We need to talk. Over the last day there has been a high...

We need to talk. Over the last day there has been a high incidence of posts that may possibly be seen as defamatory. Firstly you should understand that ALL companies now have a legal obligation to monitor discussion about their stocks on social media and in this case it was the company that has made reports about posts on this forum.

I should remind everyone that posters can and have been successfully sued by other companies in the past. It is a tragedy when someone has lost their life's savings on a stock and then has vented on a forum only to be sued for their trouble. Furthermore HC can also be implicated as the publisher of your posts. In the past this has meant HC has had to pay for costly legal services as these matters are dealt with. As a result HC now has ZERO (none, zilch and zip) tolerance for posts that have the slightest hint of possible defamation and thus suspension from HC will ultimately result from such posting.

This is not to say that you cannot express your concerns. You should, however, keep emotion out of your post. You should not attach accusations of wrong doing or incompetence or anything that may diminish the reputation of a company representative. You may, however, state facts that have you concerned in an unemotional way.

eg

"The company has done x. This means they are either incompetent or a pack of liars" would be totally unacceptable posting practice.

however

"The company has done x and I have concerns as to whether this will ultimately enhance shareholder value" would be acceptable criticism.

Possibly defamatory posts have become such a hot issue that HC has gone to the trouble of creating a defamation guideline to assist you in understanding what is acceptable and what is not. You can go to the bottom of the page to find the link. I recommend you have a read if you are at all in doubt.

many thanks
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