Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 13 to 24 of 25

Thread: Is this the end of the lurker?

  1. #13

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    Rumors of the forum's demise are greatly exaggerated.

    I'll run the numbers this weekend if I remember, but I am almost certain that we get more posts each day now than we ever have. We also have many more members online each day.

    The difference could be that a lot of the posts are done now in the private premium service and politics forums / threads.

    Hopefully after the election, the flood of political posts will turn back into the light of the public TSP discussion.

    To add, I think some of the old members, who had a lot to offer, but were learning themselves, eventually outgrow the info here since we try to keep things simple. They move onto more hard core technical forums outside of the TSP. Just conjecture.
    Tom
    Market Commentary | My Blog | TSP Talk Plus | |

    I am not a Registered Investment Advisor and this is not investment advice. Please do your own due diligence.

  2.  
  3. #14

    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Upstate NY
    Posts
    3,874
    Blog Entries
    46

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    I see less of the deeper conversations and more of the "I made an IFT to 100%C for a one day move, did I do the right thing" kind of posts. Yeah some probably went on to bigger things and some would rather get all worked up over politics. (And if they are making political posts on a gov computer, it will come back to bite them). 350 was into currency trading, rokid was into indexing, and I unfortunately haven't heard from robo in many months.

    The question I asked myself a few years ago was, "Do I want to spend the rest of my life running to a computer to make an IFT before noon?". Not only that, but priorities in life change fast. My strategy is more long term and balanced now and I'm extremely confident that I'll do better with this strategy than that of a boom/bust trading strategy. But hey, that's just me and as I've said before on here- traders, indexers, buy/holders, etc.... they are what makes a market.

    I guess it's something we see in all walks of life. We live in a world of entitlement where people feel they deserve the world in the palm of their hands. Most people just want to have the holy grail handed to them in a few posts without any work. This trading/investing thing, it's much more complicated than today's IFT of the day.

    --
    I didn't mean to derail the topic, so here's my response to the lurker: I think one should have to sign in to view the auto tracker but to view the MB posts people should be allowed to cruise as a guest. What about that 22 year old kid just starting off looking for information on how to save or the 55 year old near retirement looking for some roth rollover options who stumbles upon their answers in a Google search?

  4.  
  5. #15

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    SEATTLE, WA
    Posts
    379

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    Great points all around...I wonder if the site is a victim of it's own success? It seems that more threads are started than maintained; I know when I have been away for a while I go in to see how the "old time" threads are doing, theses threads are harder to spot due to the volume of newer threads that often are just how Bullitt describes. I know early on I was actually saddened to note that Fundsurfer and Griffin stopped posting regularly, I noticed it immediately because there wasn't so many threads in the "today's posts" section.

    i wonder if Tom could set up an "old farts" section on the MB for those of us who have been around for a while and tend to post a little more substantive information (which I freely admit I don't always do). The "old farts" section wouldn't need access restrictions, only "time in grade" qualifications to start (or move a thread over). I must admit that when I log on and don't see any of the familiar threads...I feel like the MB may have passed me by.

    i know I tell everyone I talk with about the tsp that they need to check out tsptalk...many come back and say they cruised the MB and found some interesting information; I think these cruisers should be encouraged. Today's cruisers/lurkers could turn out to be the next generation's Birchtree(Lord help us) or even a new and improved (if that is possible) JTH.

    Just my thoughts...

    BigJohn
    "He stood 6'6 and weighed 245, kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip...and everyone knew you didn't give no lip to BigJohn..."

  6.  
  7. #16

    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Europe
    Posts
    8,430
    Blog Entries
    297

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    Quote Originally Posted by BigJohn View Post
    Great points all around...I wonder if the site is a victim of it's own success? It seems that more threads are started than maintained; I know when I have been away for a while I go in to see how the "old time" threads are doing, theses threads are harder to spot due to the volume of newer threads that often are just how Bullitt describes. I know early on I was actually saddened to note that Fundsurfer and Griffin stopped posting regularly, I noticed it immediately because there wasn't so many threads in the "today's posts" section.
    I'd like to see a Forum exclusively for members who have been here a minimum of 5 years, while all can read, only the elders can post. We could keep a sticky in there for those who just want to check in and say hi. We could setup an Elder's council who nominates and votes on the material added to the elder's forum. Perhaps a sticky for "great words of wisdom" with various quotes from the elders.
    Retired, 55G/15C/15S/15I (Paper Trading)_ BLOG: Stats for March, Stats for Q1, 2024 Stats

  8.  
  9. #17

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    "it's f*ck your buddy, cheat on your wife, call your mom on Mother's Day...it's all sh*t..." Big John

  10.  
  11. #18

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    I must have missed something?
    Tom
    Market Commentary | My Blog | TSP Talk Plus | |

    I am not a Registered Investment Advisor and this is not investment advice. Please do your own due diligence.


  12.  
  13. Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    I lurk. There is a wealth of knowledge here. Its like a gold mine. It takes a lot of work. Im patient and i am on this site no less than 50 times a day. I never skip a post from RMI, uptrend, Bquat, sensei (hell too many to list). Yeah, I want to be like birch. Right now im a student. When i can grab that stone from the master, look out. Til then, thank you guys! And I do tell everyone about this site.

  14.  
  15. #20

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    SEATTLE, WA
    Posts
    379

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    Quote Originally Posted by rcknfrewld View Post
    "it's f*ck your buddy, cheat on your wife, call your mom on Mother's Day...it's all sh*t..." Big John
    Simply outstanding...I almost missed the "Scent of a Woman" quote.
    "He stood 6'6 and weighed 245, kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip...and everyone knew you didn't give no lip to BigJohn..."

  16.  
  17. #21

    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Okinawa, Japan
    Posts
    1,458

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    Quote Originally Posted by jkeawe0978 View Post
    I lurk. There is a wealth of knowledge here. Its like a gold mine. It takes a lot of work. Im patient and i am on this site no less than 50 times a day. I never skip a post from RMI, uptrend, Bquat, sensei (hell too many to list). Yeah, I want to be like birch. Right now im a student. When i can grab that stone from the master, look out. Til then, thank you guys! And I do tell everyone about this site.
    Thanks for mentioning me. I was a lurker in 2010, and it's been a great education since I joined. I think I understand what the old-timers are hinting at about how it's not the same as it used to be, but this is still a fantastic site. And I think lurkers should be welcome, as they might become future contributors.

  18.  
  19. #22

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    SEATTLE, WA
    Posts
    379

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    Quote Originally Posted by Sensei View Post
    Thanks for mentioning me. I was a lurker in 2010, and it's been a great education since I joined. I think I understand what the old-timers are hinting at about how it's not the same as it used to be, but this is still a fantastic site. And I think lurkers should be welcome, as they might become future contributors.
    It looks like my comments have been misconstrued. I think lurkers/surfers/passersby are the future of this website and not only should be welcomed, but should be given as much information...in the easiest format...as possible. My idea for a separate forum wasn't intended to exclude these folks, but to give them another resource where those longer in the tooth are concentrated. At times I surf to see what newer members are saying...sometimes I focus on who is at the top of the leader board and track down their threads to see what they have to say...sometimes I surf to see who has the most posts...and finally, sometimes I surf to see what some of the older members are saying. My idea was simply to put the older member's thread in one place.

    To JTH's ideas: I think 5 years may be a bit too long and I don't think an Elder's council is a good idea. The last thing I think we need to do is make the "old farts" club grandiose... If you gave members with 3+ years the option of moving their threads to one forum; and gave those with 500+ posts the same option...the end result might be a forum where this collective information is more readily accessible.

    Bottom line: my suggestion was organizational in nature, in no way meant to discourage newer visitors...quite to the contrary, to make threads easier to find for those interested in how the older and more frequent posters think.
    "He stood 6'6 and weighed 245, kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip...and everyone knew you didn't give no lip to BigJohn..."

  20.  
  21. #23

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    Sounds like the bigger issue here is the old timers want things like they were in glory days. That was before my time, but I suspect it's like everything else. Things change and there's no going back. The more you try to make something like it was, the more you strangle it and turn it into a dead, ossified ritual.

    Having a separate category for more substantive information instead of putting it into Members' Account Talk with everything else isn't a bad idea. You just have to figure out a way to keep the fluff out of it. Reserving it for folks who have been around for X number of years isn't going to do it. That's just setting up a nostalgia clique. That's OK if that's what you want, but if you really want substantive information, you could get more of that from someone who just showed up today than you could ever get from me even if I were here for X years.

    I for one try to limit the posts to my "Member's Thread", so I don't bury the threads of others on page 3 and beyond. These days I give my reason for the IFT on the AutoTracker itself. A 100 char. limit may be difficult for some, but it works for me. I'd like to see more of that, as most reasons are blank. Maybe an optional menu of short, canned reasons would help. Something like: Scared, Greedy, Getting bullish, Getting bearish, Seasonality, Gut reaction, Following someone, Met target for month, Drop passed my trigger, Use a move before EOM, Get setup for next month, Taking a rest, etc.

    Just my 2 cents worth -- and that cleans me out.
    Last edited by Cactus; 10-21-2012 at 06:01 PM. Reason: Format keeps getting messed up!
    Allocations as of COB Dec 28 : 100% S. | Retirement Date:Dec 2025
    Past Returns:
    2020 31.85%,2019 27.97%,2018 -3.36%,2017 13.10%, 2016 -1.79%, 5Yr Avg 12.61%

  22.  
  23. #24

    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Okinawa, Japan
    Posts
    1,458

    Default Re: Is this the end of the lurker?

    Quote Originally Posted by Cactus View Post
    These days I give my reason for the IFT on the AutoTracker itself... I'd like to see more of that, as most reasons are blank. Maybe an optional menu of short, canned reasons would help. Something like: Scared, Greedy, Getting bullish, Getting bearish, Seasonality, Gut reaction, Following someone, Met target for month, Drop passed my trigger, Use a move before EOM, Get setup for next month, Taking a rest, etc.
    Interesting idea. I personally prefer to see people elaborate in their account threads, as I check the forum frequently, but only the recent IFTs on the AT once or twice a month. But the drop down would be cool. If it can be added, an "other" option allowing you to enter your own value (as it is now) should be preserved to go along with the presets.

  24.  
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
S&P500 (C Fund) (delayed)
Is this the end of the lurker?
(Stockcharts.com Real-time)
DWCPF (S Fund) (delayed)
Is this the end of the lurker?
(Stockcharts.com Real-time)
EFA (I Fund) (delayed)
Is this the end of the lurker?
(Stockcharts.com Real-time)
BND (F Fund) (delayed)
Is this the end of the lurker?
(Stockcharts.com Real-time)

Yahoo Finance Realtime TSP Fund Tracking Index Quotes