I would be interested in joining a small group to pool some money for two reasons. One it actually motivates me to do real research and two I think face to face interaction avoids alot of the extremist viewpoints that anonymity affords.
Which brokerages allow you to short stocks? I use TD Ameritrade(formerly waterhouse). Shorting with them is not easy. Either you already have to be long, or you have to call into their trading desk and ask if the brokerage has shares you can short. This makes shorting very hard because on a day to day basis you can’t tell what will be available, and its a bit counter-intuitive. If the stock were going to decline, or a large group of people thought it would, why would the brokerage buy shares and then lend them to you to short?