Is Trade2win as lifeless as it seems to me?

[wackypete2]

These guidelines are great. But they're not enforced. Every one of those links I gave in a previous post, breaks one or more of these guidelines. And some have been going on for years.

And will continue going on for years i guess. Every single one you listed is alive and kicking still.

Peter

 

[the hare]

1.06 No selling allowed. Any form of selling is unacceptable. The forum has to be a safe place, it can’t be this if you are trying to sell your products and services. If you see this happening then report it and it will be dealt with.

1.07 Vendors are welcome but they can’t sell. Any vendor representative who is prepared to share valuable information, join in discussions or deal with questions about their services will be welcomed. If they cross the line into selling the offending content will be deleted.

3.2 You can't use your signature to advertise.
3.3 Signatures cannot include any link, identifiable URL or email address. Identifying your company name or type of business is not permitted unless the principal reason for using the site is the representation of the company to address members' questions and support issues.

4.1 You can't post advertisments of any kind anywhere on the site.

4.3 Advertising includes, but is not limited to:
- Posting the URL of your commercial web site.
- Offering for sale (or a free trial of) your product.
- Posting references to, excerpts from, or details of your product.
- Posting with minimal content that is clearly designed to act as a lure towards your product.
- Posting your email address or asking members to contact you for details of your product .

These guidelines are great. But they're not enforced. Every one of those links I gave in a previous post, breaks one or more of these guidelines. And some have been going on for years.

What possible reason would a vendor have for posting at any trading forum if not to sell ? The fundemental basis on which all of this stuff is based is deeply flawed in assuming that someone who has committed resources to establishing a platform from which they can sell, isn't going to do so ! Its insanity

Any rules that prevent vendors from selling are going to result in far fewer vendors.

The other problem of course is that not all vendors are equal (and that's understandable) I won't name names but everyone knows there's a long standing vendor who's forever asking members to email him for information, completely in violation of those guidelines, but its tolerated (and even encouraged) if they where to enforce those rules fairly, they'd upset 2 or 3 key vendors who post the type of content that they want ('intelligent nonsense') and certainly cause themselves short term damage. If they are too draconian with 99% of vendors, whilst allowing 2 or 3 to run riot, its going to get noticed. Only last week vendor A started a thread complaining that the rules where not being applied fairly in respect to vendor B's latest marketing efforts.



The reality is that practically every single article at t2w was written by a vendor. When t2w actually goes as far as interviewing vendors and publishing those interviews to their membership (and lets not forget, there's absolutely zero attempt to verify the claims made by the vendor in those interviews) how dare they say they have no pro vendor agenda ?

If I'm a vendor and I have a reasonable product, consumers will buy it, and if I want to promote it, then I should pay for advertising. I don't have a problem with t2w offering a discounted rate in exchange for content or active participation in the forum, but, at the moment its a completely unlevel playing field, and its being abused, and that abuse is detrimental to practically everyone.

 

[barjon]

Well a lot of the time it's that thread titles are used to plug the company, and then they can post once a day and bump the thread into new posts every day without having a discussion, but as a few examples

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/technical-analysis/166014-forex-research-27.html#post2131876

Avatar and links (lots of them at the bottom of posts) to alpari sites. It can be useful to have some of the larger brokers on here to field questions, but posting links is not allowed.

latest links deleted and warned not to repeat in future

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/forex/71100-deltastock-daily-fx-analysis-98.html#post2135648

Threadtitle, avatar, website posted in his charts, even some talk of offers

bit iffy but left

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/for...s-comments-updated-daily-104.html#post2131746

Avatar and thread title.



http://www.trade2win.com/boards/tec...date-forex-gold-crude-oil-10.html#post2131592

Putting website name in charts, probably not the worst offender

left

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/forex/104304-ganns-pyramid-table-69.html#post2131568

website and logo in every single table they put

iffy but left

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/tec...lysis-majors-4-pair-forex-16.html#post2131526

In every daily technical analysis they put there website (again not a direct link but still it's essentially spamming a website address)

left

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/stocks/147242-swing-trader-daily-ideas-17.html#post2101512

lots of youtube links that are actually the company's youtube, so a bit sneaky that one

left


http://www.trade2win.com/boards/edu...oo-much-screen-time-killing-your-trading.html

Avatar and signature



http://www.trade2win.com/boards/tec...al-analysis-majors-07-00-gmt.html#post2136372

Company name in signature, avatar, charts, well you get the idea.

left

Shakey

I had a look through the threads you mention and indicated above what I've done.

Here's how I see it in the context of the guideline 1.07 Vendors are welcome but they can’t sell. Any vendor representative who is prepared to share valuable information, join in discussions or deal with questions about their services will be welcomed. If they cross the line into selling the offending content will be deleted.

Firstly, I look to see if posts contain information about trading likely to be of interest to members. The answer in these cases is yes in my view.

Secondly, I look to see if there is any overt selling going on - directed links to website, for example.

Thirdly, I look to see if there is over the top advertising. Bit difficult this one particularly in relation to nicknames, avatars and embedded company names in charts etc. My personal view as a member is that I would prefer to know where people are coming from rather than hiding under some innocuous sounding nickname/avatar and in the absence of any strict rule concerning nicknames and avatars I suppose that influences my mod thinking. In essence, I am more concerned as to whether the content is is likely to be interesting for members when the attribution is a price worth paying even though it smacks a bit of "advertising".

jon

 

[the hare]

What's the first thing anyone sees when they look at the t2w home page ?

T2W's Trading FAQs Book

Learn the answers to questions every trader needs to know. John Forman speaks to successful traders and market pros to get you honest and authoritative answers.

A book written by vendors, and we've already discussed the pedigree and trading history of many of those contributors (for example mr nazi box Cohen, only 89 left etc. I won't even go there, its like shooting fish in a barrel)

Interview with Stock Trader Richard Joyson (Mr Charts)
US stock trader, coach and mentor Richard Joyson, (Mr Charts) discusses what it takes to become a successful day-trader and how his own journey developed from part time to full time trading. Read now →

An interview with t2w's very own Mr 'email me for more details' Charts. Home - nasdaq-nyse-trading-school


Matt Vann in Getting Started t2w staff member and vendor

John Bartlett Interview t2w's very own zenda the vender multinic who lives in a lake Learn Trading - Currency Trading, Forex Trading, and more

Larry Pesavento in Getting Started A vendor Larry Pesavento & Trading Tutor - Fibonacci Ratios with Pattern Recognition

Larry Swing in Technical Analysis A vendor Swing Trading Strategies | Day Trades | FREE Stocks Picks - MrSwing.com

Stan Freifeld in Options highly likely a vendor as his articles appear on all the usual suspects sites, but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt

Barry Lutz in Psychology a vendor Learn Stock Option Basics From The & Futures Options Guide.

then we get a bunch of review info for various other vendors Including

van Tharp,
Fat Prophets (whose lawyers where threatening you only days ago to have content removed)
BrettSteenbarger.com

But of course, as Barjon points out, no one is actively promoting vendors, and for the record, those links to various websites are published quite openly here, I didn't have to look them up.

The point that I am trying to make is your whole focus is pretty much on vendors. You promote them, you promote their articles, you promote their links to websites etc etc. the whole business is totally and completely dependent on your relationship with vendors, and you simply cannot dare risk upsetting them

Your given a bunch of examples of violations, and all with the exception of one, you left standing. That's ok I expected nothing less, but its pretty hypocritical to claim you have guidelines which where implemented to protect members when you simply do not follow those guidelines.

As I've pointed out to Steve, not only do you choose to ignore those guidelines you proactively protect the interest of vendors. That's understandable, but its hypocritical to suggest otherwise. I though we'd all moved past that stuff and you where finally being honest about what the score really is around here.

 

[Shakone]

Jon, I understood that the rules relating to signature forbid posting of URLs (i.e. the web addresses, it doesn't have to be a link that you click on). The intent behind this rule is - I thought - to prevent posters putting a URL in every single post, because that's what a signature would do. So for example this:

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/tec...lysis-majors-4-pair-forex-16.html#post2131526

and this

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/forex/104304-ganns-pyramid-table-69.html#post2131568

are clearly flouting the rule. It's irrelevant (to me) whether it is in the signature or the first line of the post or a table. If it's in every - or almost every - post, then it may just as well be in the signature.

 

[Shakone]

By the way, I should add that when a new account is made and the very first post has some link advertising, I think they can safely be considered to be breaking the rules. Nobody would do such things otherwise.

For example

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/for...st-step-financial-freedom-41.html#post2138178

Also, do you think the post below from Safnur could have a few more mentions of 'lite'

 

[barjon]

Jon, I understood that the rules relating to signature forbid posting of URLs (i.e. the web addresses, it doesn't have to be a link that you click on). The intent behind this rule is - I thought - to prevent posters putting a URL in every single post, because that's what a signature would do. So for example this:

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/tec...lysis-majors-4-pair-forex-16.html#post2131526

and this

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/forex/104304-ganns-pyramid-table-69.html#post2131568


are clearly flouting the rule. It's irrelevant (to me) whether it is in the signature or the first line of the post or a table. If it's in every - or almost every - post, then it may just as well be in the signature.

yes, i've told them to stop doing it now, but haven't the time to edit out from the many posts they've made

 

[the hare]

yes, i've told them to stop doing it now, but haven't the time to edit out from the many posts they've made

What about this for a radical idea

Grant them temporary ability to edit their historic posts (morally and ethically they'd have the ability to do so anyway, but I digress)

Tell them that have a week to clean up their own mess. If they don't get it sorted out, delete the whole thread, no messing about, just do it.

The vendors posting that stuff are taking clear liberties, and relying on the fact that you are under resourced, and pro vendor. Alternatively, change your rules to suit reality.

 

[barjon]

By the way, I should add that when a new account is made and the very first post has some link advertising, I think they can safely be considered to be breaking the rules. Nobody would do such things otherwise.

For example

http://www.trade2win.com/boards/for...st-step-financial-freedom-41.html#post2138178

Also, do you think the post below from Safnur could have a few more mentions of 'lite'

yup, deleted those two.

 

[the hare]

yup, deleted those two.

Whilst you are in the mood for deleting posts, perhaps you could delete my old posts, and mr Arabians too

 

[the hare]

Ok lets get this thread back on topic !

Amongst the endless ocean of vendor related stuff on the sites front page, theres a section labelled 'in the forums' which presumably is there to draw attention to threads that are either "Featured" or "Hot"

The section contains 10 "featured" threads, and ZERO "hot" threads. I assume that the term "hot" relates to threads with a specified number of views or more. So, How many views does a thread need to get to be classified as hot ? Or is that information a state secret

Is the absence of hot threads actually a quantifiable and objective measure that the site is or is not lifeless ?

Perhaps if you wanted to give the illusion that some threads where hot, the figure could be reduced to a more modest setting

 

[barjon]

Whilst you are in the mood for deleting posts, perhaps you could delete my old posts, and mr Arabians too

what and lose all that quality content - not a chance

 

[the hare]

what and lose all that quality content - not a chance

there's certainly some quality lulz for sure.

 

[Trader333]

WP,

The site upgrade is different to the forum software upgrade. T2W has a lot of bespoke coding that makes it look and work the way it does and those are the upgrades from the thread you linked and when implemented should not affect the forum software in terms of settings, although you can never know for certain.

 

[Shakone]

Ok lets get this thread back on topic !

Amongst the endless ocean of vendor related stuff on the sites front page, theres a section labelled 'in the forums' which presumably is there to draw attention to threads that are either "Featured" or "Hot"

The section contains 10 "featured" threads, and ZERO "hot" threads. I assume that the term "hot" relates to threads with a specified number of views or more. So, How many views does a thread need to get to be classified as hot ? Or is that information a state secret

Is the absence of hot threads actually a quantifiable and objective measure that the site is or is not lifeless ?

Perhaps if you wanted to give the illusion that some threads where hot, the figure could be reduced to a more modest setting

That would be risky...this thread might appear hot

 

[the hare]

That would be risky...this thread might appear hot

Good lulz though

 

[Vasco da Banana]

Good lulz though

All Mike Bagadadday and Gopt!ons threads would obviously go in the 'Hot' category.

 

[the hare]

All Mike Bagadadday and Gopt!ons threads would obviously go in the 'Hot' category.

A complete absence of hot threads is a sad state of affairs

 

[Mr. Charts]

Like our Great and Glorious Leader Cameron,
Chillax folk,
after all, it is

Summertime,
And the trollin' is easy
hare are jumpin'
And the posting ain’t high

Oh, Your Sharky's rich
And your thread is good lookin'
So hush little scammer
Don't you lie

One of these mornings
Boyles going to rise up posting
Then you'll spread your pings
And you'll flee to the sky

But until that morning
There's a'nothing can harm you
With all your multi-nicks just standing by

Summertime,
And the trollin' is easy
hare are jumpin'
And the posting ain’t high

Oh, Your Sharky's rich
And your thread is good lookin'
So hush little scammer
Don't you lie

 

[wackypete2]

WP,

The site upgrade is different to the forum software upgrade. T2W has a lot of bespoke coding that makes it look and work the way it does and those are the upgrades from the thread you linked and when implemented should not affect the forum software in terms of settings, although you can never know for certain.

Thank you for the clarification.

Peter