discover a particular item of shared interest with a member of the group.
You're on a friend-finding mission. We share a common bond, and the idea is to make that as clear as it can be. We're not waltzing in to show off all that we know, even though we have a right to feel very proud of the collective expertise we have developed here. To the contrary, we are going in as equals, making it clear how much we stand to gain from each other ... mutually.
So what do you say? Can I count on your HLPPP? (Like my use of tickers here?) :) If you're willing to commit to this diplomatic field trip, please say "I". And, in advance, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to take the greatest financial community on the web, and making it even better!
