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Help me make a decision, please!
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Hello, fabulous Gumshoe readers — I need your help to decide how the Stock Gumshoe will steer this site.
I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth it to host a participatory forum for the Gumshoe, where we could all share our sleuthing ideas and clues, and solutions when we’ve got them, without having to email everything to me and wait for me to post it.
I’ll still keep going as I am with the blog, posting my writeups and figuring out some teasers that hopefully not many others have discovered, but since I’m in danger of becoming overwhelmed with the number of great submissions and emails I thought it might be valuable to have a more direct way for us to share ideas.
In all likelihood, this would be a free service that I’d foot the bill for (it’s not expensive) and host a little advertising in the forum. I’d do everything possible to keep it as anonymous as I can, but I’d probably have to moderate some content to make sure I don’t get sued.
So — I’ve put a little poll in the top right of the page. Please take a moment to vote and let me know if you’d like to see a forum “experiment” — whether you’d like to just read a forum, or become an active participant, or think it’s a dumb idea (which won’t hurt my feelings, don’t worry). Or, if you have a better idea, feel free to post it as a comment here.
Thanks much, as always, for being the greatest readers in the investing blogosphere — and happy sleuthing. I’ll take this post down in a week or so, or whenever I’ve got enough poll answers to help me make a decision.
———–
Looking to learn? There are plenty of good trading courses out there, but for traders just starting out, they’re a bit pricey. Here’s an alternative — and an “on the house” preview!
The author will always disclose any direct long or short equity, debt or option position in any stocks written about as of the day of publication, and will not trade in any stocks mentioned for three days (72 hours) after publication. Full disclaimer is at the bottom of the page.
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Discussion
37 comments for “Help me make a decision, please!”
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It’s worth a try. The ‘community of users’ is the next research department for a lot of ventures. Raise up an army of gumshoes to take on “Big Newsletter!”
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I agree its worth it. I’d be glad to become active participant of course you’ll have the editorial privilege of deciding whether to post or not to. Best wishes
Sam
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I’d participate; however, I believe it should be only allowed for paid subscribers ( after the check clears of course !!). This would reduce bad info from spammers pumping stocks, I believe if posting was free eventually you would be overwhelmed with bad info. It is important to keep the integretity ( which currently I view as very high ) maintained on your site.
[Reply]
I agree with Post #3. I like the forum idea, but even a small monthly charge of just $5 would stop most pumpers/spammers. However, you could have it open sourced like Wikipedia, where the community monitors the posts and is able to remove unwanted/harmful information. These community monitors could be prescreened as your long time readers/posters and given the code to help you monitor the sight. This would lighten the load on you, so you could slueth with your honesty and witt.
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This site is wonderful how it is – whatever you do, keep YOUR writings as the main focus, and don’t let a bunch of posters dilute your fine quality (I just discovered this site a few weeks ago – it is awesome).
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I like things just the way they are. Thanks for this site– I love it!
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i agree with post number 5, as i too just came across this site and enjoy reading it immensely…and i’d see how it goes before deciding on a slight fee from “pumpers/dumpers”….keep up the good work!!!
[Reply]
Thanks for the great comments and suggestions, folks — and keep ‘em coming! I especially like the kind compliments, so let’s have some more of those, please …
cheers,
SG
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i think JUST You posting like you do now is fine. There are too many slammers /spammers and it will eventually ruin everything you,ve done. i,ve seen the spammers become friends and few months slowly turn. you control content now and every company you,ve posted the stock price hasnt just flown. most take time. so there,s not much urgency getting the symbols out to the crowd, and if we do miss 1, so be it, there,s always another, and another. there are plenty of stock forums now as it is. just my 2 cents.
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I’d prefer you continue doing what your doing – this is a great site – if you need help maybe you could find a couple of keeners. Show them how you do it and have them help with the legg work and you do the summary work. I’d offer some of my time.
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First, I have recently found your site and love your balanced insight (in addition to some quite funny comments) which i believe in itself would keep many pumper/dumpers’ reco’s in proper perspective. I also think the current submissions via email in itself gives you the email id and thus the identity (well, potentially! in this spam world) of the poster and thus acts as self regulatory to screen out the pumper/dumpers from the especially repeat ones by their reco records in your spreadsheet. Which may not be so easy to weed out in a more open format.
So the format now is fine except for the reasons you listed i.e. being overwhelmed by sleuthing emails, so maybe a email alias setup to direct the incoming requests to multiple sleuths and the success sent to you which then in turn you post may work faster while keeping your work load enjoyable and keeping the current framework which many like me seem to like.
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I think the site is great as is. If you open it up to commentary, you will get some meaningful input but at the same time, lots of junk, distractions and personal agendas.
This is unfortunately the reality of the I-World.
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The current format is just great as-is, mainly due to your analysis. You have certainly earned my trust so if you are not in the loop who knows it may be open season for pumpers. I have been routinely sleuthing successfully anyway for over 10 years now and will gladly offer help (as will many capable others) offline via email to you directly if needed, just post the “help wanted” sign and i will respond. — ss007
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I think it is good as it stands. An open forum would probably create a volume of information that will be difficult to deal with. I receive, as others probably do, 150 emails a day and having one story a day from Gumshoe to chew on is enough for me and an enjoyable event of the day.
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I also think that the current format is good too. I agree with others about the spammers coming here and “pumping” their stocks, and ruining it for others. Maybe have some categories where stocks fall under (commodities, financial,etc.) would help in managing your choices.
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Great site you have here !!Exposing a lot of the BS.Just plain old good minds,good detective work,A good place to spread the word about a great stock!!My biggest laugh !SSHHH dont tell anyone about this stock XYZ it is going to the moon,well for it to go to the moon a lot of people have to know and buy it!!!!Why SSSHHHH!!tell the world!!!
[Reply]
I also found your site a couple of weeks ago. It is my most visited site. I love it, your wit writing it, and of course the sleuthing that you do. It has already saved me many hours of my own sleuthing, which is that of a novice. I like it the way it is. Already my emails contain too many pumpers and dumpers. I don’t care to read them in your site. However, whatever you decide to do, I’m with you. Keep up the good work.
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I vote for current format.
When one can get the original i.e. timely reco’s for $49-99/yr in many cases highly ranked on hulbert guide, then the $5/mo pricing model may not scale for sleuth success as the tease emailed to you maybe stale i.e. who-knows-when-it-originated, it may scale for $200-500+/yr advisories provided one gets lot of their teases sleuthed consistently (I subscribe to about 3 such newsletters and additionally get about 3-4 avg/day teases which I self sleuth with 70% success which i can contribute (the sleuths only not the paid reco)to your site. So maybe the site can evolve from the current free-to-all to free-sleuth-to-sleuth (based on valid new tease/solution contribution level) but-some-charge-to-rest non-contributors. just my .02c either way … you are what makes your site successful and profitable hopefully for you 2.
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Hi again everyone — just to clarify, The Gumshoe is going to continue doing what I’ve been doing on this same blog site, in the same format. The growing readership, and the large number of folks who have wanted to contribute, both financially and intellectually, tells me that this is working well for a lot of people, and I like to do it.
A forum, if I do open one, would be primarily for all of you to communicate with each other, without me in the middle to slow things down. I’d probably participate a little and police it some, but I would not change what I’m doing on the main site here.
Thanks again, appreciate the comments and advice.
SG
[Reply]
The site is perfect the way it is. Don’t want different agendas being promoted….just your honest input!
[Reply]
I would also like to see you keep the focus on your one or two (sometimes more) daily posts – after all, half the fun is in reading your witty write-ups.
That said, I don’t see anything wrong with letting users post the results of their own sleuthing efforts in a forum. You can choose to let them stand on their own, make your own comments in the forum, or feature a forum tip from time to time (with your own commentary added, of course
).
Keep up the good work!
[Reply]
Please keep the Sleuthing as is.
I have participated in forums and found that they quickly degenerate into personal attacks, personal agendas, polarization, stock bashing, pump and dump, etc.
It is like the facts are spun around until you don’t know what to believe.
How do you moderate such a forum? I would not pay money for this service.
IMHO,
Jerry
[Reply]
I just “donated” $100
Like other info sources & nesletters, you might charge for your time. Maybe different levels of cost for different levels of info.
Some of the comments say “yea, leave it alone, I love it”. Of course it is free
Either you are just a good samaritan or your will go broke.
If people won’t pay for your info, then it is not worth anything, now is it.
[Reply]
Hey all,
I too have only discovered this site in March. And it is quite accurate to say the least. I am a subscriber to a couple of subscriptions, and I can verify that your sleuthing is GRADE A.
While I am a sleuth myself, you have saved me countless hours of research and I thank you. On that note I am very glad that the Blog will remain unchanged. However, I know that I for one, have had the desire to contact the rest of you. Not to mention, countless amounts of “teasers” that I have forwarded have never been posted. So perhaps an E-mail exchange based forum where posters may exchange contact info for communication purposes.
Thanx again, keep up the good work!
[Reply]
I have been reading your site for several weeks. Great info. Fun to read and thought provoking, keeps a person from making a knee jerk purchase. I am new to investing and have had some great beginners luck, but I have learned that is small comfort when you choose a looser. I read Message boards and become BORED from all the BS, your site is concise, brings up serious considerations in making an investment. I worry about all the trivial BS that may occur in open forums clouding serious comments and reasonable discussions based on logic and fact. If an open forum is established great care needs to be taken to preclude the pump/dump/basher/shorters from taking over the forum, big freedom of speech issue. Good luck on the decision. You really have a nice format going, be careful about any changes that might dilute the content and value of your site, your are good and worth the read.
[Reply]
Gumshoe Guy, you are doing a super job. I can appreciate the fact that it does take considerable time. Before finding your site I spent loads of hours researching “teasers”. However, opening up to others could dilute the quality. If you felt it necessary to share the leg work, I would be willing to do some time. However, you should be the final editor.
Bud
[Reply]
stay the same. a forum will allow people to promote stocks that they may own
[Reply]
Hi Gumshoe :
)
I have been doing something like this for the fun of it. I bought some (AMLN and how it makes a diabetes drug from Gila monster saliva
and pass most. But the fun is tracking down the stocks.
I can/will be able to spend time.
- JohnW
[Reply]
Dear Gumshoe, I’m definate we all appreciate the job you’re doing, the information provided is realy of high quality and though most of teasers are quite easy to find, some of your findings are mastepieces of sleuthing. The manner is great and information is short and complete.
I vote to everything to stay unchanged, isn’t it enough to post a comment on particular topic?!
[Reply]
Hey GUMSHOE, just wanted to invest my $0.02!
There is a third alternative, used increasingly by sites that post “official” articles but allowing offsite response without you having to actively monitor them.
You could provide a brief description, possibly with a link to the original “teaser” if available, for any unknown writeups – and code a “Digg.com” button at the bottom (see http://www.digg.com/tools/integrate). Any worthwhile analysis done by and submitted as a Digg comment by gumshoe readers that find useful clues can be “voted on” by any other reader adding a “thumbs-up” vote, and spammers would end up roundly squashed in negative numbers.
You could then continue your inciteful commentary at will, and replace or move any “solved” mysteries with a summary to your archive section!
You retain control of your site, readers get to respond, spammers get dissed, we all get the results…and stock gumshoe ends up with LOTS of external hyper-links from an outside highly-trafficked site to boost its search-engine rankings…
You’re welcome!
Rich
[Reply]
To Whom myth read this comment.
I have been a share holder in USA companies for these last 2 years.
Ok I have believed in a fare trading on the market. But dear freinds I was totally wrong.There are no fare trade on the USA stock exchang. It is a rip off. It is true what a good old friend told me when I was in the USA. He said you will be very lucky to get back your investment.
Ok I await some response to this. Please feel free to answer me.
[Reply]
Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents. Being more of a trader than long term investor (if you havent noticed), it is my belief that the major volume on our stock exchanges is or can be controlled by the all the money mgers. We see this phenomena when the major indices drop drastically. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PREDICT DOWNSIDE MOVEMENT BASED ON THE FUNDAMENTAL INDICATORS RELEASED ON A WEEKLY BASIS.I learned this from being a forex trader and developing my chart reading skills over 10 years. The major risk faced by long term investors is short selling in unison by the pros. Their ability to control fear,by massive short selling,is designed to replinish their losses by controlling the downside of the market. If you set a visible stop loss, your position is nothing more than visible liquidity to the short sellers. If you dont understand the mechanism of short selling, or prefer to ignore it because you dont agree with the concept ethically,a long term investor has overlooked his greatest downside risk.
[Reply]
It’s probably a good idea — Motley Fool has a thriving discussion area, and people in general love to share information online — but you should be prepared to spend time moderating, weeding out the weirdos and off-subject posts, and looking for PR spin from interested (prejudicial) parties. It may not be a trivial amount of time, because I suspect your discussion area will be heavily used because you have such fan base.
[Reply]
You are providing a great service. The amount of time you have to devote to the site can be overwelming if as we know you have other obligations. If other bloggers can join in it may allow you to spent less time but still provide the continuation of a very good informative site.
[Reply]
Ditto #6. Also, I think you should be paid; I think I owe you a “donation”. I did make one a couple of months ago. But the paying part is a great practice to use to keep people who don’t have anything to do from junking your outstanding site up.
[Reply]
You write a column asking for feedback and ideas about adding a new forum and even in the responses you get comments like those from post #31 – it reads like the bad posts on the Yahoo financial forums. I started paying because I enjoy reading your articles. I love free but it’s worth the five bucks a month to me to help ensure you don’t go away and to keep ads to a minimum!!! As many others say, YOU are the reason for the success of your site – whatever you do please make sure to keep it that way.
I hope you find the right solution that allows you to weed through the newsletter teaser alerts you receive. I look forward to your email at work every day, no matter what time it comes and I would hate to think you might miss one because you are too busy policing the forum and keeping it free of spam, pumpers/dumpers, and all other manner of crap.
[Reply]
As far as I know your site is the only counter balance to the ever increasing promo’s we are inundated with. There is a growing realization (and industry) devoted to fooling the public into sending their money to skillful shysters using “copywriters” who are trained to use key trigger words. I am not against salesmanship if it is for honest products…but these guys are just out to separate people from their $. Your site is the only one to help us against this increasing tidal wave. Whatever format you choose is fine …just don’t quit! Thanks a million
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