This is a cut & paste. I find it interesting as well:

Lesson 1: Remember, Bashers NEVER Bash A BAD STOCK

The Basher's Handbook
Reprinted here as a service to those who doubt that this actually existed, or that it was simply an unfounded urban legend.


Is the "Bashing" of a stock an essential part of the online investment landscape?

We are guaranteed free speech and we have always valued the lessons gleaned from dissent. When does dissent cross over that imaginary line and become "Bashing"?
At times, we can find well grounded dissent labeled as bashing by over zealous investors bent on protecting a stocks reputation at any cost.
The "Bashing" that is addressed here is quite different from legitimate dissent. The Anatomy of a Basher strives to look at the
calculated erosion of confidence in a given stock. .Erosion by means that are, in every sense, void of truth, hinged on deception and innuendo, and motivated by greed at the expense of others. This text is offered to aid in identifying the telltale signs of "Bashing", and hopefully provide a counter-balance to this heretofore-unchecked manipulation of investor’s fears for the basher’s personal gain.

Question:
IS IT EASIER TO SCARE PEOPLE INTO SELLING than
IT IS TO SCARE PEOPLE INTO BUYING A STOCK? I have asked some knowledgeable investors this question and
the answer is always: "YES, of course, YES!"


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WHO Do the BASHERS PREY UPON ?

Consider the elderly that are investing for retirement, they find their way to the message boards for validation only to see false posts about "SEC Violations" and "Class action suits"... or the head of a "typical growing family", with children to put through college, who is monitoring a message board only to read posts by a "pack of 15 to 20 Bashers" (probably 5 or 6 under various alias's) posting continuous disinformation... what do you think these new investors will do? It's safer to not buy or even sell the stock, put the money back in the bank than to deal with all this whirlwind of "unsupported" negative chaff.

The Internet has lured a whole new class of investor into the market.
A new investor is just that - New!
This new investor, while learning the basics, is particularly vulnerable to the tactics of professional Bashers.
New investors tend to lurk in the background of message boards, content to form independent opinions based on what they read with their own eyes.
Very often, honest, intelligent and cautious people can easily be overcome by a well-orchestrated propaganda effort.

You must always remember that there is a “lot of money” to be made in just the motion of a stock UP or DOWN. It doesn't matter! And Bashers have money at risk just as you do. But they have the edge of fear, lies, and falsehoods to post while preying on the un-initiated.
The average investor does not have the edge of organized deception.

Recent revelations have indicated that even Market Makers (those charged with keeping the playing field level) have been involved in stock manipulation by Bashing on a stock message board. HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THIS IS A REAL THREAT!