I have to admit that the title is provocative. I do think that going to SV can be a waste of time/money in certain situations, but hopefully those tips can help :)
Ironically, that title is more likely to turn away the very people the article is aimed at, i.e. if I was preparing such a trip I would not waste my time with people who are going to tell me not to.
Oh yeah, these are definitely a great bunch of tips :)