Dear traders: This post is not about trading, it's about us - traders. ...and... It's some kind of warning and "watch out". So let the (short) story begin: I was some kind of "vip" in ForexFactory website. They have some kind of "ranking" system and they "nominated" me as one of their top 1% "High Impact Member" - based on number of "subscribers" to my post, "budies", quality information, etc. My forums and my posts got dozens of visitors each day. All of a sudden, my "membership" revoked, my posts and forums, which was highly popular, went into the "recycle bin"... At first I thought it's some kind of mistake. EMails to Admin, customer support, etc. remain un-unswered. No warnings, no reasoning, no response - nada... I can assure you that there was no foul language, insults or any kind of mis-behaviour in any of my posts. I can also assure you that there was no scam, commercial content, sales pitch, or any kind of money or financial suggestions in any of my posts. A few days after that - a whole lot of good, honest, helpfull, contributing members got "revoked" membership and their forums/posts went also into the FF "recycle bin". Most of those forums are full of good ideas, new and innovative indicators and promising trading systems. Then I strated to do some "digging"... I'm not going to reveal everything that I found about FF but the following will give you some idea: They are hiding their true identity under: Registrant Name: PERFECT PRIVACY, LLC That is some kind of "legal" identity with a purpose of hiding the true identity of the owner/s. If I knew that before registering to their site - I wouldn't register at all. I have a pretty good idea why they doing it, but for me that doesn't matter anymore. Just beware and exercise caution with FF. ahhh... they have a good calendar... (Attached is FF Alexa graph - Traffic Ranks - How is this site ranked relative to other sites) G.
sounds like a forum full of "real" players How I Turned 1k To 100k In A Wk!!! http://www.forexfactory.com/showthread.php?t=56670
Well, Admins are not known for their forgiving natures, don't break the rules of the sandbox. What are you referring to below Why would FF not want a site full of beloved posters, "innovative indicators" and "promising trading systems"?
gg53 Almost all forums are in a decline via Alexa ranking due to the activity of members have been declining. Maybe something to do with the well documented fact that there are LESS traders these days in comparison to 10 years ago, more social networks available to traders today than there were in the past. Heck, even some well known trader magazines (e.g. Active Trader) have gone bankrupt or out of business due to a severe decline in subscribers. Regardless, there are other sites out there that has much better site statistics then Alexa...overall results still equals a decline in visitors, activity and content value via the last several years. Some blaming the mass exodus from forums on the rise of Twitter and Stocktwits. I agree with such because many of the active members at ForexFactory, BigMikeTrading, Elitetrader, T2W, Traderslaboratory have moved most of their trader conversations to Twitter and Stocktwits. In addition, many sites use the perfect privacy, P.O. Box or private registration...usually if they don't have an actual office space. Simply, its being operated out of a home business and nobody really wants to reveal their home address if such is the case. In addition, I've seen other sites remove their office address to privacy after threats and other problems. Then again, they could also be private because they got purchase by someone or a business that has different plans in the future for the site...good or bad for the members. By the way, even though FF whois shows private registration. You should have just used FF website because they do list their actual office address at the site and their actual phone number is online via Google. Simply, they aren't hiding their true identities as you stated falsely. Their address is clearly posted at FF website in the "About" link with nice pictures of the office along with a Google map location @ http://www.forexfactory.com/about.php like any other website that list their website address in either "About" or "Contact" profile except for those that are home based. Last of all, we all know that things can be said to another in private message. Thus, sometimes the appearance in public messages shows a helpful member in good standing. In contrast, completely different story via private message. Thus, you may have broken the rules via something you said in private message. Therefore, you pssst someone off in a private message conversation and they complained to FF about it ? If you're truly perplexed...give them a phone call instead of trying to email them.
FF is a typical trading industry website. they want to make money, from advertisement, shared broker fees, selling some useless trading courses,... and yes, I agree 99% of the members are noobs. there's no sense in banning quality contributing members, because - as you pointed out - their traffic will suffer and thus they will lose profit. "I have a pretty good idea why they doing it, but for me that doesn't matter anymore." what would you like to tell us?
This is the question..we have an idea that involves the REAL ownership of FF ( GG53 will reply by himself if he wants,of course). But the immediately following question is, IMHO: why a so "reputable" (at the eyes of the masses) forum banned recently people in mass without a word of explanation, not in public, not in private, neither replying to inquiries of members banned,asking for motivations? If this is the way a "reputable" forum that act for the good of the members (they say this..) well this happening is really SCARY and worth concerns by the WHOLE the traders community,IMHO....
Truth behind dark strange manouvres is not always simple to detect..that's why we wanna expose their acting so, at least people start thnking about it and it is warned about those people..they have done it in past (banning without reason and putting successfull thread in recycle bin without motivation), they have done with me and many others recently and they will do it again in the future. We can stop them..or at least open eyes of people. Like a senior member in another forum just confirmed to us, it's not an uncommon practice for a trading forum (sponsored in essence by brokers) to "change direction".. a.k.a. privileging the interests of their sponsors instead of the ones of the members, that in the end are the one that with their contributions (posts, files, visualization, bringing other members) are the ONLY ONES that should be taken care of. Here to investigate (more mind better than few) and open people eyes, as already said.