I truly believe this has been a major factor in the decline of quality material. No one wants to post the same thing over and over and when there is nothing more left to say they just move on after realizing their limited time in life is better spent on more productive things.
In the options forum it feels like the decline in quantity and quality is coming from a lack of institutional and ex-institutional traders (or equivalent) offering advice to newbies and discussing trading related topics amongst themselves. I think elitetrader needs to find a way to cater to this individual over the newbie retail trader. Other forums like wilmot are often extremely technical. So there must be a niche that's under served. Instead it's the same debate over credit spreads and iron condors rehashed. I am certainly getting less from the forum than I did three years ago, but when I left the institutional space then I found this place invaluable for my transition and for my sanity.
I think ET is still a great resource. If you've followed the forums for awhile, you will learn the posters who know their stuff and add a lot of value. Where else can a retail guy get this kind of exposure to talented traders? I'm not in that top class, but I will post a learning to share and give back as many other members do. And I'm grateful to other members who answer my occasional PM's, despite that some of my questions aren't always the sharpest. This is the coffee house for traders. All kinds of people walk in the door. Thanks to Baron and the sponsors for keeping this going.
i've seen a few... (luckly there not common) it's the guy who (always after "years of quiet lurking") decides to make his very first contribution to initiate, or fuel a flamewar... its a lovely specimen.
this is a study in human psychology. i feel i could, could, i don't, add value but that value is worth money to me. since i don't get paid on here, it then has to be about something else. comedy? yes, that's really it. or boredom as i have 4 screens up and wait for emails, a phone call, whatever...so why post and have someone else make cash off my hard work. i won't do that, and i'm sure others feel the same way. There is no social connection here like facebook, twitter, or some other more specific sites. i'm not meeting anyone off here. i'm not calling anyone off here. my favorite part is reading from the shills who sell crap. i'm too old to justify who i am or what i have, so i don't care about that game. a real name wouldn't change things, except dry up traffic and that means less cash for some. i've said it before...this is a text based site and the world is not text based anymore (unless 140 characters or less, and they do much more than just text). there is a solution, but i cannot give away the keys to the kingdom!!! (another famous shill saying). lol
Hi Equalizer, it's great to see you back! As I think you know, I prove your theory on a daily basis, well every other day anyway! surf
I was only with them a few months and as a button pushing monkey, I defer to those who know more than I when it comes to these things. Most of our profits came from locked markets--- BUT, i did witness crossed markets with the bid higher than the ask on multiple occasions.