I am here to learn mostly, but trading is a lonely business, so it's good to interact with traders on ET. It's also nice to be able to help when I can. It's funny, but I have noticed this theme for myself. I ask IT and computer savvy folks questions as well as senior traders and the newbies ask me new questions because I have 18 months in and answer their questions without slamming them. Kind of funny. reciprocation is a good thing.
Give back to the community if ; in the past they gave you something to learn and gain "Market tuition" without paying for it. I hate the typical guy on here with over 2500+ posts as they have to much time on their hands and are here to feed the ego. The true trading professional may post once/twice a week and maybe some on the weekends .....but they are trading Midweek and should have 0 time for 90% of the crap you have to deal with when losing traders take out their issues with a trader who is helping give back from what they took over time. Why spend 5 to 8 hours a day hanging out here to just get in verbal arguments with Don Bright and the typical semi pro who is looking for the last variable to make his profitable? If you are a trader than trade.............if not stop pretending.
<i>"If you are a trader than trade.............if not stop pretending"</i> But how else would we know when there's 100% up room to go? (huge laugh) Seriously, from 8:30am EST thru 4:00pm EST on Friday I took four trades in the ES. Four trades, 7.75 market hours. do the math. That leaves a lot of dead time in between watching candles paint the charts. Part of the distraction from tedium for many of us is ET. Good trading is usually boring, except rare days like 2/27 and 3/02 where action is fast & furious. Once spring arrives, many of us will swap posts in here for outdoor hobbies in the sun. Remind me again... is that the really bright orb sometimes seen when clouds are gone?
I read ET to learn and also to know what is going on and is new with software, data feeds, books etc. If one reads enough, tries to recognize quality and ignores the negativity one can find some nuggets, IMO.
Came for the learning Stayed for the hilariously oversized egos... and I thought mine was big... well I learned something at least. But seriously where better to waste half the day?
I came in to learn. I now read a few posts from the real pros (I mean this to be not only traders, but people who have respect for each other, people like austin, jack, spyder,and others.) The rest are on" ignore." As a newbie nothing is more depressing than to be ridiculed, laughed at and shunned but I endure it on the hope that a tiny morsel of information will help me achieve my goal and ....someday believe me I will pass it on. I also discovered Day trading Forum and although it does not have the membership that ET has, the mods don't put up with any crap--not for a millisecond so its easier to learn. In closing I would like to thank each and everyone of the people I mentioned and the ones I can't think of right now, not so much for their knowledge of trading, but for their kindness and continual decency when so many others are constantly ridiculing them and others.
a combination of above. to get answers when i have questions on certain resources. to give some information / experiences to others (ie. giving something back) when times are slow during the day, i'll read to prevent overtrading. others, of course, but those are the main ones.