# Give me your suggestions, complaints and feedback!



## Joe Blow (1 September 2005)

Hi Everyone!

It's astonishing how fast ASF is growing. Lately even I've been finding it difficult keeping up with all the threads and posts, especially as I juggle running this site with my day job. It occurred to me today that even though I feel things are going okay that feeling might not be shared by ASF members and lurkers (yes, I even care what our unregistered visitors think... although you will have to register to tell me your views!   ).

It's difficult striking a balance between free speech and creating a place that is enjoyable for all to visit. I try my best but often wonder if I am getting it right. I know it's impossible to please everyone, but I'd like to please as many of you as I can. I don't want to be seen as a totalitarian ogre, but at the same time I don't want to let standards slip by tolerating abuse/personal attacks, spam and scammers. I'm not about to let ASF go down the same road that many of the unmoderated or barely moderated stockmarket forums have.

So I thought I'd ask you guys/gals how you feel things are going and your views on what you think will make ASF a better forum for all concerned. As the thread title says, I want your suggestions, complaints/criticisms and feedback. Your views are important to me, so please don't hesitate to give me your honest opinions!


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## Smurf1976 (1 September 2005)

Keep up the good work Joe. It's fine as it is - the last thing I would want to see is for ASF to become like a certain forum with the heated metal. (You know which one I mean   ).

I think the main thing to keep out is spam, abuse etc. I can live with the occasional overexcited post and they do keep it lively. It's good to have the broad range of discussion from technicals and trading to fundamentals and off-topic.

Would be good if a few of those lurkers made a post or two...


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## Julia (1 September 2005)

Hi Joe,

Like Smurf, I think it's fine as it is.  One of the things I appreciate is that you do in fact check in with members every so often to ask if we do have any suggestions.

I like that the "General Discussion" area can accommodate a wide variety of topics.  We all should have lives ouside of the stock market and it's interesting to gradually form a picture of members from reading their views about a variety of topics.

I was pleased that you gave Reichstag several "warnings" before shafting him.
He just would not participate in the forum and just posting other people's comments is of little value, so it was time for him to go.

ASF is much appreciated by this member - didn't this start as "just a hobby" for you Joe?!!!

Best wishes

Julia


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## ob1kenobi (1 September 2005)

I agree with Julia Joe! Keep up the great work, it's fine as is.


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## Milk Man (2 September 2005)

Joe,

Do you want us to tell you if we see anything we don't like or don't think fits the code of conduct? Sometimes I don't bother because I think it might annoy you. 

One thing I hate is obvious free advertising of products (not you Moneytree: you might entice people to do your course by posting but contrbute to the forum at least   ). I'm glad to see these cheapskates are taken care of very promptly.

Great work Joe: no need to change a thing.


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## Happy (2 September 2005)

Forum is nice, orderly and it is pleasure to open the pages.

Hope task of overseeing the Site is not going to be too bigger task.

You could give couple of pages to Tech/a to moderate, that could ease your load a bit, but Tech/a might have too much on his plate already.

And if you are desperate to change something, you could move: General Chat to the bottom of your page, after all it is side menu, Forum is Aussie Stocks.

But quite often I find that people talk about weekends and holidays at work and about work during the BBQ, beats me.
(So you could even move it up a notch).


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## Joe Blow (2 September 2005)

Thanks for all your kind words, suggestions and feeback! Keep them coming!

There are a couple of issues that I want to get everyone's views on. The first is ramping. I will deal with the other issue in another post a little later in this thread.

There are those who find it necessary to post in threads of stocks that they own every day (or most days) simply to bump the thread and keep it near the top of the first page, in an attempt to attract people's attention to it. I scan a lot of the other stockmarket forums around the place and find that these particular individuals are often cutting and pasting the same information into posts on many sites. This behaviour seems to me to be indicative of an addiction or compulsion. They seem to be driven by a need to do it. As soon as they sell the stock the thread falls deathly quiet and they start up in another thread as soon as they buy into a new company. 

I have a problem with this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it makes a thread unneccesarily longer and tedious to read through, especially since much of the information is either repetitious or is delivered in a ramping style complete with huge price targets and promises of BIG announcements to come. Secondly, the posts are clearly self-serving and are not posted in the best interests of ASF members. They are posted to convince others to buy into the stock and drive the price higher so they can sell out at a profit. Frankly, I feel that there are other forums for this sort of blatant ramping and I would like to get the views of ASF members about what should be done to those who ramp in this way.

Should their accounts be suspended for a period of time.... should some of the posts simply be deleted... or do you have another suggestion?

Most importantly, is this particular behaviour a source of annoyance for *you*?

Please let me know what your thoughts are on this issue. As ASF grows and gets bigger I get the feeling we are going to see it happening more often and I would like to get a feeling for what most people are thinking.

Thanks!


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## Julia (2 September 2005)

Hi Joe,

I think your suggestion of simply deleting these posts is the best.  That would surely frustrate and deter the ramper more than any other measure.
There is some appalling rubbish and rumour spread about on other forums and I for one would absolutely support whatever measure you feel you can take to keep ASF free of this pollution.

All the best
Julia


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## Happy (3 September 2005)

Joe,
You have to look after yourself too.

Deleting Krisbary posts, I assume that you refer to him - but being polite you don’t mention any names, is going to be time consuming for you.

As everything else ramps are getting more sophisticated too, so you’ll end up fighting with yourself and your feelings trying to be fair and allow freedom of speech and democratic right to express and many other bigger than life issues.

Solution, should be simpler, so you can get on with what you do and not spend endless hours sifting through mountains of rubbish and agonising what is right thing to do.

It could be:
1. At the first hint of ramping – warning + delete posts
2. Second suspend for week, month
3. Deregister


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## tech/a (3 September 2005)

Heated arguement is healthy and can be productive.

However when discussion turns to personal attack then a line should be drawn.I get as much as anyone and have even had emails from people who wish to continue abusing me way after being banned from the site where it all started.
Some of it (Which I never reply to) has become fanatical.
So serious that the CIB in Adelaide have an open investigation with regard to some.

My veiw (Joe) is that personal attacks and posts with little or no reference to the topic should be deleted---these posts have no place in a public forum nor in private mails which is another source for abusive tactics.

To anyone who becomes a target of these fanatics I urge you to keep everything---notify the police---they can trace and monitor these people far better than we can.The penalties for harrasment are far greater than I imagined--and rightly so.


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## Kauri (3 September 2005)

Why not make the ramping fun. You could have a competition to pick the next stock...  LVL featured first, now BTV... place your bets on the next one.    but seriously what I find annoying is if you have a genuine interest in one of these stocks you have to wade through reams of  :swear:  looking for anything of value. Also, if the reputation of this forum, like some others, becomes tarnished , genuine posters will avoid it, which would be a great loss. This is a great Forum, lets keep it that way.
   From an _ex-lurker._


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## Smurf1976 (3 September 2005)

Agreed with tech/a that heated debate is good provided that it doesn't get personal.

As far as I am concerned, I would much rather have a drawn out, thorough debate and sort out whatever it is that's being discussed. Both sides often learn something that way since the truth quite often is somewhere between opposing views.

But personal attacks are another matter. They are not on IMO. Fair enough if the "what would you do in this situation" question is raised but others must accept that each individual has a right to their views regardless of how "moral" others may think them to be. It's not for me or anyone else to decide that someone relentlessly pursuing profit at any cost is better or worse than an ethically motivated investor. Fair enough to state one's  disagreement, but that's as far as it should go. The other person does have a right do their views.

As for deleting posts, fair enough but I do think that someone whose post is deleted should be informed of this (are they now?). This could just be a standard message to save Joe from spending too much time on it. I really have no idea if any of my posts have been deleted.

Also, regarding the "ignore" function I think it would be reasonable for everyone to know if others are choosing to ignore them since that would send a pretty strong message. There's certainly no need to identify who is choosing to ignore someone, but a simple "ASF has X members, 10 of them have chosen to ignore you" would be useful and fair to know IMO. It might work in a sort of self policing role if it becomes clear to those posting the inappropriate messages that they are increasingly being ignored. That said, personally I have never used the ignore function.


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## Joe Blow (3 September 2005)

tech/a said:
			
		

> However when discussion turns to personal attack then a line should be drawn.




I agree 100%. Personal attacks or abuse will not be tolerated under any circumstances. To police this effectively the moderators and I need the help of of other forum members. At the top of each post you will see this symbol '
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  '. Clicking on this will enable you to report a post that you feel steps over the line or is unacceptable in some way. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the ASF members that already do this. Your assistance is valuable and appreciated! As the forums grow it will become even more valuable. As soon as you report a post an email is dispatched to myself and ALL moderators, ensuring that swift action will be taken!



			
				kauri said:
			
		

> This is a great Forum, lets keep it that way.
> From an ex-lurker.




Kauri, welcome to ASF and thank you for your kind words! I understand your frustration at having to wade through mountains of tripe at some other forums before finding anything of value. I am working hard to make sure that doesn't happen here and we can maintain a high level of discussion.

I sincerely hope you enjoy your time here at ASF! Now that you have registered, I think you will find this site even more useful. Particularly since you will now be able to see all the charts and download the attachments that people have attached to their posts! 



			
				Smurf1976 said:
			
		

> I really have no idea if any of my posts have been deleted.




I don't often delete posts and I have definitely not deleted any of yours Smurf.    

I will delete spam, abusive posts or posts that are simply over-the-top ramps... and that's about it. But you are right when you say that posters should be informed when their posts are deleted and told the reason for the deletion. I will personally see to it that this happens on every occasion that a post is removed from the forums!

Thanks everyone for your feedback! I sincerely appreciate it. Keep 'em coming!


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## Joe Blow (3 September 2005)

Julia said:
			
		

> ASF is much appreciated by this member - didn't this start as "just a hobby" for you Joe?!!!




Julia, thanks for your kind words. It really does please me to know that you enjoy your time here!

Yes, it did start out as a hobby. More of a project actually. I had been involved in some forums as a participant and got myself addicted. I had been learning about HTML and building websites and put ASF together one night more than anything else as a challenge. Lots of beer can make you do strange things!  :  This site ended up being a stockmarket forum because of my personal interest in investing in shares. 

Every day I am still in awe of that fact that it continues to grow and that ASF can now be counted amongst the busiest stock market forums in the country... although I will concede that this has less to do with me and more to do with the high quality of posters that have made this place their home!


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## ghotib (3 September 2005)

Joe Blow said:
			
		

> Thanks for all your kind words, suggestions and feedback! Keep them coming!



Voila!!! Some well-deserved kind and complimentary words. I find ASF easy to use, easy on the eye, and very informative.



> There are a couple of issues that I want to get everyone's views on. The first is ramping...



I don't find the overexcitable / ramping posts and their associated enormous threads annoying. Some I've found very interesting, though not because of what they say about the stock - MUL f'rinstance. But I agree that it's a matter of balance: if I find that I ignore 99% of threads I probably won't bother coming back for the 1%, and if enough people feel the same way then there's no more forum. 

I guess you're asking for opinions now because the forum is already reaching a point where you can't easily keep in close touch with everything? I think providing the report icon mechanism, which is a really easy way for members to let you know that they have a problem, is a great idea. It's now up to us to use it if necessary. 

And FWIW, while Rozella continues posting on his dividend trading system, I ain't goin' nowhere.

Cheers,

Ghoti


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## finnsk (3 September 2005)

Hi Joe

I have been a member for a while, this is my first post, it has been very interesting, and i have enjoyed many of the post that your members have posted thanks to everybody.

Have never traded shares until i became a member, know I have traded with profit on "advice" from this forum, thanks guys.  

The rampling that you guys are talking about does not bother me i just click on. 
The personel attacks does not belong here. 
Heated discussions only goes to show how passionate everybody is about there stocks.

Sorry for any spelling mistakes. 

Keep up the great work.  

finnsk


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## bonkerrs (13 July 2009)

*Forum suggestion - character counter*

Hi Mods.

Got a forum suggestion and I don't know where else to post it, I'll post it here, could a mod move it if needed.

In regards to typing a new post/thread. Would a character counter be hard to add somewhere on the screen? One where it ticks over as you type.

Anyway, just a thought!!


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## Joe Blow (13 July 2009)

*Re: Forum suggestion - character counter*



bonkerrs said:


> Hi Mods.
> 
> Got a forum suggestion and I don't know where else to post it, I'll post it here, could a mod move it if needed.
> 
> ...




Hi Bonkerrs,

Thanks for the suggestion.

I will make some enquiries and find out how simple or how complicated this would be to code and implement.


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## TabJockey (13 July 2009)

Hello! Just registered to say what an excellent forum this is. Been lurking here a few months I really love the kings ransom of information on here. Quite often you get to see multiple sides of the issue in the one thread which always points to a healthy community.

Have not seen any posts that struck me as detractive from the thread or the forum so keep up the good work!


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## TabJockey (14 July 2009)

One thing that ive seen done is a "Threads of the Week" or, "Threads of the Month". You have recent threads but it doesnt really sort anything out quality wise. Usually what happens is the administrator picks out a short list of what he/she thinks where the most insightful and worth reading threads of the week/month and posts them on the front page.

I always read these in a few forums because it saves you time wading through the trashier threads and you know your not missing anything really big.


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## JTLP (14 July 2009)

Joe,

Long time reader first time caller...

2 Things 
- Can we get a stock ticker that we can just punch in the code for and check the price? There used to be one on here but then the forum overhaul led to its demise...

- Can I be a mod to weed out low substance posts? No but seriously...is there anything that can be done about this? Mods do a great job of informing ppl about low quality content etc but sometimes ppl still get through the old "I'm thinking about buying in what's everybody's thoughts looks to be going to $1,000,000 tomorrow..."...perhaps a permibanner on the side or a little reminder for people when they open the reply post to make sure it is worthy of reading?
(Long spiel and I hope you get my drift)

Otherwise I (heart) this site


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## noirua (14 July 2009)

Hi Joe, An email being sent out on a reply to a thread seems to be quite a big thing on some websites. Particularly if there is a reply several days later and on occasions weeks or months later. Quite often drags a poster back to the website who has half forgotten they became a member.  I feel this is the only thing that is holding back ASF at the moment.


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## doogie_goes_off (14 July 2009)

Hi Joe, being a contrarian I was wondering if there is a chance of a feature such as a 'quiet stocks' category, something like a 6 month bump for stocks with no analysis on your main search page... just a thought. Maybe it would give people a chance to revisit undervalued stocks that the populists had forgotten. Much like the 'gone cold' feature of football coverage.


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## Joe Blow (14 July 2009)

TabJockey said:


> One thing that ive seen done is a "Threads of the Week" or, "Threads of the Month". You have recent threads but it doesnt really sort anything out quality wise. Usually what happens is the administrator picks out a short list of what he/she thinks where the most insightful and worth reading threads of the week/month and posts them on the front page.
> 
> I always read these in a few forums because it saves you time wading through the trashier threads and you know your not missing anything really big.




Hi TabJockey,

This may be something we introduce in the future. I would probably think that it would be a "Thread of the Month" rather than "Thread of the Week" as a poll would have to be run to determine the winner. One may even have to be run to determine the nominations. As always, the biggest obstacles to making ideas like this a reality are the logistics involved.

Something like this is definitely under consideration however.



JTLP said:


> Joe,
> 
> Long time reader first time caller...
> 
> ...




Hi JTLP,

Unfortunately ASX stock data is very expensive to display on websites in Australia. The ASX charges exhorbitant licensing fees and there are significant data provider fees on top of that, which means that it ends up costing thousands of dollars a month just to display 20 minute delayed data.

Hopefully, this is something that ASF can offer in the future once we are generating enough revenue to make it feasible. This can only happen if ASF members *support our paying advertisers*. By supporting ASF's advertisers you help increase our revenue by making advertising on ASF more desirable (and valuable) to current and potential advertisers.

When you click through to an advertiser from ASF they know where you have come from. Advertisers are looking for results from advertising on sites like ASF and by supporting them and becoming a customer or visiting their website ASF members and site visitors can ensure that they get value for their advertising dollar!



JTLP said:


> - Can I be a mod to weed out low substance posts? No but seriously...is there anything that can be done about this? Mods do a great job of informing ppl about low quality content etc but sometimes ppl still get through the old "I'm thinking about buying in what's everybody's thoughts looks to be going to $1,000,000 tomorrow..."...perhaps a permibanner on the side or a little reminder for people when they open the reply post to make sure it is worthy of reading?
> (Long spiel and I hope you get my drift)




The moderators and I love removing no/low content posts from stock threads and we urge all ASF members to report such posts by clicking on the "Report a Post" icon on the post in question and letting us know about them. We encourage quality content on ASF and need the help of all ASF's users to weed out those who use ASF to ramp, downramp or to post misleading or incorrect information.

In a sense, every ASF member is a moderator because they can all report posts that they believe violate our Terms of Use, Posting Guidelines or Code of Conduct. Every reported post is looked at and evaluated. We may not agree that every reported post should be removed but we do examine each one closely to ensure that it complies with the site rules.



noirua said:


> Hi Joe, An email being sent out on a reply to a thread seems to be quite a big thing on some websites. Particularly if there is a reply several days later and on occasions weeks or months later. Quite often drags a poster back to the website who has half forgotten they became a member.  I feel this is the only thing that is holding back ASF at the moment.




Hi Noirua,

This feature already exists. When you are reading a thread that you wish to subscribe to simply click on the "Thread Tools" menu you will see at the top of each page of the thread and select the "Subscribe to this Thread" option. 



doogie_goes_off said:


> Hi Joe, being a contrarian I was wondering if there is a chance of a feature such as a 'quiet stocks' category, something like a 6 month bump for stocks with no analysis on your main search page... just a thought. Maybe it would give people a chance to revisit undervalued stocks that the populists had forgotten. Much like the 'gone cold' feature of football coverage.




Hi doogie_goes_off,

This is great food for thought and has been placed on the list for consideration in the future.

Thanks for the feedback!


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## Naked shorts (8 September 2009)

I would like to suggest increasing the size and dimension limits for uploaded files.


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## Joe Blow (8 September 2009)

Naked shorts said:


> I would like to suggest increasing the size and dimension limits for uploaded files.




Do you mean just image files? 

If so, feel free to suggest what file size and dimension limits you think would be best.


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## Naked shorts (8 September 2009)

My main concern really is just the size limit on image files.
I suggest increasing image file size to 2mb and dimension limits to 2560x1600.

As for other files, I suggest increasing the limits by a factor of about 10.


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## stocksontheblock (8 September 2009)

Hi Joe, if there is one thing that could be better, that would be to have a small counter when putting in a post. I have a little knowledge of web-building and it’s not a hard thing to do, yet I guess this all depends on how you have things set-up.

Maybe it could also be reduced from 100 to 75? Example, I posted a reply to someone today on the VBA thread about how they would get their refund for over subscribe shares. The answer was very simple and short, hence I had to add 'fluff' to make it post.

Also, in regards to those who 'ramp', I agree with Julia and the like, delete the user, not the posts - think that’s what she meant. I think the rules are pretty simple on this site and doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what 'ramping is'. Sure, someone on their 2nd or 3rd post might just need a poke from you, yet some are just - as you say - making sure a stock post stays at the top.

Maybe the other suggestion I would have is that under the General Chat thread you could have subcategories. Leave General Chat (used for stocks, investment etc), yet add some that are specific so they don’t get mixed up with the stock/investment things. So have one for Politics, Religion, Sport etc

However, love the site, and love the work. Keep it up.


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## johnnyg (8 September 2009)

Naked shorts said:


> My main concern really is just the size limit on image files.
> I suggest increasing image file size to 2mb and dimension limits to 2560x1600.
> 
> As for other files, I suggest increasing the limits by a factor of about 10.




2mb would suck alot bandwidth, especially for those on slower connections. Why the need to have such a large picture files? Most images on here are simply charts which I find fine to read currently. 

If the reason was for pictures of scenery/holidays snaps ect perhaps Joe could set-up a specific thread where image files upto 2mb could be placed?


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## Zird (8 September 2009)

Could the page indicators at bottom of page  be made bigger and it would be handy if there was a "next" tab as well. Apologises for such a minor suggestion but my bifocals need replacing.


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## Joe Blow (8 September 2009)

Naked shorts said:


> My main concern really is just the size limit on image files.
> I suggest increasing image file size to 2mb and dimension limits to 2560x1600.




This may be a little too big for most people just yet. The majority of ASF users still have screen resolutions of 1280x1024 and smaller (see attachment). 

I have, however, just increased maximum image dimensions to 1500x1200 and image file sizes to 250K.


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## Joe Blow (8 September 2009)

Zird said:


> Could the page indicators at bottom of page  be made bigger and it would be handy if there was a "next" tab as well. Apologises for such a minor suggestion but my bifocals need replacing.




Will see what I can do about making them bigger.

There is a "next" icon there. It's this symbol: "*>*" (See attachment).

Also note the down arrow symbol at the end which, when clicked, allows you to navigate directly to the thread page of your choice.


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## Smurf1976 (8 September 2009)

johnnyg said:


> 2mb would suck alot bandwidth, especially for those on slower connections.



I'd rather have the forum as inclusive as possible and not exclude those who can't get or can't afford (or simply don't need) a high capacity internet connection.


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## Naked shorts (8 September 2009)

Joe Blow said:


> This may be a little too big for most people just yet. The majority of ASF users still have screen resolutions of 1280x1024 and smaller (see attachment).
> 
> I have, however, just increased maximum image dimensions to 1500x1200 and image file sizes to 250K.




Thanks Joe. My main reasoning behind my suggestion of that particular resolution is that it is the realm of 30inch screens. This would allow people with 30inch screens to share their trading setup with everyone without having to segregate screens shots to stay under the dimension limit.


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## Joe Blow (8 September 2009)

stocksontheblock said:


> Hi Joe, if there is one thing that could be better, that would be to have a small counter when putting in a post. I have a little knowledge of web-building and it’s not a hard thing to do, yet I guess this all depends on how you have things set-up.




Can you code it for me? 

Seriously though, I have found once you hit one full line you're past the limit, so one line is a good indicator.



stocksontheblock said:


> Maybe it could also be reduced from 100 to 75? Example, I posted a reply to someone today on the VBA thread about how they would get their refund for over subscribe shares. The answer was very simple and short, hence I had to add 'fluff' to make it post.




I am rethinking this rule and considering just getting toucher on those who post low or no content posts in stock threads. The trouble is catching them. We just don't have enough manpower to review every post and it's getting tougher every day.



stocksontheblock said:


> Also, in regards to those who 'ramp', I agree with Julia and the like, delete the user, not the posts - think that’s what she meant. I think the rules are pretty simple on this site and doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what 'ramping is'. Sure, someone on their 2nd or 3rd post might just need a poke from you, yet some are just - as you say - making sure a stock post stays at the top.




Yes, as the markets have been climbing lately we have noticed an increase in ramping. The best way to help the moderators and myself keep on top of this is to report ramping posts by clicking the "Report a Post" icon "
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




" on any offending posts.



stocksontheblock said:


> Maybe the other suggestion I would have is that under the General Chat thread you could have subcategories. Leave General Chat (used for stocks, investment etc), yet add some that are specific so they don’t get mixed up with the stock/investment things. So have one for Politics, Religion, Sport etc




I may do this when the forums get a little busier still. There should be no stock market/investment chat at all in General Chat. General Investment/Economics discussion should go into the "General Investment and Economics" forum while ASX market related discussion should go into "ASX Stock Chat".

However, as ASF gets even busier I think some new subforums may come in handy.



stocksontheblock said:


> However, love the site, and love the work. Keep it up.




Thank you.


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## Trembling Hand (8 September 2009)

Two ideas,
New smiles. Especially a tongue in cheek one. Save some fights  maybe.

And,

What about the email address we receive PM notifications being different than the new post notification. That way you can easily delete one from your inbox while keeping the other. If I could keep the PMs in my email in box it would be a lot easier to manger what I said to who.


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## gfresh (8 September 2009)

I'm for larger screen images to properly display charts. Some get squished so much they are very hard to read. People really need to stay up to date if they want to use the internet. 

TBH I'm shocked more investors can't spend $200 on a monitor that will do 1650x1080 these days or above


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## Joe Blow (8 September 2009)

Trembling Hand said:


> Two ideas,
> New smiles. Especially a tongue in cheek one. Save some fights  maybe.




I'm a big fan of smilies. Keep checking for new ones.

Some recent additions: :cuckoo: corn: :bbat:

Will check for a tongue in cheek one.



Trembling Hand said:


> And,
> 
> What about the email address we receive PM notifications being different than the new post notification. That way you can easily delete one from your inbox while keeping the other. If I could keep the PMs in my email in box it would be a lot easier to manger what I said to who.




This is a limitation of the forum software ASF uses. Should be upgrading later in the year so maybe something can be done then.


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## Joe Blow (8 September 2009)

gfresh said:


> I'm for larger screen images to properly display charts. Some get squished so much they are very hard to read. People really need to stay up to date if they want to use the internet.




Most image attachments (ones bigger than 700 pixels wide) can be clicked on, opening them to their full size in a new window.

Maximum image dimensions have now been increased to 1500x1200 pixels.


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## mazzatelli (8 September 2009)

Would ASF'ers adopt the sarcastic font?

http://glennmcanally.com/sarcastic/index.htm


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## stocksontheblock (8 September 2009)

Joe Blow said:


> I may do this when the forums get a little busier still. There should be no stock market/investment chat at all in General Chat. General Investment/Economics discussion should go into the "General Investment and Economics" forum while ASX market related discussion should go into "ASX Stock Chat".




Hi Joe, maybe if I could ask one more question, could you please clarify the difference between General Chat and General Investment/Economics Chat.

I know what they mean in the true sense, yet I guess looking at some threads they could be either, and esp. when the thread gets going and starts covering all sorts of things the topic gets lost and hence might not really fit the forum section.

Any heads up would be great. Thanks.


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## doctorj (8 September 2009)

stocksontheblock said:


> Hi Joe, maybe if I could ask one more question, could you please clarify the difference between General Chat and General Investment/Economics Chat.
> 
> I know what they mean in the true sense, yet I guess looking at some threads they could be either, and esp. when the thread gets going and starts covering all sorts of things the topic gets lost and hence might not really fit the forum section.
> 
> Any heads up would be great. Thanks.



The general investment forum is a relatively recent addition to ASF.  Previously, the general chat forum was the only home for things of a more general nature that didn't quite fit elsewhere.

What you're noticing is probably a number of older threads not moved to their rightful home and some older users more comfortable with the older format opening threads in the incorrect forum.

General is for anything that isn't investment related (eg. political discussions) and the general investment forum is for anything that doesn't really fit in any of the other investment related forums.


----------



## stocksontheblock (8 September 2009)

doctorj said:


> The general investment forum is a relatively recent addition to ASF.  Previously, the general chat forum was the only home for things of a more general nature that didn't quite fit elsewhere.
> 
> What you're noticing is probably a number of older threads not moved to their rightful home and some older users more comfortable with the older format opening threads in the incorrect forum.
> 
> General is for anything that isn't investment related (eg. political discussions) and the general investment forum is for anything that doesn't really fit in any of the other investment related forums.




Great, works for me. Thanks!


----------



## Joe Blow (8 September 2009)

stocksontheblock said:


> Hi Joe, maybe if I could ask one more question, could you please clarify the difference between General Chat and General Investment/Economics Chat.




I found we were getting a lot of investment/economic related threads in General Chat, ones that didn't really fit into other forums. I felt there were enough to warrant a seperate forum as General Chat was getting a bit too congested. So topics that should be in there are things like property, super, tax and local/global economic issues.

General Chat I see as being entirely non-investment related - politics and other general miscellaneous topics.


----------



## Joe Blow (8 September 2009)

Ahhhh.. I see docj beat me to it.


----------



## stocksontheblock (8 September 2009)

Joe Blow said:


> I found we were getting a lot of investment/economic related threads in General Chat, ones that didn't really fit into other forums. I felt there were enough to warrant a seperate forum as General Chat was getting a bit too congested. So topics that should be in there are things like property, super, tax and local/global economic issues.
> 
> General Chat I see as being entirely non-investment related - politics and other general miscellaneous topics.




MMM, ok, thanks. How do I get a thread moved? I started one today about Super, yet thought it was more general, now after seeing what you and doctorj have said it should come under Gen Invest/Economics


----------



## doctorj (8 September 2009)

stocksontheblock said:


> MMM, ok, thanks. How do I get a thread moved? I started one today about Super, yet thought it was more general, now after seeing what you and doctorj have said it should come under Gen Invest/Economics



Done and dusted.


----------



## hijk (8 September 2009)

Hi Joe,

I have enjoyed sifting through the wealth of information on this site. There are a lot of very long threads on here. My suggestion is to default to the end of the thread (newest content) rather the start of the thread (which can be years old) when a topic is chosen.

On a similar theme, for the navigation options at the end of page, which is currently something like: 1,2,3,4, last I would prefer: 1, third last, second last, last options to easily follow the most recent additions.  Hope that makes sense.

cheers,

HIJK


----------



## doctorj (8 September 2009)

hijk said:


> I have enjoyed sifting through the wealth of information on this site. There are a lot of very long threads on here. My suggestion is to default to the end of the thread (newest content) rather the start of the thread (which can be years old) when a topic is chosen.




If you click 'User CP' up the top of the page and then select edit options on the menu (or click here), about 2/3 the way down the page, you'll see the thread display mode setting.  From the drop down box, you can select linear-newest first which will display newest posts at the top of each page.


----------



## hijk (8 September 2009)

thanks dr j, you just saved me a lot of scrolling.


----------



## Donga (8 September 2009)

Hey Joe 

Firstly thanks for your stewardship, I've learn't and profited from the rich postings from my short time on the site and appreciate the standards. You have a serious forum, with lots of depth and wit. 

Some of the old timers need to chill out a wee bit, while appreciating there are standards to be maintained, not much you can do about that. I have little complaint on the formatting and threads etc and expect you'll get positive  suggestions on that front from others. 

Keep up the good work and thanks for asking.


----------



## milothedog (9 September 2009)

Joe,

Have been about a while, but not shared all that much in the Forums....spend most of the day in Chat....:bonk: :

Recently looked into and opened a CFD account.  I found the forums a great source of information, so thought I should probably share a little more info if and when I can....point is...

A lot of us appreciate the site and find it a very useful resource, thanks for your efforts and those of the mods.

PS...some of those extra Smilies in chat could really liven up the day on slow trade days


----------



## So_Cynical (31 October 2009)

Hey Joe..first post with my new wide screen monitor and super fast PC, is there anything i can do to make this site look better on a WS monitor...it all looks like its scrunched into the centre of the screen.

Ive noticed some sites seem to be optimised for WS and others not...what are your plans for this site?


----------



## Naked shorts (31 October 2009)

So_Cynical said:


> Hey Joe..first post with my new wide screen monitor and super fast PC, is there anything i can do to make this site look better on a WS monitor...it all looks like its scrunched into the centre of the screen.
> 
> Ive noticed some sites seem to be optimised for WS and others not...what are your plans for this site?




Its actually a fact that websites that scale with widescreens are harder to read. Its much harder to find the next line of a paragraph the more spread out the text it. I have a widescreen too and I like the fact that ASF stays tight in the middle of it.


----------



## Joe Blow (31 October 2009)

So_Cynical said:


> Hey Joe..first post with my new wide screen monitor and super fast PC, is there anything i can do to make this site look better on a WS monitor...it all looks like its scrunched into the centre of the screen.
> 
> Ive noticed some sites seem to be optimised for WS and others not...what are your plans for this site?




Congrats on your new PC! 

Most ASF members still have screen resolutions of 1680x1050 or less, although I acknowledge things are slowly changing. I'm on 1680x1050 and it looks fine although I think any higher and it would probably start to look a bit funny.

There are changes in store for ASF next year so I imagine I will be rethinking issues such as screen resolutions then. I'm beginning to see websites optimising for resolutions above 1024x768 so the trend is clear.

Hang on in the meantime and next year should see some changes in this area.


----------



## Putty7 (31 October 2009)

Congratulations on a great site, I have taken this financial year off work to learn the market and see if it is something that I can pursue in the future rather than doing 14 - 16hr days in construction, 12hr shifts in mining and having to work away, I have learnt more from ASF than I could ever possibly hope to return being a newbie and have made money and gained strategies based on the insights of some of your members and threads. 

You can look at all the real time charts you want, to get a solid history of a share based on what real traders have thought and their assessments as they happened through the years helps to see the bigger picture with regards to why a chart moved upwards or downwards at a point through time.

Good work Joe and to all your admins, I only hope that I can contribute to make this site an ongoing success.


----------



## wayneL (31 October 2009)

Naked shorts said:


> Its actually a fact that websites that scale with widescreens are harder to read. Its much harder to find the next line of a paragraph the more spread out the text it.




Yep Agree there.



> I have a widescreen too and I like the fact that ASF stays tight in the middle of it.




I like fixed widths too.


----------



## Julia (31 October 2009)

Joe, good to see that the home page index now has the 'go to first unread post' icon on each thread heading, as well as on the particular forum index.
Makes it much more convenient.  Thank you.


----------



## Gringotts Bank (13 March 2012)

Hi Joe,

Where can I view "number of posts today" for the entire forum?

Also, are there back records of the same stat?

I'd like to chart it against the All Ords.

Thanks GB


----------



## rumpole (13 March 2012)

I'm new here, (one of the reffos). Interesting people here.

I don't use the stock side very much, I've been burned a bit by the market, like a lot of people, so I will wait until there is more interest in it and it looks like its on the uptrend.

I can't think of many improvements that need to be made to the forum, generally people are polite. I mainly use the General Chat board and it's fine.

Thank you for a good well managed site.


----------



## Joe Blow (13 March 2012)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Hi Joe,
> 
> Where can I view "number of posts today" for the entire forum?
> 
> ...




Hi GB,

I have access to that data but it's in the back-end of the forum software and not accessible by ASF members. It may be possible to take a screenshot of the data if you wanted to chart it against the All Ords, but I can assure you there is a correlation. I have observed it first hand.



rumpole said:


> I'm new here, (one of the reffos). Interesting people here.
> 
> I don't use the stock side very much, I've been burned a bit by the market, like a lot of people, so I will wait until there is more interest in it and it looks like its on the uptrend.
> 
> ...




Hi Rumpole,

Many thanks for the kind words! 

That ASF remains a friendly and constructive community is something that is very important to me. I accept that sometimes threads will boil over and there may be some harsh words spoken, but that happens every now and again in any online community this size. Rest assured that the moderators and I do our best to keep the disruptive trolls and serial pests out.

Perhaps this may be an opportunity for you to reacquaint yourself with the market and engage in some interesting discussions in the General Chat forum at the same time? Either way, I hope you enjoy your time here at ASF!


----------



## pixel (13 March 2012)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Hi Joe,
> 
> Where can I view "number of posts today" for the entire forum?
> 
> ...



Hi GB,
Great plan. But methinks you'd need some differentiation for a meaningful analysis.
At least count the number of posts on stock-specific topics and general chat topics. Just by eyeballing, I'd suggest when the market is limp, people tend to chat about politics, music, crazy religion; whereas there seems to be more talk about stocks and general investment topics when the market is moving.
Bring it on!


----------



## Trembling Hand (14 March 2012)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Hi Joe,
> 
> Where can I view "number of posts today" for the entire forum?
> 
> ...




GB many moons ago back in the days long long since past during the Bull market I did a  comparison to total post numbers for a given stock to market cap.

I cannot at the moment find it but what it did very roughly show was that the higher the post to market cap the further away from its all time high. Not a good sign. Basically interest came after the best time to be into any stock.

Something similar to what you're thinking?


----------



## Gringotts Bank (14 March 2012)

pixel, in the past I have plotted the number of posts in the humour section on Hotcopper vs the Ords but there was no correlation; that surprised me a bit.  I think it might be a general trend across all market and non-market related threads.

TH I've just noticed that the ASF forum sparks up at certain times and goes dead at others (more so than HC), usually corresponding to the mood of the market.  I thought there might be some sort of leading signal to exploit.  I've noticed on HC people start posting like crazy the moment they have bought in, though that's different to what you're saying.  Maybe the extremes of price action is what attracts posts.

Chart trends _seem _to last longer when the degree of ascent is approx. 45 degrees.  Maybe the number of posts per stock should rise in a similar fashion?


----------



## rumpole (15 March 2012)

Hi Joe,

Is there an RSS feed somewhere on this site ?


----------



## Joe Blow (15 March 2012)

rumpole said:


> Hi Joe,
> 
> Is there an RSS feed somewhere on this site ?




Hi Rumpole,

You can access ASF's RSS feed here: https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/-/index.rss


----------



## bellenuit (15 March 2012)

Maybe add Like and Dislike buttons to already made posts (with a counter for each) so that one can express one's opinion on a post without having to write a new post to do so.


----------



## Joe Blow (15 March 2012)

bellenuit said:


> Maybe add Like and Dislike buttons to already made posts (with a counter for each) so that one can express one's opinion on a post without having to write a new post to do so.




This is definitely on the to-do list and should be less than a couple of months away.


----------



## rumpole (15 March 2012)

Joe Blow said:


> Hi Rumpole,
> 
> You can access ASF's RSS feed here: https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/-/index.rss




Thanks Joe


----------



## Gringotts Bank (20 March 2012)

I had an idea for a one-off competition.

Let's choose say 10 speccy stocks (chosen randomly - so that no one is advantaged).  
Then a group of practitioners of each of the following methods* can analyze and submit trades (long only) on these ten stocks.... and see which comes out ahead over a set period of time.  

*some common methods
-depth reading
-(horizontal) support/resistance
-trendline support/resistance
-swing trading
-breakout trading
-pattern trading (other than breakout)
-wkykoff/vsa
-momentum 
-indicator trading (hey, why not?!)
-candle/candle patterns
-gap trading
-your own method/other

You nominate your method, stock, entry time and price, sell time and price.

If "the skill of the practitioner" is your objection and reason for not participating, then how useful is the method?  See?  *Can the method stand alone* - that's what I want to know, and so do you!  My bet is no method can stand alone.  And if I'm right about that, why use a system at all?  Why not go the dartboard method?

Position sizing must be a fixed amount and the same for everyone and every trade, for obvious reasons.
Stops and targets can be made with different methods if desired.  eg. you can enter on a 'breakout' method and sell on massive momentum spike.

Joe?


----------



## Joe Blow (21 March 2012)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Joe?




Sounds fine to me. I'll even throw in some prizes if there are enough people willing to give it a go.

There will need to be someone collating all the entry and exit points. Any volunteers?


----------



## So_Cynical (28 December 2012)

Hey Joe, hope your Xmas was Merry. 

I have always thought it would be a good idea to have a little more profile info in the space under our avatar when posting..this would firstly help new people get a handle on what it is that we all do and the differences between us and also help everyone with understanding where we are coming from and perhaps why we have the positions that we do.

I did a bit of an example...perhaps its a little to much info, and of course you would have an opt out option for those that want more privacy.
~


----------



## DB008 (28 December 2012)

Have different types of memberships on ASF?

As an example below (hypothetical only)

ASF Silver membership - $10 per year. 

200 PM storage
X% discount to magazine subscription (eg, Economist/Time/Business)
Discount on xzy broker/bonus on term deposit
Receive quarterly market update from brokering house (Commsec/Mac Bank/Marcus Today)
Invitation to ASF End of Financial year BBQ
Ad free ASF browsing

ASF Gold membership - $15 per year

500 PM storage
 X% discount to magazine subscription (eg, Economist/Time/Business)
Discount on xyz broker/bonus on term deposit
Receive monthly market update from brokering house (Commsec/Mac Bank/Marcus Today)
Invitation to finance/share trade seminar, 3 times per year
Invitation to ASF End of Financial year BBQ
Ad free ASF browsing


----------



## DocK (28 December 2012)

I've noticed there are quite a few of us who simply quote a post and add +1, to show agreement or endorsement of a comment.  Maybe the ability to simply click an "agree"  icon (definately not "like"), or a "good post/bad post" ticker would be useful?


----------



## tech/a (28 December 2012)

GG

I can see what your looking to do.
But consider this.

10 randomly selected stocks ay not give a signal for all or any of the methods 
Used to trade.

A loss or even a string of losses doesn't necessarily indicate a failure of a method.
A win or a string of wins doesn't necessarily indicate a profitable method.

The only real way of getting a fairly reliable indication of a profitable method is
Thorough backtesting. From here you will have a set of statistics or blueprint
That you can compare your trading in realtime with.

You'll also have a stock selection formula which will give SPECIFIC stock selections which are 
For the method trading.

Also many stand alone methods are quite poor on their own so many
Profitable systems/methods are combinations of a few ideas.

If you really want to dissect methods you need specific methods that have been disclosed
There are 4 including one of mine fully disclosed in Radges book " Unholy Grails "


----------



## Joe Blow (28 December 2012)

Many thanks for the feedback and suggestions! 

I will respond to each one in more detail over the weekend.

Tech, did you intend to post that in another thread?


----------



## Julia (28 December 2012)

DocK said:


> I've noticed there are quite a few of us who simply quote a post and add +1, to show agreement or endorsement of a comment.  Maybe the ability to simply click an "agree"  icon (definately not "like"), or a "good post/bad post" ticker would be useful?



Yes, I'd like an 'agree' icon also.  Though I guess most of us get what the +1 means now.
I'd love to have an icon which indicates a sad sigh of "oh god, here we go again".


----------



## pixel (28 December 2012)

DocK said:


> I've noticed there are quite a few of us who simply quote a post and add +1, to show agreement or endorsement of a comment.  Maybe the ability to simply click an "agree"  icon (definately not "like"), or a "good post/bad post" ticker would be useful?




+1 
I'll second that; it would also help to then show the individual's tallies (# good, # bad) below their avatar.
I'd probably go one step further and distinguish between share-related posts and "sundries". Otherwise, a person rarely, if ever, expressing an opinion about share trading could achieve a high tally for just finding like-minded Labor-lovers or Greens-haters ... 
(After all, this is the Aussie *Stock* Forum.)
 from Pixel.


----------



## Joe Blow (28 December 2012)

If you agree with another suggestion, or would like to comment further on someone's else's, please post in this thread and let me know. 

Doing so will not only create more food for thought, but will give me an idea of which suggestions are the most popular.


----------



## pixel (28 December 2012)

Members List:
When I registered in 2010, I found my "real" moniker (arty) was already taken.
Just by accident I came across the "owner" and found he/she had registered in 2007, but not made a single post and last visited a few months after registering.

(I thought it could actually have been possible that I had registered, but forgotten all about it; especially as the last use of that nic coincided with my starting a long holiday, during which I abstained from all trading-related activities - with the exception of a few Trinity Seminars along the way  )

Maybe there is an advantage in having lots and lots of sleeping registrations on the list; but if someone hasn't visited for years, a Purge and Consolidate might be in order?

PS: DB008's suggestion of an annual membership would quite easily facilitate this. Doesn't mean there has to be necessarily a "fee" for the annual renewal; the fee could be waived, or status upgraded, if a member had been actively contributing to the various discussions.


----------



## burglar (28 December 2012)

I have dropped my signature because it is tongue-in-cheek and the default is on.

I would like a choice of perhaps two (1 sirius+1 funny) with the default being off.

Also the update of signature, updates past posts.
I like to see it sticky.

Appreciate, it is a small matter, ignore if you wish!



Happy New Year!


----------



## tech/a (28 December 2012)

Joe Blow said:


> Many thanks for the feedback and suggestions!
> 
> I will respond to each one in more detail over the weekend.
> 
> Tech, did you intend to post that in another thread?




Oops GG ' s post back in March!


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (28 December 2012)

tech/a said:


> Oops GG ' s post back in March!




To my knowledge I have never posted on this thread, unless I transgressed and it has been removed.

gg


----------



## wayneL (28 December 2012)

Like, agree buttons etc are a good idea, but I'm agin any tally of 'likes' or karma points and suchlike.

You get the phenomenon of the 'karma *****' an overall negative for a forum IMO.


----------



## waza1960 (28 December 2012)

> To my knowledge I have never posted on this thread, unless I transgressed and it has been removed.
> 
> gg




  GG I believe tech was referring to GB'S Post


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (28 December 2012)

waza1960 said:


> GG I believe tech was referring to GB'S Post




He has never been good with a keyboard or spellin.

gg


----------



## Julia (28 December 2012)

wayneL said:


> Like, agree buttons etc are a good idea, but I'm agin any tally of 'likes' or karma points and suchlike.



Please spare us the Facebook language of "like".  Let's not be slavish followers of popular social media.


----------



## tech/a (28 December 2012)

Ooops again
GB not GG


----------



## wayneL (28 December 2012)

Julia said:


> Please spare us the Facebook language of "like".  Let's not be slavish followers of popular social media.




Yes.... what was I thinking?


----------



## burglar (28 December 2012)

Julia said:


> Please spare us the Facebook language of "like".  Let's not be slavish followers of popular social media.




It will rarely be used (IMO), it will not replace +1, and how did you know it as "Facebook language"?


----------



## springhill (28 December 2012)

So_Cynical said:


> Hey Joe, hope your Xmas was Merry.
> 
> I have always thought it would be a good idea to have a little more profile info in the space under our avatar when posting..this would firstly help new people get a handle on what it is that we all do and the differences between us and also help everyone with understanding where we are coming from and perhaps why we have the positions that we do.
> 
> ...






DB008 said:


> Have different types of memberships on ASF?
> 
> As an example below (hypothetical only)
> 
> ...




Both of these are excellent ideas, I would like to see both implemented.

The idea of a small fee going to ASF warrants serious consideration, for the financial support it would provide to ASF it is small sacrifice for the wealth of information and time spent by posters.
Of course it is optional, and a few extra features should be enough incentive, as long as it is not cost negative to Joe to implement the additional options.


----------



## sails (29 December 2012)

I think a fee, no matter how small, can discourage casual newcomers (who might become regulars over time) and so agree it would need to be optional. But then I don't know that $10 or $15 per year would pay for all those suggested add ons either. 

I also like DocK's suggestion of an "agree" button (as opposed to a "like" button) as people seem to use "like" ratings more to show their agreement.  I think a "disagree" button  is not a good idea as that can intimidate or discourage posters and it is better that reasons are given for disagreement in a reply rather than just hit a button. 

That's my  so far...


----------



## tech/a (29 December 2012)

springhill said:


> Both of these are excellent ideas, I would like to see both implemented.
> 
> The idea of a small fee going to ASF warrants serious consideration, for the financial support it would provide to ASF it is small sacrifice for the wealth of information and time spent by posters.
> Of course it is optional, and a few extra features should be enough incentive, as long as it is not cost negative to Joe to implement the additional options.




I give my analysis for FREE not a fee.
While I support Joe I'm not an employee.


----------



## explod (29 December 2012)

tech/a said:


> I give my analysis for FREE not a fee.
> While I support Joe I'm not an employee.




Agree. 

Best way to support the site,

when you need something or a service keep ASF advertisers in mind and tell them where you heard about them too.


----------



## tech/a (29 December 2012)

explod said:


> Agree.
> 
> Best way to support the site,
> 
> when you need something or a service keep ASF advertisers in mind and tell them where you heard about them too.




15 odd years ago Stock Central introduced payed membership.
It fell apart in a few years.


----------



## springhill (29 December 2012)

tech/a said:


> I give my analysis for FREE not a fee.
> While I support Joe I'm not an employee.




I am not talking about the dollars going in your pocket. Therefore you are still working for free.


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## prawn_86 (29 December 2012)

It is becoming more and more common for forums and other free websites to offer additional services such as ad-free browsing for a small fee. This way those who want to pay can, and it has no effect on new registrations or those who wish to keep it as it is.

I'm sure Joe will consider these ideas and probably seek more feedback from everyone


----------



## tech/a (29 December 2012)

springhill said:


> I am not talking about the dollars going in your pocket. Therefore you are still working for free.




Yeh I know
But someone will be charging a fee for everyone
I'm not comfortable contributing on that basis.

If it was done I would not contribute charts or research.


----------



## Logique (29 December 2012)

Julia said:


> Please spare us the Facebook language of "like".  Let's not be slavish followers of popular social media.



Agree, we can do without vacuous social media gimmickry.


----------



## nulla nulla (29 December 2012)

If you introduce a subscription fee several things will happen:

1. Some existing members will leave and the forum will be poorer for the loss of their contribution;
2. New members will decrease as the subscription fee will be a disincentive to join when there are other forums not charging a fee; and
3. Someone will eventually decide to sue the forum owners/members because they paid a subscription, acted on the information accessed and lost money.


----------



## Joules MM1 (29 December 2012)

prawn_86 said:


> It is becoming more and more common for forums and other free websites to offer additional services such as ad-free browsing for a small fee. This way those who want to pay can, and it has no effect on new registrations or those who wish to keep it as it is.
> 
> I'm sure Joe will consider these ideas and probably seek more feedback from everyone




great idea....has everything to do with choice of service....


----------



## Joe Blow (30 December 2012)

So_Cynical said:


> Hey Joe, hope your Xmas was Merry.
> 
> I have always thought it would be a good idea to have a little more profile info in the space under our avatar when posting..this would firstly help new people get a handle on what it is that we all do and the differences between us and also help everyone with understanding where we are coming from and perhaps why we have the positions that we do.
> 
> ...




I'm coming back to this suggestion first as I feel it has quite a bit of potential and would be relatively easy to implement. However, I think that the amount of new information in the profile should be limited to the most essential/important, otherwise it might get a bit cluttered and confusing.

What new profile fields would everyone like to see introduced?


----------



## So_Cynical (30 December 2012)

Joe Blow said:


> I'm coming back to this suggestion first as I feel it has quite a bit of potential and would be relatively easy to implement. However, I think that the amount of new information in the profile should be limited to the most essential/important, otherwise it might get a bit cluttered and confusing.
> 
> What new profile fields would everyone like to see introduced?




I think that the main 4 would be some sort of Risk tolerance indicator, the main instrument you trade and the type of trading that you do, like support buyer, trend follower, discretionary, Contrarian, value etc and perhaps a simple bull or bear sentiment indicator.


----------



## cynic (30 December 2012)

Joe Blow said:


> I'm coming back to this suggestion first as I feel it has quite a bit of potential and would be relatively easy to implement. However, I think that the amount of new information in the profile should be limited to the most essential/important, otherwise it might get a bit cluttered and confusing.
> 
> What new profile fields would everyone like to see introduced?




Trading Style, Favourite Trading Instrument (e.g. BHP, FTSE 100, JPY/EUR, Gold etc.), Trade Frequency and Average Exposure per Trade (e.g. $13k, 10GBP per point, 3 lots, 17oz etc.) would be my preferences, provided of course that they're kept optional as not all posters will be comfortable about making such disclosures.


----------



## prawn_86 (31 December 2012)

Joe Blow said:


> What new profile fields would everyone like to see introduced?




I would like to see a % of general chat vs other areas posting. That way users can see who is more active in stock and investment threads as opposed to general chat


----------



## dutchie (31 December 2012)

prawn_86 said:


> I would like to see a % of general chat vs other areas posting. That way users can see who is more active in stock and investment threads as opposed to general chat




Now that would be very useful information.


----------



## pixel (31 December 2012)

prawn_86 said:


> I would like to see a % of general chat vs other areas posting. That way users can see who is more active in stock and investment threads as opposed to general chat




+2, 
that could also serve the purpose of my earlier suggestion of separate "agree/disagree" counters


----------



## DB008 (31 December 2012)

prawn_86 said:


> I would like to see a % of general chat vs other areas posting. That way users can see who is more active in stock and investment threads as opposed to general chat




I don't post much of my share trading actions online.

95%+ of my posts are in 'General Chat'. It doesn't mean l am not activly share trading irl, I just don't post it on a open internet forum.


----------



## boofis (31 December 2012)

DB008 said:


> I don't post much of my share trading actions online.
> 
> 95%+ of my posts are in 'General Chat'. It doesn't mean l am not activly share trading irl, I just don't post it on a open internet forum.




Why not lol? Just in case a heap of people jump on board and help the sp


----------



## Julia (31 December 2012)

DB008 said:


> I don't post much of my share trading actions online.
> 
> 95%+ of my posts are in 'General Chat'. It doesn't mean l am not activly share trading irl, I just don't post it on a open internet forum.






boofis said:


> Why not lol? Just in case a heap of people jump on board and help the sp



I don't think DB008 is obliged to offer a reason why he doesn't want to post his trading.
Some of us prefer to keep our financial decisions to ourselves.


----------



## prawn_86 (31 December 2012)

Julia said:


> I don't think DB008 is obliged to offer a reason why he doesn't want to post his trading.
> Some of us prefer to keep our financial decisions to ourselves.




Doesnt mean you cannot offer thoughts or opinions on stocks you own or are researching without saying that you have a position in that stock


----------



## Julia (31 December 2012)

prawn_86 said:


> Doesnt mean you cannot offer thoughts or opinions on stocks you own or are researching without saying that you have a position in that stock



No, of course not.  But what DB was saying was 







> I don't post much of my share trading actions online.



and he was mocked for it.


----------



## nulla nulla (31 December 2012)

So_Cynical said:


> Hey Joe, hope your Xmas was Merry.
> 
> I have always thought it would be a good idea to have a little more profile info in the space under our avatar when posting..this would firstly help new people get a handle on what it is that we all do and the differences between us and also help everyone with understanding where we are coming from and perhaps why we have the positions that we do.
> 
> ...




Excellent idea. Seperate the wheat from the chaff. Let forum members know who trades in what sector(s), style of trading, volume of trades, claimed success or lack there of etc. Only problem would be the wanna be's making stupid claims and the challenges from those less successful against those making legitimate claims to reasonable success.



prawn_86 said:


> I would like to see a % of general chat vs other areas posting. That way users can see who is more active in stock and investment threads as opposed to general chat




A definite goer. You could claim all you like in the first suggestion but your independently correlated record of posts would demonstrate immediately whether the majority of your posts were in stocks or posted in general chat.


----------



## wayneL (31 December 2012)

nulla nulla said:


> Excellent idea. Seperate the wheat from the chaff. Let forum members know who trades in what sector(s), style of trading, volume of trades, claimed success or lack there of etc. Only problem would be the wanna be's making stupid claims and the challenges from those less successful against those making legitimate claims to reasonable success.
> 
> 
> 
> A definite goer. You could claim all you like in the first suggestion but your independently correlated record of posts would demonstrate immediately whether the majority of your posts were in stocks or posted in general chat.




Well, what about us option freaks.

Not much conversation on them really, hence most of my posts end up in general chat. But given the opportunity, I have much more to add.


----------



## cynic (31 December 2012)

DB008 said:


> I don't post much of my share trading actions online.
> 
> 95%+ of my posts are in 'General Chat'. It doesn't mean l am not activly share trading irl, I just don't post it on a open internet forum.




+1

I am generally happy to allude to some of my trading activities, but am reluctant to extend an open invitation to "wannabe" traders to impress me with their unsolicited advice on more efficient ways of losing my hard earned.


----------



## Joules MM1 (31 December 2012)

cynic said:


> reluctant to extend an open invitation to "wannabe" traders to impress me with their unsolicited advice *on more* efficient ways of losing my hard earned.




so, does that mean youre already......oh......erm.....all depends on how that's read......but.....packed with lulz


----------



## sptrawler (31 December 2012)

DB008 said:


> I don't post much of my share trading actions online.
> 
> 95%+ of my posts are in 'General Chat'. It doesn't mean l am not activly share trading irl, I just don't post it on a open internet forum.




I agree with you DB008, talking about general trends of markets is one thing. Telling posters what you think regarding a share or your trading preferences, opens up pandoras box for some posters.


----------



## So_Cynical (31 December 2012)

prawn_86 said:


> I would like to see a % of general chat vs other areas posting. That way users can see who is more active in stock and investment threads as opposed to general chat




Nice that will sort out the ASF right. 

+1



wayneL said:


> Well, what about us option freaks.
> 
> Not much conversation on them really, hence most of my posts end up in general chat. But given the opportunity, I have much more to add.




Having options in your profile as your instrument of choice would somewhat excuse your lack of involvement in stock threads.


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (31 December 2012)

So_Cynical said:


> Nice that will sort out the ASF right.
> 
> +1




It would be good to have all the Commos, Trotskyites and Watermelon Greens have their own thread called "SPLEEN"

For the life of me I do not understand lefties posting on a Stock Forum.

It would be similar to me posting on a hairy legged feminists blog.

gg


----------



## Julia (31 December 2012)

nulla nulla said:


> Let forum members know who trades in what sector(s), style of trading, volume of trades, claimed success or lack there of etc. Only problem would be the wanna be's making stupid claims and the challenges from those less successful against those making legitimate claims to reasonable success.



As if there isn't already enough of this.   Someone describes their trading, only to be met with "I don't believe it"   "Put up some proof"    and any number of other criticisms.
Even people with previously demonstrated records of achievement expose themselves to criticism every time they comment on their approach to either trading or overall wealth creation, often by people who tout themselves as 'successful' with gains of a few hundred dollars.



cynic said:


> +1
> 
> I am generally happy to allude to some of my trading activities, but am reluctant to extend an open invitation to "wannabe" traders to impress me with their unsolicited advice on more efficient ways of losing my hard earned.



Exactly.  The number of wannabes offering criticism to those who are already self supporting is quite bizarre.


----------



## sptrawler (31 December 2012)

It would end up like fuel economies on a caravan forum.
"What are you doing wrong I get 10l/100km pulling a 7m tri axle over the Blue Mountains".
They can't help themselves and on the opposite end of the scale. 
The realists can't let it go and give the scientific,pv,enthalpy,megajoule requirement to overcome rolling and wind resistance.
Best just to leave it as a family forum any deviation at this point would be for the worst.IMO
Maybe when we are on a roll and everyones a winner.


----------



## DB008 (1 January 2013)

boofis said:


> Why not lol? Just in case a heap of people jump on board and help the sp




LOL.

Have only mentioned a few shares I hold in the past (which have possibly changed now). Have a few holdings (re; 5+), paying between 8%-12% dividend return, plus share movement in the right direction on top of that. These shares also fly under the radar of most hedge/managed funds, but are solid stocks to hold, in my opinion.

The only share holding I have actively posted recently on ASF is asx:AEU. My holding is up ~35% with a 10% return dividend. In my opinion, AEU is fully priced and I will be on the lookout for somewhere else to park some capital.

I don't act on advice on shares from ASF and do my own thing with my mentor. I have found that works better.

I don't contribute to specific ASF stock threads as I don't want to offer bad advice or analysis (not that you are meant to anyways per ASF rules), but have immense respect for people who contribute to ASF in a positive way (re - Tech/a - WayneL) and help other people with improving their trading techniques (for the better).

The goal is to make money and have some fun in the process.

Happy New Years....


----------



## gav (1 January 2013)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> It would be good to have all the Commos, Trotskyites and Watermelon Greens have their own thread called "SPLEEN"
> 
> For the life of me I do not understand lefties posting on a Stock Forum.
> 
> ...




Perhaps we could get their avatars changed to the hammer and sickle


----------



## Some Dude (1 January 2013)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> For the life of me I do not understand lefties posting on a Stock Forum.




Maybe your 2013 resolution should be to seek a genuine and real answer for this potentially perceptive question.


----------



## explod (1 January 2013)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> It would be good to have all the Commos, Trotskyites and Watermelon Greens have their own thread called "SPLEEN"
> 
> For the life of me I do not understand lefties posting on a Stock Forum.
> 
> ...




Why?

A bit conscionable sometimes are we, 

do not like the feathers ruffled, 

like to think the world is all lovely.

Having had a wonderful Grandmother, who's family was virtually destroyed through war and the great depression, having lived on both sides of the fences, having worked with the downtrodden and poor I can say there is another side.

However I have come to realise that until one is touched emotionally any proper understanding is not possible.   So that we will continue to have wars, revolutions and uprisings by the have not's over the have's.

And I will keep sticking the pins in for 2013


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (1 January 2013)

explod said:


> Why?
> 
> A bit conscionable sometimes are we,
> 
> ...




I wasn't referring to you plod.

You'r a proper Green.

gg


----------



## Julia (1 January 2013)

Agree.  I'm often philosophically at odds with Explod, but I regard him with respect as someone who sincerely believes in what he espouses.  I also admire that he has come through many difficulties with courage and optimism.


----------



## DocK (1 January 2013)

DB008 said:


> I don't act on advice on shares from ASF and do my own thing with my mentor. I have found that works better.
> 
> I don't contribute to specific ASF stock threads as I don't want to offer bad advice or analysis (not that you are meant to anyways per ASF rules), but have immense respect for people who contribute to ASF in a positive way (re - Tech/a - WayneL) and help other people with improving their trading techniques (for the better).
> 
> ...




+1/Agree

I've found it doesn't take very long for the discerning reader to work out whose opinions are worth taking note of, and likewise it's often very clear which method of trading/investing is used by regular posters.  One only has to read one of the many threads "discussing" the merits of averaging down, as an example, to tell who favours value investing, technical analysis, momentum trading etc etc.  I think anyone who would just slavishly follow the methods or advice of an anonymous poster without doing their own research into the information put forward would be quite mad.  Having said that - it would sometimes be interesting to know the general age/experience level of posters - I've found at times that some that post as if they're experts on a subject have transpired to be barely out of their teens (Starcraftsomethinganyone?).


----------



## sptrawler (9 January 2013)

I don't know if anyone has suggested it yet, but on some forums they have a list of members who are online and logged in to the forum.
I think this is quite good as it makes you aware and reduces the chance of posts getting out of step with the discussion.
Just a thought.


----------



## Some Dude (9 January 2013)

sptrawler said:


> I don't know if anyone has suggested it yet, but on some forums they have a list of members who are online and logged in to the forum.
> I think this is quite good as it makes you aware and reduces the chance of posts getting out of step with the discussion.
> Just a thought.




Very good point. Some forums display posts that have been added or edited to the thread you are about to post to before confirming that you want to send your own post.


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (9 January 2013)

sptrawler said:


> I don't know if anyone has suggested it yet, but on some forums they have a list of members who are online and logged in to the forum.
> I think this is quite good as it makes you aware and reduces the chance of posts getting out of step with the discussion.
> Just a thought.




Just go to " Quick Links " on the top right hand side.

Then click on Who's Online

gg


----------



## galumay (9 January 2013)

I am only fairly new here, but very experienced on other forums. I am a bit surprised by the amount of radical right wing extremism posted in the off topic forums. Not sure this sort of rubbish adds any value, but I just avoid reading it let alone posting so it doesnt really affect me other than cluttering the recent posts list with a lot of crazy thread titles!

Overall it seems to be an easy to navigate site with generally sensible and friendly members.


----------



## sptrawler (9 January 2013)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> Just go to " Quick Links " on the top right hand side.
> 
> Then click on Who's Online
> 
> gg




Cheers GG, I didn't realise how many people who don't like my posts, are watching.OMG


----------



## CanOz (9 January 2013)

galumay said:


> I am only fairly new here, but very experienced on other forums. I am a bit surprised by the amount of radical right wing extremism posted in the off topic forums. Not sure this sort of rubbish adds any value...




LOL! 

Someone noticed!!

CanOz


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (9 January 2013)

galumay said:


> I am only fairly new here, but *very experienced* on other forums. I am a bit *surprised* by the amount of radical right wing extremism posted in the off topic forums. Not sure this sort of rubbish adds any value, but I just avoid reading it let alone posting so it doesnt really affect me other than cluttering the recent posts list with a lot of *crazy thread titles!*
> 
> Overall it seems to be an easy to navigate site with *generally sensible and friendly members*.






CanOz said:


> LOL!
> 
> Someone noticed!!
> 
> CanOz




Sorry CanOz,

Can you look after this guy, I'm laughing so much I just don't have the energy to reply.

Explore his demographics and the quality of his quill, and ask him if, we good, could have some access to his "gems" on other forums.

gg


----------



## galumay (9 January 2013)

CanOz said:


> LOL!
> 
> Someone noticed!!
> 
> CanOz




I will try to avoid the dripping irony! 

I am guessing plenty of others have noticed too, like me they probably avoid that area of the forums.

My experience with engaging in debate with extremists in online forums taught me it is a zero sum game. They post to draw attention to themselves, usually rely on ad hominem attacks, emotional language and are often trolls or flamers intent on wreaking havoc behind the cloak of online anonymity.

As I said the only distraction it causes is the cluttering of my 'new posts' list, overall I find the site very well laid out, and members helpful and willing to share their personal investing knowledge.


----------



## Julia (9 January 2013)

galumay, perhaps consider the value of people who have a bit of a sense of humour.
If you are sensible enough to avoid threads which have no appeal to you, then why bother even commenting on them?

Maybe also, wait until you've been a member for more than a minute and a half before you pass judgement on so many.


----------



## Ves (9 January 2013)

Julia said:


> Maybe also, wait until you've been a member for more than a minute and a half before you pass judgement on so many.



Join date September 2011!


----------



## sails (9 January 2013)

galumay said:


> ...I am a bit surprised by the amount of radical right wing extremism posted in the off topic forums.....




But you are not surprised by the radical left wing extremism by some posters? 

And some of the commentary is not by radical right wing extremists at all.  Many are simply fed up  and want change.  There is nothing radical or extremist about that.  

No need to rudely call other posters radical  and extremist just because you have a different viewpoint.





Ves said:


> Join date September 2011!




But only 8 posts!


----------



## Sean K (10 January 2013)

galumay said:


> *I will try to avoid the dripping irony! *
> 
> I am guessing plenty of others have noticed too, like me they probably avoid that area of the forums.
> 
> My experience with engaging in debate with extremists in online forums taught me it is a zero sum game. *They post to draw attention to themselves, usually rely on ad hominem attacks, emotional language and are often trolls or flamers intent on wreaking havoc behind the cloak of online anonymity.*



Yes, I agree, galumay.


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (10 January 2013)

kennas said:


> Yes, I agree, galumay.




Agree keenas. Good assessment.

+1


----------



## burglar (10 January 2013)

galumay said:


> ... like me they probably avoid that area of the forums ...




I would not mind if politics was *left right *out.
Meanwhile I avoid!!






Regarding Join Date, I have had one since I joined.
And post count of #8, I have held that at some point.
Hardly relevant to anything, except trolling!


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (10 January 2013)

Julia said:


> galumay, perhaps consider the value of people who have a bit of a sense of humour.
> If you are sensible enough to avoid threads which have no appeal to you, then why bother even commenting on them?
> 
> Maybe also, wait until you've been a member for more than a minute and a half before you pass judgement on so many.






Ves said:


> Join date September 2011!






sails said:


> But you are not surprised by the radical left wing extremism by some posters?
> 
> And some of the commentary is not by radical right wing extremists at all.  Many are simply fed up  and want change.  There is nothing radical or extremist about that.
> 
> ...






kennas said:


> Yes, I agree, galumay.






burglar said:


> I would not mind if politics was *left right *out.
> Meanwhile I avoid!!
> 
> 
> ...





A simple google search may illuminate on the virtuous "gulamay", or on twitter @gulamay. If it is he or she.

ASF is a broad church and I welcome him nonetheless.

One wonders why he skips from forum to forum.

Perhaps it is because of his brilliance.

gg


----------



## Joe Blow (10 January 2013)

Just briefly on this topic:

We do not screen those registering at ASF on the basis of their political views or allegiances. Also, we do not moderate on the basis of anyone's views, political or otherwise, unless those views violate the ASF TOU, of which there is no political component.

If the ASF membership appears to lean to the right, then that is simply because a majority of those who have registered and participate at ASF lean to the right. It has not been planned or engineered in any way. That is just the way that the ASF community has evolved over time.


----------



## galumay (10 January 2013)

Joe Blow said:


> Just briefly on this topic:
> 
> We do not screen those registering at ASF on the basis of their political views or allegiances. Also, we do not moderate on the basis of anyone's views, political or otherwise, unless those views violate the ASF TOU, of which there is no political component.
> 
> If the ASF membership appears to lean to the right, then that is simply because a majority of those who have registered and participate at ASF lean to the right. It has not been planned or engineered in any way. That is just the way that the ASF community has evolved over time.




I dont think myself, or anyone else was suggesting that there was any screening or bias, sorry if my observations came across that way.

My reflections were simply giving feedback as per the thread request, and as noted its not a big deal for me as I just ignore this sort of content.


----------



## Joe Blow (10 January 2013)

galumay said:


> I dont think myself, or anyone else was suggesting that there was any screening or bias, sorry if my observations came across that way.
> 
> My reflections were simply giving feedback as per the thread request, and as noted its not a big deal for me as I just ignore this sort of content.




Was just responding generally as the same observation has been made before. I suppose it stands to reason that a stock market forum will lean more to the right than the left.

Apologies if I seemed a little terse in my reply. I assure you it wasn't intentional.

Many thanks for the feedback!


----------



## sails (10 January 2013)

Joe Blow said:


> Was just responding generally as the same observation has been made before. I suppose it stands to reason that a stock market forum will lean more to the right than the left....




Joe, this seems to be typical on other stock market forums which I have visited so it's not unique to ASF.  

And what is also typical elsewhere is that anyone who is looking for a change of government  are often rudely labelled as radical and extremist by the left.  That is unnecessary, imo, and only flames angry responses.


----------



## basilio (10 January 2013)

kennas said:


> Yes, I agree, galumay.




And not surprisingly I also agree.

There is much to like about ASF.  I have certainly gained value from thoughtful share research (and offered my own  observations).  

But the aggressiveness of many posters on the political and social forums is, IMO , needlessly nasty.


----------



## Calliope (10 January 2013)

basilio said:


> But the aggressiveness of many posters on the political and social forums is, IMO , needlessly nasty.




And, not surprisingly, I agree with you.


----------



## Some Dude (22 January 2013)

Feature Suggestion:

A mechanism for embedding a link in the quote metadata e.g.

The entry code would be:





The result would look like:


----------



## Country Lad (22 January 2013)

Some Dude said:


> Feature Suggestion:
> 
> A mechanism for embedding a link in the quote metadata




That is already a feature now.  Have a look here which is my response to another of your posts. 

Cheers 
Country Lad


----------



## Some Dude (22 January 2013)

Country Lad said:


> That is already a feature now.  Have a look here which is my response to another of your posts.




I thought that was for referencing ASF posts? i.e. How do I embed an external link as a QUOTE attribute?


----------



## Country Lad (22 January 2013)

Some Dude said:


> I thought that was for referencing ASF posts? i.e. How do I embed an external link as a QUOTE attribute?




Not sure what you mean by that.   Something like this?

Cheers
Country Lad


----------



## DB008 (22 January 2013)

Longer time to edit your own posts.


----------



## Some Dude (22 January 2013)

Country Lad said:


> Not sure what you mean by that.   Something like this?




Yes, but in the quote header in the same manner that you can reference another ASF post.



			
				http://www.google.com said:
			
		

> Google said something




Where the link (or a symbol similar to the green one for ASF posts) is a link to the article you are quoting from.


----------



## Ves (17 February 2013)

Would it be a possibility to either limit the amount of political threads  (as happened in the merged "all-purpose" property thread)?   If that is not a possibility perhaps a separate "political" only sub-forum could be added?   I personally feel that there are too many of these threads over-running the general forum.   The graveyard bumping of inactive threads / posting of new threads often seems a bit superfluous and unnecessary.  

You may say I don't have to click on these threads, but I often see them fill up my "latest posts" list.  If there were less threads those who avoid them would hardly notice them and the actual investing stock threads would be easier to spot in this list.


----------



## Country Lad (17 February 2013)

Ves said:


> Would it be a possibility to either limit the amount of political threads  (as happened in the merged "all-purpose" property thread)?   If that is not a possibility perhaps a separate "political" only sub-forum could be added?   I personally feel that there are too many of these threads over-running the general forum.   The graveyard bumping of inactive threads / posting of new threads often seems a bit superfluous and unnecessary.
> 
> You may say I don't have to click on these threads, but I often see them fill up my "latest posts" list.  If there were less threads those who avoid them would hardly notice them and the actual investing stock threads would be easier to spot in this list.




.. +1


----------



## Joe Blow (17 February 2013)

Some Dude said:


> I thought that was for referencing ASF posts? i.e. How do I embed an external link as a QUOTE attribute?




This is not currently a feature of the forum software. However, it may be able to be modified to allow this. 

My concern is that this would probably not be widely used and it may not be worth the time and expense to get a coder to create a solution.



DB008 said:


> Longer time to edit your own posts.




This is currently set at 20 minutes. If there was demand for this to be increased I could perhaps extend it to 30 minutes, but I wouldn't really feel comfortable making it any longer than that. The longer the post edit time limit is, the more opportunity there is for people to post misleading or baiting posts, or content that otherwise violates the ASF Terms of Use or Code of Conduct and then go back and edit it later, covering their tracks in the process.

My preference is that those posting review their posts immediately after submitting them and finalise them straight away. Any further clarification, or elaboration, can be added later by posting again.



Ves said:


> Would it be a possibility to either limit the amount of political threads  (as happened in the merged "all-purpose" property thread)?   If that is not a possibility perhaps a separate "political" only sub-forum could be added?   I personally feel that there are too many of these threads over-running the general forum.   The graveyard bumping of inactive threads / posting of new threads often seems a bit superfluous and unnecessary.
> 
> You may say I don't have to click on these threads, but I often see them fill up my "latest posts" list.  If there were less threads those who avoid them would hardly notice them and the actual investing stock threads would be easier to spot in this list.




I agree that there are too many individual political threads, especially threads relating to Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott. I have considered merging some of these threads in the past but have decided against it as it may disrupt the existing discussions. However, any further Julia Gillard or Tony Abbot threads will probably be merged into other existing threads from this point forward.

As for the idea of a "Politics" subforum in General Chat, I am open to this, but would need to see some significant support from the ASF community before it is implemented. Could those who support such an idea please post in this thread and let me know? Conversely, if there is opposition to this idea, I would also like to hear it.

I understand that some are irritated by not just the high level of political discussion on ASF, but by the number of apparently superfluous threads that are started by those who want to steer the discussion down a particular partisan path. I do agree that some thread titles are unnecessarily provocative and partisan in nature and designed to deliberately inflame or irritate others. I do agree this is a concern, especially given the history of political threads bubbling over into insults and personal attacks. However, I'm not sure what the answer is, other than to perhaps suggest that those creating deliberately provocative political thread titles re-consider this approach in the future.

Another possibility is to remove all General Chat posts from the "Latest Forum Posts" sidebar. Those with an eye for detail will have noticed that I have already implemented this on the ASF home page. However, again, I feel this is probably an over-reaction and would irritate more people than it would satisfy. If anyone has any feedback to offer regarding this idea, please feel free to post it in this thread.


----------



## prawn_86 (17 February 2013)

Joe Blow said:


> As for the idea of a "Politics" subforum in General Chat, I am open to this, but would need to see some significant support from the ASF community before it is implemented. Could those who support such an idea please post in this thread and let me know? Conversely, if there is opposition to this idea, I would also like to hear it.




Personally i would like to just see 3 or 4 political threads: Liberal, Labor, Greens, Political News; basically all the existing discussions fit within that. Whenever there is a new piece of political news there is no need for a new thread to be created as it could just go under one of those 4 threads.

This means those that just want to talk politics can stay in those threads and those who want to talk stocks/economics have a much cleaner view.


----------



## Miss Hale (17 February 2013)

I really enjoy the political threads but I also think there are too many.  There are some on going political issues that _might_ warrant a thread of their own (Craig Thomson saga for example) but I think most things that come up could go in either in a Gillard/Government thread or an Abbott/Opposition thread.  For me the most annoying thing is when one person posts the latest political news in one of the larger existing threads and someone else starts another thread just for that issue.  We then  have a situation where the same issue is being discussed in two places and people end up repeating their posts and it all gets very confusing.  I personally wouldn't want to see a separate section for politcs as I think it gives it more weight than it warrants on a forum like this (IMHO of course  ).


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (17 February 2013)

A big complaint I have is that there are as many posts on a dawg like PEN in one week as there are on BHP in three months.

Big companies with large price movements are ignored, while small "challenged" stocks are lauded and fought about.

It is a disgrace.

One can make as much on a $20,000 punt on BHP as one can potentially on a similar punt on PEN. Although if punting the latter, one might have ASIC come a calling at such unusual volume.







gg


----------



## Joe Blow (17 February 2013)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> A big complaint I have is that there are as many posts on a dawg like PEN in one week as there are on BHP in three months.
> 
> Big companies with large price movements are ignored, while small "challenged" stocks are lauded and fought about.




GG, there is only one way to get more posts in threads on large cap stocks like BHP and that is for people to post in those threads. One thing I know for certain is that discussion generates more discussion. I see it time and time again. A post appears in a thread on a particular stock, then soon after that another post appears, then another. Pretty soon there's an interesting discussion going on. Look at the REX thread in the last 24 hours.

I would love to see more posts in all stock threads. Nothing would make me happier. All it takes is for people to make an effort to update the threads of stocks they follow with new information such as important announcements, some analysis or even something as simple as an interesting question.

One of the arguments for restricting the amount of General Chat threads is that they tend to overwhelm the stock threads simply because of the significantly higher volume of posts. If the amount of posts in stock threads increased substantially, I think you would find most of the complaints about the amount of posts in General Chat threads would largely disappear because the visibility of stock threads would increase and it wouldn't seem as though every second post was in a thread in the General Chat forum.


----------



## Julia (17 February 2013)

Miss Hale said:


> I really enjoy the political threads but I also think there are too many.  There are some on going political issues that _might_ warrant a thread of their own (Craig Thomson saga for example) but I think most things that come up could go in either in a Gillard/Government thread or an Abbott/Opposition thread.  For me the most annoying thing is when one person posts the latest political news in one of the larger existing threads and someone else starts another thread just for that issue.



I agree with both above points.  I'm interested in politics but do get irritated at the provocatively titled threads.  This sort of thing doesn't lead to thoughtful discussion and is just inflammatory.  There will always be rusted on voters for both main parties, I understand that, but the apparent refusal to apply any objectivity is tedious.

That said, I'm not bothered by any threads about anything.  If it doesn't interest me I just ignore it.
So whatever format the majority want is OK with me.


----------



## pixel (17 February 2013)

My favoured option would be a "New Stock Posts" option on every menu bar.
I guess that could be most easily achieved either by adding a new Search item, or by adding a user preference that would modify the current "New Posts" script.

Alternatively, I'd vote for a reduction of general and political threads. One thread each for "Labor Bashing", "Greens Bashing", Libs Bashing", even "Religion Bashing" would seem enough. Self restraint doesn't seem to work, as the proliferation of new "XXX for PM" shows. Those that need to, can easily "subscribe" to those threads without cluttering the list of new posts for the community at large.


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## Ves (17 February 2013)

prawn_86 said:


> Personally i would like to just see 3 or 4 political threads: Liberal, Labor, Greens, Political News; basically all the existing discussions fit within that. Whenever there is a new piece of political news there is no need for a new thread to be created as it could just go under one of those 4 threads.
> 
> This means those that just want to talk politics can stay in those threads and those who want to talk stocks/economics have a much cleaner view.



I think that this is probably the most favourable approach to me - it's not so much about curtailing the political discussion, it's more about making it more concentrated and organised.  

Joe - I like what you've done by taking the "general chat forum" posts off the main page, but I still think it is handy showing them on the "today's posts" function.


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## burglar (17 February 2013)

Happy with your judgement, Joe!


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## Garpal Gumnut (17 February 2013)

pixel said:


> My favoured option would be a "New Stock Posts" option on every menu bar.
> I guess that could be most easily achieved either by adding a new Search item, or by adding a user preference that would modify the current "New Posts" script.
> 
> Alternatively, I'd vote for a reduction of general and political threads. One thread each for "Labor Bashing", "Greens Bashing", Libs Bashing", even "Religion Bashing" would seem enough. Self restraint doesn't seem to work, as the proliferation of new "XXX for PM" shows. Those that need to, can easily "subscribe" to those threads without cluttering the list of new posts for the community at large.




No room for Libertarian, Nonconformist and Bicycle Riders then?

gg


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## sails (17 February 2013)

prawn_86 said:


> Personally i would like to just see 3 or 4 political threads: Liberal, Labor, Greens, Political News; basically all the existing discussions fit within that. Whenever there is a new piece of political news there is no need for a new thread to be created as it could just go under one of those 4 threads.
> 
> This means those that just want to talk politics can stay in those threads and those who want to talk stocks/economics have a much cleaner view.




Good suggestion, Prawn, although it would be difficult to know which thread at times as labor and greens got married but they might part company at some stage...

But I do agree that it would become more organised if there are less threads, however, perhaps a few more categories than what you have suggested.


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## IFocus (17 February 2013)

prawn_86 said:


> Personally i would like to just see 3 or 4 political threads: Liberal, Labor, Greens, Political News; basically all the existing discussions fit within that. Whenever there is a new piece of political news there is no need for a new thread to be created as it could just go under one of those 4 threads.




Disagree there are many aspects to politics and endless arguments if you are interested in political dialogue. 

If you take away the various threads you take away the various aspects. 



> This means those that just want to talk politics can stay in those threads and those who want to talk stocks/economics have a much cleaner view.




If its bad for Joes business then cull if not its easy to ignore political discussion.

I was disappointed the other day when Kennas moderated a new thread I started to bash Abbott and then another government bashing thread started up without any problems such is life in a forum its not a democracy.

As for the right dominance here and shrill I don't see it as a problem most here are pretty good and we have had a couple of quality posters turn up as of late nice if we had a few more.


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## sptrawler (18 February 2013)

IFocus said:


> Disagree there are many aspects to politics and endless arguments if you are interested in political dialogue.
> 
> If you take away the various threads you take away the various aspects.
> 
> ...




I agree with you, if politacal threads are conducted in an orderly manner, let it run.
I enjoyed the superannuation thread, probably lots didn't.

With regard the share threads, I put up a stock and asked a general question, the first response came in two years later.
If I was going to rely on that sort of interaction, I would join an ATO forum.


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## So_Cynical (18 February 2013)

pixel said:


> Alternatively, I'd vote for a reduction of general and political threads. One thread each for "Labor Bashing", "Greens Bashing", Libs Bashing", even "Religion Bashing" would seem enough. Self restraint doesn't seem to work, as the proliferation of new "XXX for PM" shows. Those that need to, can easily "subscribe" to those threads without cluttering the list of new posts for the community at large.




Seconded.

Easy enough to do, just merge any new 'themed - none original' threads into the appropriate thread.


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## Gringotts Bank (2 March 2013)

My AVG always picks up the following virus from ASF website:

"Exploit Blackhole Exploit Kit Detection type 1965".  Can this virus be removed please?!!

And a lot of days I can't even access the page at all.  I don't want to turn off my AVG and get the virus.


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## Joe Blow (2 March 2013)

Gringotts Bank said:


> My AVG always picks up the following virus from ASF website:
> 
> "Exploit Blackhole Exploit Kit Detection type 1965".  Can this virus be removed please?!!
> 
> And a lot of days I can't even access the page at all.  I don't want to turn off my AVG and get the virus.




This issue has been resolved. Everything should be back to normal now.


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## Gringotts Bank (2 March 2013)

Joe Blow said:


> This issue has been resolved. Everything should be back to normal now.




rightio thanks.


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## Gringotts Bank (2 March 2013)

Gringotts Bank said:


> rightio thanks.




Joe I think my IP address has been blocked.  Still can't log in.  This is from someone else's PC.


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## Joe Blow (4 March 2013)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Joe I think my IP address has been blocked.  Still can't log in.  This is from someone else's PC.




Are you still blocked?


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## Gringotts Bank (6 March 2013)

Joe Blow said:


> Are you still blocked?




I was on the day you posted this (4th).  Yesterday was ok.  

Thanks for looking into it.


----------



## Joe Blow (8 July 2013)

Good morning everyone!

ASF turned nine years old in late May, and we are rapidly closing in on 50,000 registrations, 20,000 threads and 750,000 posts.

All these milestones got me thinking about the level of user satisfaction with ASF, so I have decided to simply revive this old thread and ask for some feedback directly.

What do you like and dislike about ASF in its current form? Feel free to discuss any aspect of ASF, from management to design and functionality.

What changes would you like to see at ASF? Again, this could be anything from design changes to the addition of new content or forum functionality.

Your suggestions and feedback are welcome.


----------



## Logique (8 July 2013)

Congratulations Joe, it's pretty good for mine. I like how you've automated so many functions.

Pale blue backgrounds: I've gotten used to it, but still not completely convinced.


----------



## Julia (8 July 2013)

I like the colours.  One of the best features is the Quote Reply which makes for easy to understand responses.
On the forums that don't have this, it's very messy when someone quotes a previous poster but there is no distinguishing feature which allows the reader to know who said what.

No complaints from me, Joe but appreciation for a well run forum which only occasionally gets unreasonably heated.  Pity about the very few who seem to feel compelled to be inflammatory.

One aspect which may not be the sort of thing you have in mind when asking for feedback is the sense of community that exists.  I think it's great that so many people are prepared to offer help, whether answers to questions, or in more depth such as Sir O's beginners' thread and Tech/A's mentoring of Pavilion.
Neither of these are inconsequential in the lives of people with their own very busy lives and show great generosity of spirit.


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## Sir Osisofliver (8 July 2013)

Julia said:


> One aspect which may not be the sort of thing you have in mind when asking for feedback is the sense of community that exists.  I think it's great that so many people are prepared to offer help, whether answers to questions, or in more depth such as Sir O's beginners' thread and Tech/A's mentoring of Pavilion.
> Neither of these are inconsequential in the lives of people with their own very busy lives and show great generosity of spirit.




Aww shucks.  I do still keep my eye on the Newbie thread. It's been going on for some time now, but I seem to be experiencing a situation that I just get busier as I get older. I shudder to think what retirement is going to be like at this rate. But on the upside it seems like there is now a pool of people who also keep their eye on the thread and jump in to answer questions. I agree that it shows a great sense of community here and I applaud everyone who generously gives their time in helping others understand and especially Joe for providing the medium and doing such a good job of keeping it together.

As for feedback to Joe - 9 years already!!!! Will there be cake on the 10th anniversary? You're doing a great job Joe - keep it up.

Cheers

Sir O


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## MrBurns (8 July 2013)

Ban Macquack


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## skc (8 July 2013)

Joe Blow said:


> Good morning everyone!
> 
> ASF turned nine years old in late May, and we are rapidly closing in on 50,000 registrations, 20,000 threads and 750,000 posts.
> 
> ...




Hi Joe, thank you for all your efforts in providing this wonderful forum.

As to improvements, I think it would be great if we can improve the rating function. At the moment only a thread can be rated and I am not sure it is that widely used (I personally can't remember the last time I rated a thread). 

Perhaps we can rate a post instead. This will replace some of the low-content (albeit well-meaning) replies which contain nothing but  and "+1". The post ratings can then be tallied against a poster, and give the poster a rating as well (something like number of 5-star posts, for example). There can also be a search functionality for top rated posts - doing a serach of such posts in combination with key words would yield the best discussions on particular topics.


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## Gringotts Bank (8 July 2013)

skc said:


> Hi Joe, thank you for all your efforts in providing this wonderful forum.
> 
> As to improvements, I think it would be great if we can improve the rating function. At the moment only a thread can be rated and I am not sure it is that widely used (I personally can't remember the last time I rated a thread).
> 
> Perhaps we can rate a post instead. This will replace some of the low-content (albeit well-meaning) replies which contain nothing but  and "+1". The post ratings can then be tallied against a poster, and give the poster a rating as well (something like number of 5-star posts, for example). There can also be a search functionality for top rated posts - doing a serach of such posts in combination with key words would yield the best discussions on particular topics.




+1 

skc, you just want to see a star next to your name!


----------



## Julia (8 July 2013)

skc said:


> Hi Joe, thank you for all your efforts in providing this wonderful forum.
> 
> As to improvements, I think it would be great if we can improve the rating function. At the moment only a thread can be rated and I am not sure it is that widely used (I personally can't remember the last time I rated a thread).
> 
> Perhaps we can rate a post instead. This will replace some of the low-content (albeit well-meaning) replies which contain nothing but  and "+1". The post ratings can then be tallied against a poster, and give the poster a rating as well (something like number of 5-star posts, for example). There can also be a search functionality for top rated posts - doing a serach of such posts in combination with key words would yield the best discussions on particular topics.



I'm going to disagree on this, skc.  Any ratings will be very subjective and will likely reflect some of the personal animosities that exist.
Re the use of +1, I've not been able to find an appropriate alternative if I just want to endorse what someone has said.  The only option is, when not wanting to add anything, is "I agree", or similar.
What is actually your dislike of +1 based on?
What do you suggest a poster could do instead?

Often I read a post and mentally agree with everything the poster is saying, but in order not to fall back on "I agree" or "+1" I say nothing.  Then that OP doesn't have the satisfaction of knowing his post has hit the spot with others and has been appreciated.

By all means rate threads, but I really don't like the idea of rating individuals.  We all have our strengths and weaknesses and imo it would detract from the present egalitarian nature of the forum.
When I first joined, people were classified as Junior, Intermediate or Senior members according to their numbers of posts.  I was glad when Joe stopped that as quantity never designated quality imo.


I'd be interested in hearing others' opinions on this.


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## Zedd (8 July 2013)

I don't mind the thumbs up + down seen on many comments or forum facilities on the web, as it summarises well the community opinion on a post without taking up thread space.

Otherwise I tend to agree with Julia. Rating users either directly, or indirectly through their posts, serves no purpose other than to provide some sort of indicator on the validity of ones opinions.


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## sails (9 July 2013)

Zedd said:


> I don't mind the thumbs up + down seen on many comments or forum facilities on the web, as it summarises well the community opinion on a post without taking up thread space.
> 
> Otherwise I tend to agree with Julia. Rating users either directly, or indirectly through their posts, serves no purpose other than to provide some sort of indicator on the validity of ones opinions.





I stumbled onto a forum last night and they had an "agree/do not agree" button (as opposed to a "thumbs up/down").  I  agree with Julia that being able to click on an "agree" button shows the poster your support for their post. 

That said, I don't like the negative of "do not agree" (or thumbs down) as that's where feelings get hurt and animosities start, IMO. Just leave it as the positive only.

Agree that user ratings can present problems but having a facility to agree with posts would be a good thing. Maybe worth a trial?


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## Joe Blow (9 July 2013)

Thank you for all the feedback, suggestions, and the kind words. It is very gratifying to know that people enjoy and appreciate ASF. 

I am listening and am very interested in all feedback, so please continue. If you agree with someone else's suggestion, simply quote their post and express your agreement. Similarly, if you disagree with a suggestion, please don't be afraid to let me know.

Many thanks!


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## pixel (9 July 2013)

sails said:


> I stumbled onto a forum last night and they had an "agree/do not agree" button (as opposed to a "thumbs up/down").  *I  agree with Julia that being able to click on an "agree" button shows the poster your support for their post. *
> 
> *So do I*
> 
> ...




+1
Apart from that, I'm happy with ASF.


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## Sir Osisofliver (9 July 2013)

Joe

Ok so I was thinking and reflecting. Taking the question from what would make the forum more attractive.  I read SKC's post, Julia's response and I can see things from both perspectives.

I remember starting here, I would actively search out for a few posters, those that essentially triggered my decision to register in the forum, rather than just lurk.

My decision was based upon wanting to discuss certain concepts in more depth, but the vast majority of people I think who register do so from a desire to learn more because they are just starting out. (Is this reflected in the volume of beginners thread posts and action in the beginners lounge?)

I'm wondering if this is something that could be expanded or enhanced with a separate section - mentoring.  Julia's comment about seeing Tech/A mentoring Pavillion, or the Newbie thread I started really resonated with me.  I can think of several long-term posters in the forum who really have the chops as it were, that would be great mentors within their specialty, or just in general. 

There would have to be a thread for newbies to essentially sign up to be mentored with the topic they want to learn about, and then the designated group of mentors, who'd pick one or two newbies to mentor. You'd have to be careful to make sure that no advice was given so no breach of RG176. (and of course a group of posters willing to be mentors). I don't necessarily think that it needs to be a one on one posting relationship.  We're bound to get similar questions, but the Forum has a tonne of material, and sometimes I see it's hard to find the gems if you are new. IE WayneL's options thread, and as a mentor you'd simply say. Go read "XX thread" and come back and ask me questions on anything that isn't clear. 

I also think this could be good for older forum members in the case that one of us wanted to learn a new topic.  I know if I wanted to learn more about say Volume Spread Analysis, Tech/A would be my go to guy. 

Thoughts?

Sir O


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## Some Dude (9 July 2013)

My suggestion is to ensure neutral thread titles in the General Chat section. As the first commandment states:



Joe Blow said:


> We will no longer be allowing inflammatory threads that are intended solely to provoke and divide the ASF community. If you are starting a thread on a controversial topic please ensure that you frame the discussion in a constructive way. A little pot stirring is fine, but any post that directly insults another ASF member or encourages hatred of or vilifies a particular group of people will be removed and an infraction will be issued.




Many thread titles in the General Chat are framed in some manner but they are also utilised for more general discussion on the core topic. If we accept that our perspective can significantly influence how we perceive whether someone is being constructive or not, then a thread title sets that context before we even enter the topic.

That said, kudos to many people who do frame their thread titles neutrally on potentially controversial topics like kennas (Gay Marriage), Julia (Australia's Homeless), and the political party threads by yourself Joe. I'm not suggesting a wholesale change to all threads but for those threads that are regularly used and problematic in the context of not dividing and usually belittling one section of the ASF community, it would contribute to reducing the inflammatory tone.

Also, making the Five Commandments post a global sticky post for all forum sections. If people are more familiar with the contents of that thread/post, it may help to underpin some improvement in how others are perceived. For example, to myself, this is an obvious thing to do in conversation but others struggle with the concept.



Joe Blow said:


> Do not put words in the mouths of others! This is one of the surest ways to start a fight. If you are uncertain of someone's opinion on a particular issue or are confused by their stance then *ask them to clarify*.




Obviously it won't change the world but having that thread more visible in the section where robust discussion is going to happen may help.


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## Calliope (9 July 2013)

I am happy with the status quo. I agree with you that many conflicts are started by putting words into peoples' mouths or twisting their words .e.g. I might say "I think obesity is becoming a problem with our school children" and get the retort "Why do you hate overweight kids"? This sort of thing happens all the time. It is just taking a cheap shot.

The is one small change I would suggest, and that is the removal of the small triangular "dob in" icon. Use of this icon is one way of settling old scores. If you consider it is desirable to retain it as a monitoring tool, then could I suggest that, if an infraction ensues from this "dob in", then the offender is advised that it is as a result of a "dob in".

In case someone should twist my words , I am not advocating that the informant's name be revealed.


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## MrBurns (9 July 2013)

Congrats Joe, was it all worth it ? 

I don't think a rating system for threads or posts is needed, after all it's just a few peoples opinion and others may find more value in posts that aren't rated so the rating system might distort things
Stickies are important as some threads are heavily used and should be on top.


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## skc (9 July 2013)

Julia said:


> I'm going to disagree on this, skc.  Any ratings will be very subjective and will likely reflect some of the personal animosities that exist.




For threads related to trading, investing and specific companies, a post rating system will help tremendously anyone new to search for the best information quickly.

For posts related to opinion (e.g. any religion / political thread), the post rating system will serve a slightly different purpose. It will show the relative opinion amongst those participating in the post/thread. 



Julia said:


> What is actually your dislike of +1 based on?




I don't dislike +1 apart from what Zedd has said for me.



Zedd said:


> I don't mind the thumbs up + down seen on many comments or forum facilities on the web, as it *summarises well the community opinion on a post without taking up thread space.*




It offers a "lite" way of participation. Plus it allows search for the best information within a thread, instead of having to run over many many pages.



Julia said:


> By all means rate threads, but I really don't like the idea of rating individuals.  We all have our strengths and weaknesses and imo it would detract from the present egalitarian nature of the forum.




Again, Zedd has offered the reason for an indirect poster rating.



Zedd said:


> Otherwise I tend to agree with Julia. Rating users either directly, or indirectly through their posts, serves no purpose other than *to provide some sort of indicator on the validity of ones opinions*.




I think these suggestions enhance the forum as a database of knowledge. I do also acknowledge that the suggestions may alter (for better or worse) certain social aspects of the forum. But they'd be tools that people will learn to use over time.


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## CanOz (9 July 2013)

+1 SKC


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## Julia (9 July 2013)

skc said:


> For threads related to trading, investing and specific companies, a post rating system will help tremendously anyone new to search for the best information quickly.



I understand your point, but believe people are quite able to pretty quickly sort out for themselves where the informed comment lies.



> For posts related to opinion (e.g. any religion / political thread), the post rating system will serve a slightly different purpose. It will show the relative opinion amongst those participating in the post/thread.



I don't really understand what you mean here.  Can you express it differently?
In threads on religion, politics, et al, it's usually very obvious where the dominant opinion lies.

I really don't like the idea of rating posts in any of the General threads.  To do so is to attribute a rating to one person's post by another person who might simply have a different pov, or have some sort of old score to settle.

Politically, there is naturally enough some bias to the Right on ASF, and for those with conservative views to consistently highly rate posts expressing similar views to their own would imo be unfair to those with a Left focus, simply because there are fewer of them.

The whole idea is also inequitable, imo, on the basis of some people having a greater capacity to express themselves than others.  The views of people who perhaps lack some verbal skills shouldn't be discounted because they're less capable of putting forward their ideas persuasively.

All up, I just think it's filled with the potential for hurt feelings and dissension, emotions that are already present here from time to time.

(I remember a thread I started a while ago where I commented on just one of about four responses, only to find one of the other responders say 'what was wrong with my suggestion', obviously feeling chagrined at his opinion not being personally acknowledged.)

I also endorse Sails's comment earlier about the "I Agree"  being fine but not the "Don't Agree".
If we do not agree with something, then I think we are pretty much obligated to explain why.  Otherwise, it's just rather rude.


----------



## skc (9 July 2013)

Julia said:


> I understand your point, but believe people are quite able to pretty quickly sort out for themselves where the informed comment lies.




Can you quickly find me the best post on the topic on position sizing? 

You will search for the key word, and you might find 6 threads and 300 posts. After reading all 300 posts, you find the actual answer offered by 6 different posters, 3 of which are wrong, 2 are incomplete and only one hits the spot. Unforutnately you don't know which one.



Julia said:


> I don't really understand what you mean here.  Can you express it differently?
> In threads on religion, politics, et al, it's usually very obvious where the dominant opinion lies.




Yes if you read the whole thread and has been on the forum for 5 years, it's easy to know the prevailing opinion. If you want a quick glance to see whether gay marriage is supported, a supportive post with 25 "I agree" rating and a non-supportive post with only 3 "I agree" rating will tell me (me being the person who hasn't read every post in the thread or participated from the start) quickly where the opinion lies.



Julia said:


> The whole idea is also inequitable, imo, on the basis of some people having a greater capacity to express themselves than others.  The views of people who perhaps lack some verbal skills shouldn't be discounted because they're less capable of putting forward their ideas persuasively.




It's a forum. If it is not expressed well, it doesn't get rated well. How's that inequitable? I am not rating the person... I am rating the post. 



Julia said:


> All up, I just think it's filled with the potential for hurt feelings and dissension, emotions that are already present here from time to time.




I rarely participate in general threads so I am oblivious to these concerns you are talking about. I will leave it to Joe to decide if a post rating system is suitable for the the forum or the general threads etc.


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## Julia (9 July 2013)

skc said:


> Can you quickly find me the best post on the topic on position sizing?



[
No.  But I don't feel any need to seek anyone's advice on this.  I'm able to work it out for myself.
If I did, I'd probably go to posts by Tech/A first and then yourself.

skc, I get your reasons for wanting to rate trading type posts and believe this to be much less controversial than doing likewise with General posts.  I just don't think you can reasonably apply the same treatment to trading/investment issues as to the much more subjective opinion relating to politics, religion etc.



> Yes if you read the whole thread and has been on the forum for 5 years, it's easy to know the prevailing opinion. If you want a quick glance to see whether gay marriage is supported, a supportive post with 25 "I agree" rating and a non-supportive post with only 3 "I agree" rating will tell me (me being the person who hasn't read every post in the thread or participated from the start) quickly where the opinion lies.



OK, thanks for explaining what you meant.
I still don't think it's necessary.  If someone is sufficiently interested in a topic, they will read through a thread.



> I rarely participate in general threads so I am oblivious to these concerns you are talking about. I will leave it to Joe to decide if a post rating system is suitable for the the forum or the general threads etc.



That's why I tried to point out what I see as the disadvantages and inappropriateness of rating posts in General threads.  I know you almost never participate.
It goes without saying that I'm also happy for Joe to decide whether a rating system would work.
I just can't see any real advantages, but can see plenty of downside.

Might be good to have some input from other people.


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## DocK (10 July 2013)

Julia said:


> No.  But I don't feel any need to seek anyone's advice on this.  I'm able to work it out for myself.
> If I did, I'd probably go to posts by Tech/A first and then yourself.



  And you would do this because you have been a member of the forum for some years, and therefore have already sorted the wheat from the chaff.  From the perspective of a relative newbie, and one who _did_ feel the need to seek information on a variety of investing/trading strategies, I can tell you that it is quite frustrating and time-consuming having to read some of the rubbish posts in order to uncover the gems.  There are some posters on this forum who post as if they have been trading for decades and have a wealth of experience, but who it turns out are still quite young and trade with a very small capital base.  There are others who are not as arrogant or know-it-all who are actually the ones a learner _should_ taken notice of, but whose posts can be lost amongst the chatter.  When I first joined this forum it took some time to figure out who was "talking the talk" and who was actually worth reading.  Some of us are time poor, and a rating system would vastly improve the ability to quickly search out a post (on say how to work out free cash flow for example) particularly if those who know their stuff take the time to "agree" with posts they think worthwhile.



> skc, I get your reasons for wanting to rate trading type posts and believe this to be much less controversial than doing likewise with General posts.  I just don't think you can reasonably apply the same treatment to trading/investment issues as to the much more subjective opinion relating to politics, religion etc.



Agree.  There is a fairly self-evident conservative bias to ASF and it doesn't take long to establish the majority opinion on most of the general chat threads.  Use of "agree/disagree" icons would maybe only serve to further dissuade those with a minority view from trying to debate/discuss/persuade others to their view.




> Might be good to have some input from other people.



.

One other aspect to the general chat threads is that they could be dominated by a relatively small number of posters, and a rating system would only see them "agree" with each others posts, leading to less and less participants.  I know there have been times I've read a thread and started to post a reply, only to think "why bother, it's obvious nobody is going to agree with me and I'd be attempting to change a closed mind", and refrained.  If I saw from the outset that 80% or more of the "agrees" were for posts I disagreed with, I'd probably not ever bother at all.  Then again, I guess it would also provide a way for those less inclined to stick their virtual heads up to be shot down a method of disagreeing with someone anonymously.....


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## tech/a (10 July 2013)

> only one hits the spot.




Ill bite ---Which one?

I personally like the Idea of some sort of Like--Interest indicator

For me it would give me an idea where the interest lies and --- being time poor
where to direct what time I have. Speaking of course about threads where I post info and discuss ideas.


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## pavilion103 (10 July 2013)

Haven't had time to read through this all. Not sure if mentioned or even possible but would love an "alert" function which alerts users to when their posts have been quoted.

I don't have the time to scroll through everything. Often I'll go back and realize someone asked me something and I didn't even realize.

Would be a huge help.


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## boofis (10 July 2013)

I don't know whether it's possible, but I'd love to see a bit more accuracy in the search function e.g. when using the advanced search and going with a User aswell as a keyterm you might get the correct thread you're after, but that thread has 100 pages in it so the search isn't that useful as you still have to manually trawl the entire thread. 

Also agree with the rating system (specifically regarding trading/investing) for the aforementioned reasons.


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## pixel (10 July 2013)

tech/a said:


> I personally like the Idea of some sort of Like--Interest indicator
> 
> For me it would give me an idea where the interest lies and --- being time poor
> where to direct what time I have. Speaking of course about threads where I post info and discuss ideas.




Ditto


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## Julia (10 July 2013)

DocK said:


> And you would do this because you have been a member of the forum for some years, and therefore have already sorted the wheat from the chaff.  From the perspective of a relative newbie, and one who _did_ feel the need to seek information on a variety of investing/trading strategies, I can tell you that it is quite frustrating and time-consuming having to read some of the rubbish posts in order to uncover the gems.



I understand that and it's why I said 







> skc, I get your reasons for wanting to rate trading type posts and believe this to be much less controversial than doing likewise with General posts. I just don't think you can reasonably apply the same treatment to trading/investment issues as to the much more subjective opinion relating to politics, religion etc.






> There are some posters on this forum who post as if they have been trading for decades and have a wealth of experience, but who it turns out are still quite young and trade with a very small capital base.



And these people are also going to be issuing star ratings when they are less than qualified to judge.



> There are others who are not as arrogant or know-it-all who are actually the ones a learner _should_ taken notice of, but whose posts can be lost amongst the chatter.



Agree.



> When I first joined this forum it took some time to figure out who was "talking the talk" and who was actually worth reading.  Some of us are time poor, and a rating system would vastly improve the ability to quickly search out a post (on say how to work out free cash flow for example)



So how would it work?  You'd see the people with multiple stars, then go through their posts to find what you're looking for?
Certainly easier than trying to search the whole forum.



> One other aspect to the general chat threads is that they could be dominated by a relatively small number of posters, and a rating system would only see them "agree" with each others posts, leading to less and less participants.  I know there have been times I've read a thread and started to post a reply, only to think "why bother, it's obvious nobody is going to agree with me and I'd be attempting to change a closed mind", and refrained.



Yes, and this applies outside of the General Chat threads also in some instances, eg FA v TA.  



> If I saw from the outset that 80% or more of the "agrees" were for posts I disagreed with, I'd probably not ever bother at all.  Then again, I guess it would also provide a way for those less inclined to stick their virtual heads up to be shot down a method of disagreeing with someone anonymously.....



Understood, but the dissenting opinion is what makes a discussion interesting, or even just a question.

Threads that consist of the same few people saying the same thing over and over are doing nothing more than satisfying those few people.

Whatever Joe decides is fine with me.


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## Garpal Gumnut (10 July 2013)

When I click on "New Posts" it don't come up with New Posts.

gg


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## Country Lad (10 July 2013)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> When I click on "New Posts" it don't come up with New Posts.
> 
> gg




Could be a problem your end.  Mine works fine in Chrome and IE.

Cheers
Country Lad


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## Garpal Gumnut (10 July 2013)

Miracles do happen.

Fixed after I posted it.

gg


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## Garpal Gumnut (10 July 2013)

OOPs apologise, it hasn't been fixed.

The Coalition Discussion thread does not appear on "New Posts" .

Has one of Princess Kevin's acolytes infiltrated the site.

Occurs with Chrome and Firefox.

gg


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## Joe Blow (12 July 2013)

I would like to thank everyone for all the feedback and suggestions so far. If you think of anything else, please feel free to post about it in this thread. 

If there is anything I have learned about changing a website as well established as ASF it is that some will like the change, while others won't. Others will simply shrug their shoulders and wonder what all the fuss is about. However, even small changes have the ability to anger and frustrate some, which is why I am very careful about any alterations or modifications that I do make.

I will go through the suggestions so far, make a list and figure out which ones are feasible in the short term. The post "like" feature is a definite candidate, although as with some others, I do worry about the political implications of it and the potential it may have create division in the ASF community. As some have suggested, it could be introduced on a trial basis.

Anyway, for the time being, please continue to make suggestions and offer feedback. I am still very interested in what changes you would like to see here at ASF.


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## Plan B (13 July 2013)

Joe Blow said:


> I would like to thank everyone for all the feedback and suggestions so far. If you think of anything else, please feel free to post about it in this thread.




Just a little feature of some other forums that I read and a feature that I like is having a little icon next to the Original posters name everytime they post in the thread to show anyone reading the thread that he/she was the original poster. (Just a little easier sometimes to keep track of the original person posting in the thread). 

On one forum for example they have a little red [OP] symbol next to the name of the original poster every time they post in that thread. 
On another they have a little picture of a pencil next to the name of the original poster every time they post in that particular thread. Like this ..... 
	

		
			
		

		
	





Just a nice feature that I'm sure a few would appreciate. 

If you want any examples of forum names just let me know?


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## Julia (13 July 2013)

I like that idea.


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## Plan B (13 July 2013)

Julia said:


> I like that idea.




Yes not many forums seem to have the feature but I find it useful. 

If you want to see what it's like Julia just go to www.ipadforums.net/forum or even http://forums.overclockers.com.au/index.php to see what it's like. You may or may not like the forum subjects but it'll give you an idea.


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## Joe Blow (17 July 2013)

Plan B said:


> Just a little feature of some other forums that I read and a feature that I like is having a little icon next to the Original posters name everytime they post in the thread to show anyone reading the thread that he/she was the original poster. (Just a little easier sometimes to keep track of the original person posting in the thread).






Julia said:


> I like that idea.




This is the first suggestion I have implemented, as it was relatively easy to add to the forums.

In each thread, the ASF member who started the thread will have the designation "Thread Starter" below their user title in every post they make in that thread.

I hope many will find this to be a useful feature.

Please continue to suggest any new features or content you would like to see on ASF, or offer any constructive feedback that you feel will help make ASF a better, more useful website.


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## Gringotts Bank (17 July 2013)

Post 10 times a week on stocks and you get free data from Norgate.  Win win win win.

Joe you pay Mr Norgate a discount rate.
Members "subscribe" and start posting like crazy.
Traffic increases immediately.
You charge your advertisers more for the increased traffic to make up your outlay.


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## skc (17 July 2013)

Joe Blow said:


> This is the first suggestion I have implemented, as it was relatively easy to add to the forums.




Very nice.

Can you change the description "Thread Starter" to "$hit Stirrer" for those who start threads clearly intended to offend and be divisive?


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## Gringotts Bank (11 November 2015)

Hey Joe,

Was there supposed to be an ASF email invitation to a CMC Markets event?  Seemed a bit unusual.


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## Joe Blow (11 November 2015)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Hey Joe,
> 
> Was there supposed to be an ASF email invitation to a CMC Markets event?  Seemed a bit unusual.




Yes, CMC Markets have been doing some advertising with ASF and I sent that out for them to promote their event.


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## Gringotts Bank (11 November 2015)

Joe Blow said:


> Yes, CMC Markets have been doing some advertising with ASF and I sent that out for them to promote their event.




No problemo.


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## Gringotts Bank (1 June 2016)

Joe the winnings from the comp a while back got returned to you.  Paypal said I wasn't signed up, but I am.  They said to contact you to get it re-sent.  Thanks.

The money never reached my bank account, even though I got a 'received payment' email from Paypal on May 2.


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## Joe Blow (1 June 2016)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Joe the winnings from the comp a while back got returned to you.  Paypal said I wasn't signed up, but I am.  They said to contact you to get it re-sent.  Thanks.
> 
> The money never reached my bank account, even though I got a 'received payment' email from Paypal on May 2.




Should I send it to the same email address?


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## Gringotts Bank (1 June 2016)

Joe Blow said:


> Should I send it to the same email address?




Yes same address, thank you.


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## Joe Blow (1 June 2016)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Yes same address, thank you.




Done.


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## sptrawler (1 June 2016)

Gringotts Bank said:


> Yes same address, thank you.




If it doesn't come through, you can use my address, I will forward it.


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