# A message to all you unregistered lurkers out there...



## Joe Blow

I know that with the high level of email spam around today (Trust me, I recieve my fair share of it) people are concerned about registering for anything on the internet. Well, I just want you all to know that if you register as a member of Aussie Stock Forums your email address will never, ever be shared with any third party and will be kept in the strictest confidence. The only correspondence you will ever receive is directly from me and you can even opt out of that in your user control panel if you wish.

Also, once you register you will be able to see all the stock charts that at the moment simply appear as : "Attached Images *******.gif (10.1 KB, 10 views)", as well as a whole range of advanced features that make the forums much more useful, including the search function.

Just thought I'd clarify the situation. Carry on!



P.S. Feel free to register here: https://www.aussiestockforums.com/register/


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## Bronte

Well I registered.
Thanks Joe.


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## Epsilon

Hi Guys))

This is my first post here after registering the other day.......
Before I start -officially- posting ..........
Can you please (Joe or other individuals in the know- closer to "esoteric" things) tell us what has happened with Hotcopper and its erstwhile parent company TFA (The Financial Arena). Has there been a fall-out between  directors? Is Hotcopper now owned by "Adelaide" based interests, under the umbrella of "moneybags.com"?
The Financial Arena is now controlling and promoting OZESTOCK and SHARECAFE?
What about that other forum (also based in Adelaide) sharescene? Are they (as I believe always have been...) Hotcopper's little "brother"?
Is it JUST a "separation" out of convenience because the "situtiation" thus necessitates?
Finally......Are you linked in anyway with the above Fora (and companies)....
I used to post prolifically at Hotcopper, untill I realised that "SOMETHING" was wrong with that mob......Could you please enlighten us, if (of-course...of-course) your kindness were to prevail? 
Merci in anticipation))

PS. No kudos for those who will suss out who I am.........
PS1. A wonderful Sunday wish I thy all)))


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## RichKid

Welcome to ASF Bronte & Epsilon!!

Glad you guys have taken the time to join, enjoy all the functionality you get with your registration including the many attachments.

From my understanding, Joe runs this on his own and has no affiliation with the sites mentioned by Epsilon. I don't know what the situation with those sites is either- sorry. Just as a quick point, we ARE different to those sites, much different imho. In fact, we have a code of conduct and posting guidelines and other rules which we actually apply so it's worthwhile checking out the links (at the foot of each page and at the top of each forum, respectively) to familiarise yourself with our 'spirit' here on ASF. Also remember that we have a monthly stock tipping competition and a great search tool which you will find useful.

Happy posting and enjoy your time here folks!

RichKid
moderator


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## Joe Blow

Epsilon said:
			
		

> Finally......Are you linked in anyway with the above Fora (and companies)....




Hi Epsilon, welcome to Aussie Stock Forums!

In answer to your question, no Aussie Stock Forums is not affiliated with any other financial forum or website. It was born one night after a few too many beers initally as a hobby... but it has since grown into much more than that.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the site!   

Cheers!
Joe

P.S. A hearty welcome to Bronte as well.


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## It's Snake Pliskin

Bronte and Epsilom,

Welcome and enjoy the forum. I have gotten a lot out of this forum and hope you get the same.

Snake Pliskin


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## excalibur

Joe Blow said:
			
		

> Hi Epsilon, welcome to Aussie Stock Forums!
> 
> In answer to your question, no Aussie Stock Forums is not affiliated with any other financial forum or website. It was born one night after a few too many beers initally as a hobby... but it has since grown into much more than that.
> 
> I sincerely hope you enjoy the site!
> 
> Cheers!
> Joe
> 
> P.S. A hearty welcome to Bronte as well.




What sort of beer was it?
Was it some sort that comes from where I come from?


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## sam76

excalibur said:
			
		

> What sort of beer was it?
> Was it some sort that comes from where I come from?




Speaking of beer, Excalibur - How about I send you a slab a Vic's and you send me a new M5??

ein m5 bitte?

:


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## sam76

or claudia shiffer...


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## RichKid

excalibur said:
			
		

> What sort of beer was it?
> Was it some sort that comes from where I come from?




As you can see Bronte & Epsilon, we only discuss the vital issues here on ASF!


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## DTM

sam76 said:
			
		

> Speaking of beer, Excalibur - How about I send you a slab a Vic's and you send me a new M5??
> 
> ein m5 bitte?
> 
> :









			
				sam76 said:
			
		

> or claudia shiffer...






I thought Claudia came with the car


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## andrew_c2o

Good to see the lurkers coming out of their shells. Good job Joe the message seems to have helped


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## 2020hindsight

Joe Blow said:


> I know that with the high level of email spam around today (Trust me, I recieve my fair share of it) people are concerned about registering for anything on the internet. Well, I just want you all to know that if you register as a member of Aussie Stock Forums your email address will never, ever be shared with any third party and will be kept in the strictest confidence. The only correspondence you will ever receive is directly from me and you can even opt out of that in your user control panel if you wish.
> 
> Also, once you register you will be able to see all the stock charts that at the moment simply appear as : "Attached Images *******.gif (10.1 KB, 10 views)", as well as a whole range of advanced features that make the forums much more useful, including the search function.
> 
> Just thought I'd clarify the situation. Carry on!
> 
> 
> 
> P.S. Feel free to register here: https://www.aussiestockforums.com/register/



a great post you posted back there joe


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## Wysiwyg

I notice there are over 300 viewers online yet no one posts. Any sensible question or input is welcome. Don't be afraid to post. The forum is sensibly moderated most of the time D) so join in under anonymity and have your text.


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## Tyler Durden

Wysiwyg said:


> I notice there are over 300 viewers online yet no one posts. Any sensible question or input is welcome. Don't be afraid to post. The forum is sensibly moderated most of the time D) so join in under anonymity and have your text.




I think in general the people who visit this forum are the type who listen more than speak, and speak only when they have something useful to add. Unlike some forums where people say a lot of crap and there is a high frequency of posts.

That's the impression I get anyway when I visit this forum and compare it to another one.


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## Julia

It would be great to  have some fresh input.  Often feels as though it's the same people, now few in number, regularly contributing.  That gets tedious and boring for both those contributors and anyone reading.
As a result people drift away.
A forum, like any other part of society, is only as good as the combined contributions of its members.


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## keithj

Wysiwyg said:


> I notice there are over 300 viewers online yet no one posts.



A fair proportion of those 300 are likely to be bots, spiders or spammers registering - not necessarily all real people.


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## Joe Blow

Yes, it would be nice to see some new regular contributing members here at ASF. 

Hard to believe this thread is now almost nine years old! 

What Keith says is true. Of the 300 or more visitors that you see in the Currently Active Users, many are search engine spiders or spam bots. Many others are just passing through, brought here by a search engine or link on another website.

That being said, it would be nice to see some of our long term lurkers register and post. There is a little bit of end-of-financial-year lethargy in the air and we could certainly use some new blood. So, if you're out there reading this and are thinking about registering and contributing, please feel free to do so.

We'd love to have you on board.


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## sydbod

Greetings.

Finally had to join an Australian site.
Although I am not overly skilled in making money on the stock market, I am very skilled in losing money on the said market. Should any one require my aforementioned skills, then I will be very pleased to share them.
In all seriousness I am an invest and hold type of market participant. Am establishing my SMSF and am looking to populate it with a better choice of entities, so will be picking a few brains, and hopefully may be of some small value to this community. Please feel free to tell me when/if I breach any forum rules so I can slot into this forum as painlessly as possible

Thanks sydbod


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## get better

Tyler Durden said:


> I think in general the people who visit this forum are the type who listen more than speak, and speak only when they have something useful to add. Unlike some forums where people say a lot of crap and there is a high frequency of posts.
> 
> That's the impression I get anyway when I visit this forum and compare it to another one.




I fall into this category .

I've been a lurker and newbie investor for the last 3 years and am still learning a lot everytime I visit. Once I feel that I have enough experience and that my knowledge/opinion can be of benefit to others, I would probably start contributing. However, at this stage, there are many more knowledgeable individuals on this forum who would be able to provide more constructive topics/feedback/comments than I.


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## Joe Blow

Welcome to all our newly registered ASF members! There were a few more new registrations than usual yesterday. I wonder if this thread was responsible? Perhaps we can do it again today.

To those who have recently registered, here are a few brief pointers to get you started:

1. Don't be afraid to post. If you are a beginner to the stock market and feel you don't yet have anything of substance to contribute, sometimes even asking a simple question can generate a lot of discussion. So if you have a question or a comment, please just go ahead and start posting.

2. Use the site search function. With nearly 21,000 threads here at ASF, there is a wealth of knowledge and information out there. For a more detailed description about using the ASF site search, take a look at this thread: Tips on using ASF's search function.

3. Please be nice to others and obey the forum rules. At the bottom of every page, you will see a link to the Code of Conduct and the ASF Posting Guidelines. These two documents provide a detailed description of what is expected of all ASF members. However, for a brief overview, take a look at The Five Commandments of Aussie Stock Forums.

4. If you have any suggestions, complaints or feedback, please feel free to let me know by posting in this thread: Give me your suggestions, complaints and feedback! I am always interested in what people think will improve ASF and make it a better experience for all. Alternatively, you can contact me by private message if you prefer.

Thank you for taking the time to register and becoming a part of the ASF community.


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## Julia

Hello sydbod and getbetter:   Maybe whilst you're waiting a bit to contribute to stock threads, you might like to join some of the 'General Chat' discussions?

Some fresh input would be really welcome.


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## Money4jam

This really is the longest running thread I have ever seen but it has worked and I have now joined.
It's all about the numbers, hey Joe.

Numbers of members and numbers of beers!


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## Joe Blow

Money4jam said:


> This really is the longest running thread I have ever seen but it has worked and I have now joined.
> It's all about the numbers, hey Joe.
> 
> Numbers of members and numbers of beers!




Welcome aboard!


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## noirua

It could be that many, like myself at times, visit ASF but do not bother to sign in. Or maybe it's a combination of shocking performances in the mining sector, and more recently the oil sector, that has frightened many away from investing in Australia. The weak Aussie may be a turning point though, however, calling how low is a gamble too far for most.
I do suspect however that the Aussie ASIC is far more intrusive and feared in Australia than the UKs FCA. 

Probably the only way to go forward is for ASF to allow much shorter posts on its stock threads. Looking at ADVFN in the UK the short posts do just one thing, they create more posts and do generate more sensible posts amongst these - maybe they are rubbish but no one cares all that much, after all, if someone becomes a pain in the neck they can be filtered. 

So what I'm suggesting is, that ASF give it a try by allowing shorter posts just to see how it works out. Also dropping the requirement to give an explanation; if ADVFN brought in rules as in ASF if would collapse or a more favorite term 'hit the wall'.


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## Joe Blow

noirua said:


> It could be that many, like myself at times, visit ASF but do not bother to sign in. Or maybe it's a combination of shocking performances in the mining sector, and more recently the oil sector, that has frightened many away from investing in Australia. The weak Aussie may be a turning point though, however, calling how low is a gamble too far for most.




Hi noirua, I agree that the downturn in commodities prices and the subsequent collapse of mining stocks across the board has made the stock market look very risky and unappealing, especially when real estate prices seem to be going in only one direction: up.

The reality is that property is still the hot market in Australia, and the stock market has suffered, particularly with retail investors, as available investment capital gets thrown into residential real estate.



noirua said:


> Probably the only way to go forward is for ASF to allow much shorter posts on its stock threads. Looking at ADVFN in the UK the short posts do just one thing, they create more posts and do generate more sensible posts amongst these - maybe they are rubbish but no one cares all that much, after all, if someone becomes a pain in the neck they can be filtered.
> 
> So what I'm suggesting is, that ASF give it a try by allowing shorter posts just to see how it works out. Also dropping the requirement to give an explanation; if ADVFN brought in rules as in ASF if would collapse or a more favorite term 'hit the wall'.




Restrictions on the length of posts in stock threads have been gone for almost five years now. Of course, I would prefer that more content be posted than less, but it is no longer mandatory that posts in stock threads contain a minimum amount of content.

I think the slowdown in posting in recent times is largely due to a general disinterest in the stock market. Real estate investment has become a bit of a national obsession and the stock market has gone off the boil, firstly due to the GFC and then to the global collapse in commodities prices. Meanwhile, the media articles on real estate appear almost daily; "Australia's Most Undervalued Suburbs", "Real Estate Prices: How Has Your Suburb Performed?", "The Nation's Cheapest Beachside Real Estate", and so on.

All bubbles eventually end, and when the global economy finally gains some traction I think that more people will turn back to the stock market and away from the overheated property market. If you are looking for capital gains, I think that the stock market offers far more opportunity at the moment than property. So many sectors are beaten down and unloved, just waiting for sentiment to turn to bounce back. I think that people need to be cautious about picking particular stocks, but these days there are so many ETFs available that it is possible to diversify very easily and with limited capital.

IMO the current attitude to the stock market feels a little like it did back in 2002 after the dot com bust. Then, in 2003, things started to turn around. I have absolutely no doubt that they will again.


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## Gringotts Bank

Joe Blow said:


> Hi noirua, I agree that the downturn in commodities prices and the subsequent collapse of mining stocks across the board has made the stock market look very risky and unappealing, especially when real estate prices seem to be going in only one direction: up.
> 
> The reality is that property is still the hot market in Australia, and the stock market has suffered, particularly with retail investors, as available investment capital gets thrown into residential real estate.
> 
> 
> 
> Restrictions on the length of posts in stock threads have been gone for almost five years now. Of course, I would prefer that more content be posted than less, but it is no longer mandatory that posts in stock threads contain a minimum amount of content.
> 
> I think the slowdown in posting in recent times is largely due to a general disinterest in the stock market. Real estate investment has become a bit of a national obsession and the stock market has gone off the boil, firstly due to the GFC and then to the global collapse in commodities prices. Meanwhile, the media articles on real estate appear almost daily; "Australia's Most Undervalued Suburbs", "Real Estate Prices: How Has Your Suburb Performed?", "The Nation's Cheapest Beachside Real Estate", and so on.
> 
> All bubbles eventually end, and when the global economy finally gains some traction I think that more people will turn back to the stock market and away from the overheated property market. If you are looking for capital gains, I think that the stock market offers far more opportunity at the moment than property. So many sectors are beaten down and unloved, just waiting for sentiment to turn to bounce back. I think that people need to be cautious about picking particular stocks, but these days there are so many ETFs available that it is possible to diversify very easily and with limited capital.
> 
> IMO the current attitude to the stock market feels a little like it did back in 2002 after the dot com bust. Then, in 2003, things started to turn around. I have absolutely no doubt that they will again.




Whoah. Nice level of confidence there Joe.  2002.


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## Joe Blow

Gringotts Bank said:


> Whoah. Nice level of confidence there Joe.  2002.




I'm an optimist.


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