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Before reading this blog, I suggest viewing the top and newest reactions for On Track Innovations (OTIV) on the Yahoo Finance Message Board (https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/OTIV/community?p=OTIV)
And Yahoo's Terms of Service (https://policies.yahoo.com/us/en/yahoo/terms/utos/index.htm)
For over 7 years, the Yahoo Finance Message Board for On Track Innovations has been filled with vulgarity, obscenity, p*rnography, personal attacks, gay bashing, anti antisemitism etc. In my opinion, these attacks are from one deranged individual with multiple aliases that change on a moment's notice. Sadly, the people at Yahoo don't seem to care, as they have let this continue day after day, year after year.
In the past, I have written twice to Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo, complaining about the abuse. Unfortunately, she did not reply. In fact, "Don't respond" seems to be the attitude of everyone who I have tried to contact at Yahoo. Frustrated, and looking for ways to contact Yahoo, I filled out an "on line" form requesting a Yahoo Sales Representative contact me about purchasing advertising on Yahoo Finance. I did get a phone call from Yahoo Sales Representative Christopher Erving, and immediately pointed out the abuse on the OTIV Message Board. He was appalled, and in my last communication from Mr. Erving, I was told I would be contacted by the Yahoo Abuse Team to help with this problem. This conversation occurred in March 2016, and I'm still waiting for the call.
I have further tried to make Yahoo aware of this problem through social media. I have contacted Yahoo Care on Twitter and Facebook, posting the exact vulgarity and p*rnographic material that Yahoo allows to be posted on it's YFinance Message Boards. Ironically, Yahoo Care has blocked me from contacting them further on both Facebook and Twitter.
The editor in chief of Yahoo Finance is Andy Serwer, who previously held a similar post at Fortune Magazine. I've also notified Andy on Twitter (@serwer) of the out of control abuse, and have received the typical yahoo "no response". I also posted the same p*rnographic photos found on the OTIV Yahoo Fiance Message Board on Andy Serwer's Facebook Page. He removed my Facebook postings and has blocked me from further contact on Facebook Andy doesn't want his Facebook friends to see the Vulgarity that he as editor in chief of Yahoo Finance approves on the message board.
To his credit, Yahoo reporter Rick Newman (@rickjnewman on Twitter) did contact me and said he would get the problem in front of the right person at Yahoo, referring my tweet to Yahoo Finance Product Manager Charlie Harel (@charliehartel on Twitter). As the abuse continues day after day, in my opinion Mr. Hartel has done nothing to solve the problem.
I even "cried for help" on Yahoo finance reporter JP Mangalindan's Facebook page, only to be blocked by Mr. Mangalindan. Mr. Mangalindan has also blocked me on Twitter. It seems there is a "Catch 22" here. Yahoo has an abuse policy, they condone abuse, and they don't want to hear about it.
Read the Yahoo terms of service. It talks of multiple aliases. Many of the aliases are too obscene to identify here. In fact, some of the aliases have my personal photograph and the personal photograph of others in their avatar. These photographs were stolen from our social media accounts. Yet when Yahoo is notified of abuse through the proper message board channels, they do absolutely nothing.
The Yahoo Finance OTIV Message Board is also ridden with Antisemitic comments. Postings like "Jew Scam" and gif photographs depicting Hitler and/or Nazi Germany are abundant on this message board. Yahoo Finance condone's this.
Personal attacks are also talked about in the Yahoo terms of service. Myself and others are fair game to "hom*ophobic" comments almost on a daily basis. The idea where investors can come together and have a meaningful discussion about a public company just doesn't exist on the YFinance OTIV Message Board.
The simplest solution would be to shut down the YFinance OTIV Message Board. I have suggested this to Yahoo in previously ignored communications. Yahoo could also block this poster and his multiple aliases from further postings.
Yahoo is now owned by Verizon(VZ). I'm sure until today Verizon management is totally unaware of the abuse on YFinance Message Boards. What would happen to Yahoo's advertising revenue if advertisers like Fidelity (FFIDX) or Etrade (ETFC) stopped spending their advertising dollars in protect to a message board that supports Vulgarity, p*rnograph, Antisemitism and Personal Attacks? This is a serious problem, and because of it, Yahoo Finance is the joke of the message board industry.
Stocktwits provides a meaningful alternative to the Yahoo Finance Message Boards, and it's abuse team responds and quickly investigates all reported abuse. Seeking Alpha is also quick to respond when this individual appears on it's website. Yahoo, you could learn from these two conduits of financial news and messages. FIX THE OTIV MESSAGE BOARD, OR GET OUT OF THE MESSAGE BOARD BUSINESS.
Analyst's Disclosure: I am/we are long OTIV.
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