...the Phoenix's admirable odyssey of development as a REAL trader was documented elsewhere in many open and honest posts. He has a history, has left a trail, and has helped innumerable aspiring traders along the way by his sharing and his example. That is more than I can discern about you, as you cast no perceptible shadow, at least in your present and presumably transient identity. Having corresponded with him many times on system development issues, I can assure you that, although I do not know him in person, he knows his shit. His only faults are that he can't stand cant, buffoonery, self-aggrandizement, self-promotion, braggadocio, extreme illogic, and absurd undocumented claims. That covers a lot of territory here and cuts quite a few posters deep. Much to his credit, unlike some folks here who lambaste in others what they hate in themselves, he does not personify the flaws he castigates.
As for the violations you don't see, why not? If you can't read the threads in your own forum, then do a search. For example, do a search on "shit". Gee, ten posts today, so far. And who's name pops up most often? You could. Is it simply language that you don't like? Regardless, I personally don't think it's the role of moderators in online community to go looking for things. If people are getting along and no-ones complaining, why shouldn't we let adults communicate as they please? When I managed a forum on AOL, at the time the policy all across AOL was pretty strict about language. But I felt a teeny bopper board discussing the latest pre-teen sensation was entirely different than a bunch of 20-30s metal heads. And TOS should be interpreted differently in each community. There are those who manage communities who feel they should enforce TOS across the board with consistency the sole arbiter. I don't agree, and I don't generally care for their communities, they generally lack a wade range of expression if they're happening at all. As for action being subject to the whims of "time and energy", either you're going to enforce the TOS or not, and since no one is willing to do anything about the aliases, there's no other choice. If you're not going to enforce the TOS, then stop pretending that it matters and we'll all forget about moderating entirely. A moderator does alot more than slap people on the wrist. They delete duplicate boards and place them in a better category. They direct folks to information and help new folks with posting etiquette, both regarding online interaction, and specifically trading. I don't think folks have any idea how hard it is to limit aliases. You can match 2 or 3 commonalities, but there are so many ways around it for someone who's motivated. Even with credit cards, if we took on payment to post, as often suggested, you have people who'll use a second credit card, then their girlfriend's, then a PO Box, a roommates Email account. And payment's got to be weighed against the barrier that people feel against paying. Any community that goes gated, requiring a fee, suffers a great drop off in members. That may affect advertising rates yes, but it also greatly affects diversity and the ability to maintain conversations. There is one sure way to deal with assholes and those masquerading as people who know what they're talking about... ignore them. When people give them attention, the best you can do is keep them to a dull roar and draw lines in the sand. Because if they get the attention they crave, they'll keep coming back. Are you feeding the trolls, DB? I agree with much of what you say, but you often say it so harshly, that that only helps create the drama. I've seen harsh, even deserved rebukes often bring in bystanders. Just a thought... André
Horse manure! For example, his crisade on enforcing the TOS has been very un-even. You say he can't stand self-promotion, yet he didn't say a word when mr. market endlessly pimped his own website, the most flagrant violation of TOS I can think of. What sh*t does he know? I have an audited trading record of making money 8 consecutive years, with an average gain of over 40% per year on a substantial account. That's documented. Yet, whenever I have an intelligent dialogue about possible support and resistance levels in the S&P index, I get nothing out of him except cynical innuendos. I would know a good trader by the quality of their posts, and db certainly doesn't qualify. He qualifies as "crybaby of the month", though.
Ok guys....enough! db is right. The thread was in the inappropriate forum. Heaven forbid we would censor someone, but we need to keep the board tidy and file all the threads under their appropriate title. I feel sorry for the people who do the "Trading Forum"....they have to sort through so much junk. All the junk posts seem to start here. I have an idea, put "Chit Chat" first on the page. This way the trolls can be first....like they want to be.....and Trading will be more productive maybe?????
Good points. As a former volunteer moderator I'd say that the only way to effectively moderate the Trading forum would be to put about 10 people on it to deal with the sheer quantity of posts in a timely manner. I would also say that the expectation of some members that moderators take action within a few hours is unreasonable, though it happens on occasion. It is easy to criticize when someone else is doing the work.
Maybe we need a new forum. I think Chit Chat has a bad reputation because that is where all the trash threads are put. Maybe the new forum could be called something descriptive like: "Failed Trading Forum Threads" or "Garbage" I'm sure you all could come up with some descriptive names for this forum. This would keep the trash out of Chit Chat and demote all the garbage to a more fitting forum. Just my .02
Well....I am one of the Queens of Chit Chat.....to me it is always good for a laugh or a diversion. Since I am a former Class Clown it is not a "place of ill repute" to me! I do trade, and trade a LOT. But I have my own little website and belong to a chatroom to put all my serious stuff in, but I do read most of the businesslike threads in Elite Trader and will post appropriate serious answers in them.