This blog has seen a lot of new readers lately, so I want to go over the basics for those who are new.

First, I want to thank the 99% of readers who make writing this blog a pleasure. Sure there will always be a few who are lazy or mean-spirited, but most of you have engaged in vigorous debate, brought good ideas to the table, and in the process made me a better investor. For that I thank you.

Second, for those who are new to the blog, I need to go over the ground rules again:

• In the bottom of each message, I put a link to my disclaimer.  Please read it.  Its important.  I’m not a Wall St. pro and I’m not your adviser.  I don’t recommend that you buy or sell anything.  I just want to get a dialog going, not give advice to anyone.  And I’ve had my share of misses, so keep that in mind.
• I’ll always post my position in stocks mentioned at the time of posting at the bottom of each post, but I don’t update. You probably won’t know if my position changes until I next post about the stock.
• To give you a sense of my holding period, as of today the positions in my microcap portfolio are between one week and over a year old.  I don’t look to scalp or daytrade these stocks.
• This blog is a sideline that I try to squeeze in between my professional career (totally unrelated to what I write about here), my active trading which I treat as a second career, and my family.  So if I go a while without posting or take longer than expected to respond to email, please have patience.  If I forget entirely to respond, please resend.  I value your feedback but sometimes I get more email than I can process and a few slip through the cracks.
• Got a great idea?  Send it my way, but please also let me know your position and the particular aspects of the story you find compelling.   I do not take requests from IR personnel or anyone else paid to promote a stock.
• Reasoned debate is encouraged in the comments or in a personal email, whether you agree with me or not. I’ve learned plenty from readers with diverse viewpoints and will try to be open-minded.

Thanks again,
MS

ps – I don’t have any relationship with — and don’t recommend — either the service sold on MicroCapSpeculator.com or its companion blog on blogspot.

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