The changing face of online communities

Some random thoughts:

1. "Use the search function" is a term that anyone familiar with forums will have come across. Problem is, for any forum dealing with a largely static subject (say, home renovation or car repairs) then sooner or later every possible question has been asked and answered, such that those following the advice to use the search function have no reason to post - ever. This has killed a few forums or at least certain subjects on them I think.

2. In the context of stocks my view is that there's a rather big bubble that most are failing to notice, that bubble being in passive index investing. By its very nature anyone going down this track has no need for a stock market forum or any other source of information beyond the absolute basics of how to open a brokerage account etc.

3. My own style of investing is in the "it works for me" category but I feel that it probably doesn't hold too much interest for most and isn't conducive to frequent posts about what I'm doing due to the long time frames involved. Any trade that involves holding the stock for less than 12 months I regard as "short term".

4. The current market circumstances aren't appealing, at least not to me and my system.

SirRumpole said:

There are people out there reading the posts but not contributing, I wonder why.

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The means of access could be a factor.

10+ years ago = desktop PC for most.

Today = more likely a tablet or mobile phone. But have you ever tried typing a proper post into a phone? It isn't much fun.....

Another thought is that emptiness begets emptiness.

Ever been to a nightclub, concert, professional sports game etc where there's practically nobody else there? It just doesn't feel "right" and it's no secret that as soon as people come in and see that the place is empty then quite likely they'll turn around and walk back out themselves too. Regardless of how good the DJ / band / team might be, the overall experience just isn't that great when it's an obvious failure with the place 95% empty.

Another random thought - that CommSec has their own online forum probably isn't helping either. Someone new to shares opens an account with CommSec, and statistically that's the most likely broker they'll choose, sees they have a forum and thus has no need to go looking for a separate forum such as ASF. They never end up on ASF because they never get to the point of a Google search for "stock market forum" in the first place.

Smurf1976 said:

But have you ever tried typing a proper post into a phone? It isn't much fun.....

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True. Some tablets have voice recognition these days which can be useful.

Well discussion forums have an advantage over social media in that the intelligent and the stupid can express an opinion that doesn't require group hug approval via memes. emoticons, emojis, and bucket loads of "you look beautiful", "OMG", etc.

Boards cater to an audience who take the time to consider various opinions with some meat on the bones, even if many are prone to plagiarising wiki articles etc.

Facebook, Ebay, Amazon, News Corp, etc are linked into the inference engines of facebook and twitter. So the articles that are randomnly presented to you in social media are actually tailored to flatter your search history, your purchases, your posts, just like the old days of post purchase reinforcement used so effectively by the Japs ....basically congratulating you on your life's choices as wrong as they may be.

I enjoy discussion boards because it gives people the opportunity to express real personal opinions they would otherwise fester over in silence and they can offer abstract views that change the meaning of what we would be lead to believe.

SirRumpole said:

I keep being surprised by the low posts per view ratio, it's something I noticed on other forums too.

There are people out there reading the posts but not contributing, I wonder why.

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I can give you one reason at least.... I will view a thread (conversation) but won't necessarily contribute because (1) my comments won't necessarily relate to the latest posts (as you might have with a normal conversation) or (2) fear that my reply will get shot down in flames - this depends on the thread, whether it is politics or islam or "next trending topic", some responses seem based on emotion or ignorance (at least from what I see on facebook), not taking in account the original poster world views etc. you would not generally insult a person in person, but it appears perfectly OK (not shouting!) within forums etc.

smallwolf said:

(2) fear that my reply will get shot down in flames - this depends on the thread, whether it is politics or islam or "next trending topic", some responses seem based on emotion or ignorance (at least from what I see on facebook), not taking in account the original poster world views etc. you would not generally insult a person in person, but it appears perfectly OK (not shouting!) within forums etc.

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Yes, fear of contrary opinions is a factor which is why we should all make an effort to respect other's opinions and not go too far in our denunciations if we don't agree. (Perhaps I have gone too far on occasions but I generally try to play the ball not the man).

Speaking of gender, there appears to be very few female posters here. You can generally tell by the style of posting, if not their avatars. The stock market probably is not of much interest to most ladies but their opinions of society / politics are just as good as the males.

Joe Blow said:

.....I always regretted having to ban Nunthewiser. He was quite a character and added a lot of colour to the forum. I enjoyed his Taxi Cab Confessions thread. Unfortunately his demeanour appeared to change almost overnight and he started to stir up trouble and disrupt the forums. I thought perhaps he was experiencing some difficult life circumstances at the time. If he ever reads this, I'd be happy to give him another chance if wants to come back.

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Agree entirely. Poster Nunthewiser 'frightened the horses' and eventually 'jumped the shark'.

I hope Nun is in a good space now. Notwithstanding my use of cliches, such an entertaining poster!

systematic said:

I noticed that I am coming to the home page - scanning the topics (most recent started and most recent replies) and I'm finding myself opening very few posts now because, at least when I'm checking it (on average, more than just once daily), there seems to only be 'general chat' discussion happening for the most part ...

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Each of us has different interests and reasons for coming to this forum. I am one of those, like systematic, not interested in the chat subjects on forums. Travelling (leisure) a lot throughout the country and overseas I have the opportunity to have wide ranging discussions on all sorts of topics face to face, which I prefer over internet discussions, with a wide variety of people, mostly strangers.

Consequently, I come here for share stuff, and from a quick tally of the 200 most recent topics, 27% are share topics, 40% general chat 33% general market and trading. So as I know the market reasonably well, have my trading methods down pat and don’t look at chat, there is little to interest me here, particularly as I am part of a couple of private share forums. Hence my long absences.

This is not a criticism of this forum which I think is very good, just not able to satisfy my interests unfortunately. I hope this forum does continue and grow as it obviously satisfies those who visit and contribute, as demonstrated by its longevity.

Cheers
Country Lad

Posting an intelligent worthwhile stock related item is not easy or common.I might post on a thread about islam as I believe I have sufficient real world experience to hope to add a view which is not heard often, but technically wise, who am i to give advices? after quite a few years trying I see shares as a casino, where I understand you can twist odds: limits on loss etc, but a casino nevertheless with endless scams and ripoff.An economy where rules do not apply;
Trump is elected the stock market jumps up, hadhe not beeen elected is it fair to say that the stock market would have gone up anyway? So what is the point when even being right on key economical/political forecasts ->common sense rules does not apply;

So why should I get excited about a specific stock and say so when on mosty odds i will be wrong?
So EFT and a bit of shares currencies gold as insurances
Should the market have a more sensible behaviour then I would get more interested in Value, or even TA, but as is not worse the odds
In short I believe it is a bad time in the cycle to be focussed on trading.
Probably a key point on the ASF issue, and maybe as well the so limited options in type of share domains in Oz.
Banks, mining big, mining juniors and retailers; no real choice for technical stock or so small players that the odds are ridiculously low.At best they are bough back by a US company.Not exactly exciting
But I did learn a lot especially about TA /Amibroker etc..mostly as a reader

Nice comments on the stock market situation gldfrog. I have come to the same conclusion about attempting to get any financial return from stocks. It seems to be mugs game. What "rules" are there ?

It's great to see so much constructive feedback coming in. I sincerely appreciate it all.

I understand and appreciate that everyone comes to ASF for different reasons. We all have our own interests and inclinations and when our needs and wants aren't being met, it's only natural that our interest can wane. Time is precious and there's less of a reason to visit if your time isn't being well spent.

The only thing I can suggest is that each of us try to steer ASF in the direction we would like it to go. If you are here to participate in the discussion of individual stocks, then go ahead and post in those threads and also reply to the posts of others in those threads. Please don't wait for others to post first. Just jump in and start contributing, irrespective of what topics or subject matter you are interested in. There's not usually a problem with too much discussion, only too little. So please be proactive as much as possible, and by doing so you may just encourage others to do the same. Each post you make is a vote for the direction you would like to see ASF go in. Unlike real elections, here you get as many votes as you like. So please vote often.

To those who mostly lurk, and there are many of you, please post every now and again and register your votes for topics that interest you. While there is no obligation to post, doing so does help a great deal. It doesn't have to be a long, detailed post. It can be as simple as a question, or a link to a resource that you are aware of. It all helps, so please don't hesitate to click reply and have your two cents worth.

...and don't forget to like the posts of others that you enjoy or appreciate. It's always nice to know that others have found value in what you've taken the time to post. It encourages people not just to post more, but to post more useful and valuable content. It's just a very simple way of saying "thank you" if you don't have anything else to add.

Joe Blow said:

The new forum software and design has now been in place for six months, so hopefully everyone has had a good chance to adapt to both.

Now that we are six months down the track, I'm interested in finding out if anyone has any feedback about things they like, dislike, would like to see changed, added, or removed? I'm interested in how we can make ASF a better and more useful place to visit. So if you have any feedback or suggestions to offer, please feel free to do so.

Thanks!

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Joe the site is great but you are now well and truly on the wrong end of network effect when it comes to discussing stocks. I know you will respond to post more on stocks - but that hasn't and wont be enough to change your network disadvantage. Far easier for those interested in stock discussion to go to the mountain then move the mountain here. ASF is evolving away from stock discussions into something that less represents its name. That mismatch between content and marketing I think needs to be addressed for long term survivability but which do you change, marketing (name) or content (moderation)?

craft said:

ASF is evolving away from stock discussions into something that less represents its name. That mismatch between content and marketing I think needs to be addressed for long term survivability but which do you change, marketing (name) or content (moderation)?

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110%

This has been going on for 10 yrs or so.
I understand Joes need for traffic but I'm not the only
One who's seen some great posters either disappear completely or pull way back.

The Name Aussi Stock Forums suggests a specialist site in one area.
Like a business that cannot exist on its prime service or commodity it's been
Necessary To diversify.

This is not my or our business.

But if it was I'd want to be the best in the field of STOCK FORUMS.
I'm not going to be able to do that if I'm more a general discussion forum.

I'd do this.
Recognise value posters/members

Find out more about them encourage them to not only tell their story and deliver their message and expertise but protect them if necessary.

If it's on topic and genuine experience and example/discussion ( Think Gann Elliott Gartley ) should be able to be presented and discussed without denigrating into a personal slinging match.

Joe does edit but often too late.

Search out and encourage Threads and posts from outside experts or people with new ideas.
Get them on here. Give them an audience and a home. Value them and search them out and encourage them

There are an endless number of interesting bloggers and you tubers.

I would be more pro active in working on making my business THE leader in STOCK forums
Don't forget Futures and the other derivatives.

There are many in the field of Fundamentals Technical and Computational.

And if you do get these guys KEEP THEM
Treat them as a valuable INVESTMENT in your business.

People like TH Howard Craft are GOLD for this site.

I have many more core ideas so if your interested and in Adelaide look me up.
You have a uniqueness but you've lost it! (Stock forum)

Joe Blow said:

...and don't forget to like the posts of others that you enjoy or appreciate. It's always nice to know that others have found value in what you've taken the time to post. .

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So that's whats this is all about, you phishing for "likes"! Damn you, damn you all to hell !!!

Tisme said:

So that's whats this is all about, you phishing for "likes"! Damn you, damn you all to hell !!!

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What's your problem, you're doing ok in the like department.

Craft and tech/a, thanks for your feedback. You both make some very good points. You have been here for nine years and thirteen years respectively so you both have a good sense of ASF, its history and evolution.

I'm going to respond in more detail but I want to let what you have said percolate in my head a little. I feel a long post coming on.

Perhaps I can help a little with some prompts for your lengthy post coming.

Identify WHAT sets you apart or what SHOULD set you apart.

How are you going to deliver this ---what vehicles (contributors)
How can you amplify your uniqueness and in doing so add dramatically to
your site content and membership.

Imagine a competition with a $50000 prize pool----

How many people know about Pete's threads (Sorry Pete I didn't list you in the Gold
members---your Platinum ) Pete's return and education of around 60% in a couple of years
should be shouted from Mt Kosciusko------
Really as a marketing tool 2 yrs. of work has been way under utilized!
Pete should have 5000 followers but very few know he's around.

Who's next Weeks/Months guest? (In the Members section only!)

Strive to be so far in front of the competition by being INNOVATIVE ---
ask how can I be in this SPACE and be very different.

Just a tickler---

This is a follow up to posts in another thread that I think should be here rather than website redesign.

I agree with @craft and @tech/a . The ASX STOCK part of the forum should be enhanced as it's not getting enough content from the membership.

Could the ASX news on each stock be integrated into the stock threads?
Would you allow sponsors to include informational articles (or links to their online articles) into the stock threads?

I like to see the ASX news releases in chronological sequence along with online articles from a variety of sources stating their opinions about the company news/outlook at the time they were made public. Even if these sponsor links were delayed, it would be a plus.

Currently your home page lists articles from some of your sponsors. Clicking on them takes me to their website. This could be done from inside an ASF stock thread rather than from outside.

If I wanted to do some research into a company over the past few years. Getting that info is very time consuming. Wouldn't it be convenient if each stock thread on ASF had all the ASX news releases in chronological order with articles about the company from multiple sources interspersed with posts from ASF members remarking on various aspects of the company. Information about every company in the past few years in ONE place. That's got to be valuable.

Over time people would come to appreciate which authors/or businesses have the most valuable content.

Once the stock threads have more content, it would follow that members would like see how people make money from that info. Profitable traders/investors are generally very amenable about sharing their methods to interested readers. I'm aware that many prefer to provide educational content as an additional business for themselves, but that's not everyone. Perhaps you might like to include a commercial section so that these people can provide some basic educational content while advertising for clients. They would have to be willing to publicly manage a trade book /portfolio for a reasonable period (1 year) for people to be able to assess their work.

I would like to see how others trade/invest in the ASX.
ASF would be enhanced by having a bunch of retail/private traders/investors with completely different methods sharing their journeys for a few years.

Remember when Trembling Hand showed us how to turn a little into a lot?
I loved reading about craft's journey and thoughts.
How about tech/a and Pavilion103 starting their short term trading threads? We got a good look at their personal styles and now you've seen how someone else does it for the past few years.
I remember skc's very short thread showing his edge using news and his commonsense (uncanny) insights.
It's been disappointing that we haven't had an option trader willing to show us how to earn a few % each month for a year. I'm told it's very easy.

I'd like to see how anyone manages to interact with the financial markets in order to grow their accounts. The more variety the better.

Nice work Peter2. There are a number of high quality posters on ASF with experience and advice that is almost certainly more honest than the professional sharks that swim in the financial lakes. Ceratinly worth considering.

Cheers