It works like this, junior mining executive:
When the market participant reads a NR from your company that interests (and that was the plan you had, right?) she or he will often go over to your website to check out the data for the first time. We, the prospective share buyers and sponsors of your enterprise, want to know what the company structure is like, the basic details and whether the project you’re working on represents value compared to the size of the company working it.
So, why don’t you offer information in a simple, easy and transparent manner?
Yes, you’ll always show us your share price. And often we get a price chart showing the price performance. But share price is subordinate to the real number, that’s market capitalization and to get that, we want the share count. By my personal reckoning, 50% of the junior mining websites I visit don’t give that number out on their “investors” page. Another 25% will have it somewhere, but out of date and I need to go looking on the latest Reg Fs (and then if still interested, check recent NRs for any recent placements, equity raisings or awards of options/warrants/RSUs etc) for the current number. A few of you, a very few, will have a nice clear “shares out” number waiting for me with a date beside it that shows it is up to date and correct. Those are the people I like, the ones who have nothing to hide and are as transparent as possible.
As for the rest of you, the ones who make it difficult to do the most basic of DD, you’re not just putting us off at the precise moment you should be helping us get interested in your company, you are making us actively suspicious about your motives. If you have something to hide, go ahead and hide it from us, but don’t be surprised when I come away from your website after a couple of minutes thinking, “Hah, they have something to hide!” Life is too short for another BS junior in my life.
This is the 21st century, ladies and gentlemen executives of junior mining companies. If you are not user-friendly, you are going the way of the dinosaurs. End of rant.
UPDATE: An analyst friend sends a missive to IKN Nerve Centre: “I like your rant, but I’d add to it: Contact Info. If you don’t have a phone number with country code, just f___ right off“.
UPDATE 2: Another analyst friend: “I agree 100%, it’s like going to a grocery store but there are no prices on the goods. Likewise,
linking back to the website front page for detail in an NR, instead of linking directly to the detail. Most of the time I
can’t find the relevant maps etc. or have to try and guess where they
might be, if at all. I mean, how hard is it to put up share structure and link directly to what I am looking for?“