How about starting with /Fontase on twitter.
Small cryptocoins are routinely manipulated. There's no denying that. Just spend a little time on trollbox, which is the epicenter.

+1 the buy and hold strategy. Buy the major drops (i/e 10% or more) and then hold for as long as you dare.

Especially with the smaller currencies, where there may only be 100's of BTC in buy orders, a single miner with a stash can really drive prices down or put a quick end to a rally.   There are also groups of traders who will (individually or together) over time accumulate a large position in a minor currency, then announce a plan to "pump" the currency at a specific time a few days in advance.  This may generate interest in the currency, and while people are accumulating coin ahead of the pump, they will slowly liquidate their position.   There are various strategies on this and ways to play it.

You really need to be careful, because cryptocoins are not like stock or mainstream currency. It's the wild west right now and they are routinely manipulated by miners and traders.