Nope, idiots and off topic trollers should not. Your concern about vendors promoting their products is valid, but they can be discovered fairly quickly and the journal can be closed. And they can promote it now anyway, so eventually it is up to the moderator to close it down, either way.
I've seen some journals in the past with rules that are outlined? Is this option still available today, and will the moderator enforce these rules when assistance is needed?
Maybe its silly enough that its one of the reasons why some members choose to post their journals elsewhere or maybe it has nothing to do with the reasons why many choose to post their journals elsewhere ? In the other thread, many mention specific features they would like to see...I've only seen "a few" of those suggestions adopted (implemented). Although a few features I wanted to see were adopted (download thread or export thread). Others were not. There's also the issue raised a few years back...some brokers themselves are now starting their own forum for their clients. Although I'm not sure how this will impact ET but as soon as they get smart about encouraging their clients to start "journals" or figure out a way to connect the accounts to a journal at the forum...other brokers will catch on quickly because these days of declining traders in the markets...there's competition between the brokers to retain their clients. In fact, I see a little of that competition here at ET among some of the sponsors. Charting vendors doing the same thing too. In fact, I see more people using the forums by these vendors for more than just talking about trading. For example, they're using them for customer support, file sharing, embedding Youtube videos and other stuff. Although they have low numbers of members but they are slowly growing in members and post activity (most have low post activity). Yet, I think their registration process for the forum should be setup so that all clients are automatically setup for the forums. Thus, to log in...you would only need to input your client ID/password. May be a good way to prevent or minimize the trolling ? My point is this. Maybe the issue really isn't about "journals" elsewhere by ET members. Maybe its just about forum membership in general ? Also, its possible that because ET was one of the first forums out there...others are now realizing they can do something similar for their own clients. P.S. One of my data vendors has its own "chat rooms" embedded in the software...very active too. Never used the chat rooms but it did make me think about how brokers and charting vendors are becoming more competitive in retaining their clients "on site" sort'uv speak.
Or maybe people just haven't thought of it (and why would they? I didn't, either ...) or have thought of it and decided it's too much trouble when it's so much easier just to go elsewhere (and with an increasingly wide choice)? The members with whom I've actually discussed it (only two, to be honest) have both told me simply that they wouldn't want to start a Journal where they feel they're quite likely to be trolled and need to call for moderation assistance with it, and that this very easily avoidable problem doesn't arise anywhere else. Which is also how I'd feel about it. To be honest, I wasn't expecting quite so much discussion about (or indeed quite so much resistance to) what seemed a very simple, obvious suggestion with no apparent downside at all. But never mind: it's hardly important, in the overall scheme of things. I tried.
A former member used the word toxic to describe the environment here when I attempted to convince him to come back. We lost 1 of the top 10 all time best contributors to this site ...for the specific reasons described (and ignored) in this thread.
Actually, here at ET...after a few times of contacting moderators about someone (troll) in the journal threads...I've been told multiple times it becomes a headache and just one more thing to worry about. Another reason why ET members have their journals elsewhere. Then there's the issue that has shown up in the past years... They don't have to troll you in your ET journal itself. They can just troll you elsewhere here at ET or just talk about commentary in your journal elsewhere without making those commentary within your journal. I've seen new threads dedicated to this tactic and is an easy way to avoid being moderated. As a few said here at ET or stated as a reason in their own journal elsewhere...they stated the sentiment mentioned by dratsum...the environment here is toxic. Yeah, you gotta have a thick skin at this forum but you'll be surprised at how many just choose the "easier solution"...go elsewhere. You don't have to push the "report" link, you don't have to send emails to ET management and you don't have to worry about the issue anymore. Lets not forget the other issue. The Journal threads are only text message with the ability to upload attachments. That's a very simple and easy to use way to post a trade journal. Yet, there's been a growing list of requests for journal format when in reality any changes will be a forum format change. ET even has a journal sponsor by the name of Trademetria @ https://www.trademetria.com/ There's things that the sponsor and many other online journals that can offer without having trolls to harass you. I posted links @ https://www.elitetrader.com/et/threads/my-live-trading-journal.311517/#post-4490665 but at that time of the posting I did not know about Trademetria because the sponsorship listing is posted all the way at the bottom of the forum in the dungeon. Maybe they have pop up ads here but I can't see them due to my ad blocker. Anyways, I see more people that are serious about journals using these types of journal vendors alone or in combo with their "text only" trade journal elsewhere. In contrast, I don't see or haven't notice any ET member using these journal vendors in combo with their "text only" journal here at ET.