View Poll Results: Should the Stocks section of the forums be made private (for a small monthly fee)

Voters
13. You may not vote on this poll
  • Yes, I want an exclusive private club.

    3 23.08%
  • No, keep it public.

    10 76.92%
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Results 11 to 20 of 23
  1. SiriusBuzz is offline
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    01-10-2013, 04:27 PM #11
    Quote Originally Posted by brian65PLS View Post
    Really losing a handful?
    Yes, losing even a handful would be bad. More than a handful is obviously worse. I think you might have misunderstood what I said.

    Quote Originally Posted by brian65PLS View Post
    You can't blame people for choosing not post their charts/strategy in a publicly open forum.
    I don't blame them and I think they are absolutely entitled to their feelings. That is why I created this discussion -- to solve the problem.

    Quote Originally Posted by brian65PLS View Post
    Simply create a private forum but don't charge for it.
    Make quality posts the 'fee' to get in as decided by the moderators/members of the private forum.
    1. Where will people make these quality posts which would grant them entry into the private area if they have no access to the private area? Should we create a private stock area and a public stock area? How would a new user understand the hoops they would ened to jump through to get in?

    2. Manually granting access to this private forum is not something I have time to administrate and since changing group permissions is an administrative function, I could not delegate it to moderators.

    3. If the forum is private, I can't generate any ad revenue on that content which would typically be visited thousands of times per day by visitors to the site. I can't serve pages that cost me money and not collect some kind of revenue (even if its only a few bucks).

    Quote Originally Posted by brian65PLS View Post
    Charles do you care more about numbers of visitors or qualities of posts by smart people?
    I care about keeping everyone happy. Smart people attract more visitors, you can't have one without the other.

    I think there is a solution and we will get to it. I am hammering out a new idea to keep things affordable for early adopters with Spencer now.
    Charles LaRocca
    SiriusBuzz Founder

  2. SiriusBuzz is offline
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    01-10-2013, 04:30 PM #12
    Quote Originally Posted by SiriMonkey View Post
    Isn't the majority of this site comprised of opinions, charts and advice? Perhaps I'm being naive but other than posting phone numbers, addresses and pictures of the family dog where is the loss of privacy?
    Like brian said, people put work into their analysis and don't want to share their work for free. They want to get something back in the way of others peoples contributions and not make it open to the world to leach for free.

    Someone who wants a private forum should reply and explain exactly why, I'm just repeating what I have been told both privately and publicly.
    Charles LaRocca
    SiriusBuzz Founder

  3. yoda4x4 is offline
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    01-10-2013, 04:41 PM #13
    As a somewhat new person to SB, here's my thoughts. While I completely understand and agree that some posters don't want to give their strategy away for free, how are people like myself who are pretty much rookies to stock investing going to learn and figure out what and how the pros are doing without it being posted. And also, limited the specially accessible area to those who only post "quality" information would effectively eliminate any and all new to investing types; I include myself in this category. One of the main reasons I like to come to sites like these is to try and learn how and where the buys/sells take place and what methodology is used to determine them. Some folks use what I call gap theory, while others use moving averages and/or other technical indicators.

    Maybe it's just me but I thought the whole purpose of this forum was for members to be able to learn from one another. Yeah, some members will provide more information than others but the premise is that at some point the learners can become of some value. Besides, whether you want to admit it or not, there's really no way that a person could actually trade exactly like someone else by following their posts. By the time the user reads the post, chances are they're too late.

    David

  4. brian65PLS is offline
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    01-10-2013, 04:42 PM #14
    Quote Originally Posted by SiriusBuzz View Post
    1. Where will people make these quality posts which would grant them entry into the private area if they have no access to the private area? Should we create a private stock area and a public stock area? How would a new user understand the hoops they would ened to jump through to get in?

    2. Manually granting access to this private forum is not something I have time to administrate and since changing group permissions is an administrative function, I could not delegate it to moderators.

    3. If the forum is private, I can't generate any ad revenue on that content which would typically be visited thousands of times per day by visitors to the site. I can't serve pages that cost me money and not collect some kind of revenue (even if its only a few bucks).
    1) Some people in the private forum will post their thoughts in the public also. Individuals wanting to get in will have to post thoughtful posts. Sticky thread in public forum indicates private and/or just show the info on the main page but lock that private sub-forum.
    2) Could be a big problem. You could set up sub-forums to be restricted to those that post X number of posts. Trusting that your regular respected members will alert you to a 'cheater' who just posts to reach the number X to get access and then you just reset their post count and PM them a warning.
    3) If your in the advertising business then forget about the private forum and the 'smart' people that are not interested in posting to the public. Go for the numbers! I'm not seeing advertising but then I use AdBlock plug-in on all my browsers. Would your advertising service allow a sub-forum to be private?
    Quote Originally Posted by SiriusBuzz View Post
    Like brian said, people put work into their analysis and don't want to share their work for free. They want to get something back in the way of others peoples contributions and not make it open to the world to leach for free.

    Someone who wants a private forum should reply and explain exactly why, I'm just repeating what I have been told both privately and publicly.
    I doubt those guys are even looking at the forum - you might want to send them a message by the e-mail they provided when they signed up.

  5. SiriusBuzz is offline
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    01-10-2013, 06:13 PM #15
    Quote Originally Posted by brian65PLS View Post
    2) Could be a big problem. You could set up sub-forums to be restricted to those that post X number of posts. Trusting that your regular respected members will alert you to a 'cheater' who just posts to reach the number X to get access and then you just reset their post count and PM them a warning.
    I would consider this method if it works for the people who want "private." I'll do you one better. To gain access you'd have to have 5+ posts AND remain active which means, if you don't post for x number of days, you'd lose access to the stocks forum.

    That said, I would be leaving money on the table with this method since all of this content would be login protected an unmonetizeable. So, how do I account for that rev? Ad more advertising? Prohibit people with ad blockers from viewing the website?

    Quote Originally Posted by brian65PLS View Post
    Would your advertising service allow a sub-forum to be private?
    Yes but, less people would see the ads.

    Quote Originally Posted by brian65PLS View Post
    I doubt those guys are even looking at the forum - you might want to send them a message by the e-mail they provided when they signed up.
    I wouldnt feel right about soliciting.
    Charles LaRocca
    SiriusBuzz Founder

  6. SiriusBuzz is offline
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    01-10-2013, 06:14 PM #16
    I think this has been productive so far. Thanks guys.
    Charles LaRocca
    SiriusBuzz Founder

  7. Hillbilly is offline
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    01-10-2013, 07:04 PM #17
    Thanks for the compliment, Brian.

    Really though, there are a great number of folks that are much more adept and situated to provide far better analysis.

    Regardless, I'm yet reeling in having hundreds of hours of my input just wiped away in the blink of an eye by the hand of god. It's no secret that I was one of the more frequent contributors on the previous forum.

    It was Denco & LB that lured me here - though, I had been a member some years ago w/ a different username.


    @Charles - you've <obviously> created and maintained this site with superb handling. Personally, I wouldn't be so quick to shift gears.

    Those that post...they'll post. Those that don't...won't. Taking it private is too soon, IMO.


    In any case, I'd surmise that what concerns a few 'old timers' has less to do with the *public* nature of the forum and more to do with being cautious of a few cats that like to stir the pot. I know, for one, I don't have time for that shit.

  8. SiriusBuzz is offline
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    01-10-2013, 07:38 PM #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Hillbilly View Post
    It was Denco & LB that lured me here - though, I had been a member some years ago w/ a different username.
    If you care, I could merge your new account with your old one... if you'd like your old posts attributed to this new username.


    Quote Originally Posted by Hillbilly View Post
    @Charles - you've <obviously> created and maintained this site with superb handling. Personally, I wouldn't be so quick to shift gears.

    Those that post...they'll post. Those that don't...won't. Taking it private is too soon, IMO.
    Thanks for the input. I really do appreciate it.


    Quote Originally Posted by Hillbilly View Post
    In any case, I'd surmise that what concerns a few 'old timers' has less to do with the *public* nature of the forum and more to do with being cautious of a few cats that like to stir the pot. I know, for one, I don't have time for that shit.
    We won't tolerate anyone looking to ruin things for everyone. And, as I said, there is an ignore option which allows you to ignore any user you'd rather not hear from.
    Charles LaRocca
    SiriusBuzz Founder

  9. Hillbilly is offline
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    01-10-2013, 08:17 PM #19
    What I've noticed has been very well worded intimidation - to the point that it'd be difficult to confront and easily defended, Charles.


    No worries on merging the usernames - though, I wouldn't mind having the other one deleted - as I had shared far too much personal information & it was my actual name. If memory serves, it was explained that deleting that username was not desired by management as it would throw off the flow of the archives.

    Oh well...it happens.


    Anyway - I'm lurking a bit...still posting here and there...just being more mindful of my time/value/blahblahblah


    At the end of the day, I like your style -- that's ultimately why I'm even taking the time to respond.

    hb

  10. SlapShot27 is offline
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    01-10-2013, 09:57 PM #20
    Sorry if this was already suggested. I do not have enough time to read through everyones' posts (at this time).

    Brandon's site was very successful when A) He was putting mucho effort and passion into a quality experience, and B) it was a moderately priced venue.

    Just sayin.. In other words- go with what works.. or, in the case of SWP, what has worked in the past. I am not sure you have the members (yet) in sufficient numbers to make the economics work (i.e. if you go private you make X dollars in subscriptions but I\you lose Y dollars in advertising, etc-etc).

    P.S. I agree with Hillbilly. I like your style- and I like what Spencer has to say. how he says it, and how he defends his position. If SB went private and it was linked to SB premium I would join asap.
    Last edited by SlapShot27; 01-10-2013 at 10:14 PM.

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