Dominic Jones'  Instablog

I asked Seeking Alpha contributors what advice they have for corporate executives and IROs who want to join the site. Here are a few replies I received:

"Just focus on adding value via education or a unique perspective backed by rational thought, then start writing and writing and writing. Practice helps."

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"Here's a don't:

Don't write about how great your own company is, even if you believe it. The last thing SeekingAlpha readers want is a press release or corporate webcast that masquerades as a SA blog post. It is fashionable to use social networks work on the corporate image but SA readers will figure out quickly when they deal with corporate IR propaganda. Besides, with Reg FD there is not a whole lot of insight that a CEO/CFO/IR person can give about their own company that is not in filings.

However, I believe that a high level executive can add value if they discuss general industry trends from their perspective. Changes in consumer preferences, where technology is going, anti-trust issues facing your industry etc. Again, if all they have to say is just a glowing sales pitch then you should probably use paid content newsletters or IR spammers rather than SA."

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"They should write an article on a topic and submit it to the editors and see if it is accepted. Do not use the article to push the stock, but do use any article as a means to inform. Do provide new information or comment. Don't put down competitors."

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Got advice of your own? Let us know in the comments or message me.

Some companies are taping their earnings call prepared remarks in advance and then playing the recordings on the live calls without telling investors that the remarks have been prerecorded.

One company's IRO openly admits to taking steps to ensure that analysts and others don't find out that her executives aren't actually reading the remarks live on the call. They include using operators on the recording and the live call who have similar voices, and changing wording that might tip off investors to the fact the remarks have been taped the night before.

I've been debating the issue with other IR professionals, but I wonder what investors think.

Should companies tell investors that the prepared remarks they're hearing were recorded before the call?

What do you think about companies that actively try to hide the fact that they taped the remarks before hand?  

I've started a series of posts for investor relations professionals and company executives that is exploring how they can become successful contributors to the Seeking Alpha community. My overriding objective is to ensure that IROs and company executives have a realistic understanding of what is required for them to add value to the site.

It's clear from the input I've already received from SA regulars that companies that join simply to push out news releases and promotional materials are going to fall flat on their faces, and potentially alienate people here.

I've also received some excellent suggestions from SA regulars on the types of content they'd like to see from companies, but I can always use more input from the SA community.

The first post is an overview of SA and its audience (I'll update this list as new posts are posted):

1. For Investor Relations, Seeking Alpha may be the ideal social network
http://www.irwebreport.com/daily/2009/11/24/for-investor-relations-seeking-alpha-may-be-the-ideal-social-network/

2. How to Get Started on Seeking Alpha
http://www.irwebreport.com/daily/2009/12/01/how-to-get-started-on-seeking-alpha/

3. Why Regulation FD shouldn’t keep you from Seeking Alpha
www.irwebreport.com/daily/2009/12/08/reg.../