[Deusomega]

Saying that labeling a vendor a vendor is restricting information flow is like saying labeling an organic apple organic is socialism.

[Deusomega]

Originally Posted by MightyMouse »

I think vendors should pay to advertise if they want the opportunity to host a thread and promote themselves. I would have a lot more respect for them if I knew they were paying to solicit business. However, it is MMS's site and he can run it the way he pleases.

Maybe they do?

"No promotion allowed. Traders Laboratory does not accept solicitation and spam on the boards. We have a strict anti-spam policy and if violated, members will be banned without notice. If you are affiliated with any service provider, promotion is strictly prohibited. Common promotion methods include: silent spamming techniques, private messaging members, discount coupons, affiliate links, and implementing vendor messages in charts."

[clmacdougall]

Originally Posted by MadMarketScientist »

Ok I see a ton of threads degenerating into a 'vendor' bash ... so here is a thread for all of you to give your opinion on vendors. I'll be reviewing this thread for feedback. And if I see good threads going down a wrong path, I will also be moving offending posts here so people can continue those discussions outside of the main thread.

thanks!
MMS

The reason for the degeneration is that the problem is not being dealt with and people are becoming tired with an excess of self promotion by non contributing vendors. By labeling all vendors you begin the exercise of sorting through and separating the good ones from the bad ones.

[gosu]

Originally Posted by clmacdougall »

* * *
separating the good ones from the bad ones.

LOL.. Good one.

Maybe with like a rating agency for vendors?

[clmacdougall]

Originally Posted by gosu »

LOL.. Good one.

Maybe with like a rating agency for vendors?

Good point. I guess it would be best to label them all and let each individual decide for themselves.

[Tradewinds]

It took me a long, long while to figure out, and sort out what the motives were behind each members posts. New members to TL may have no understanding of the motives behind a post.

I was a member for quite a while before I started reading or making posts. I started reading and making posts as a way to work through trading ideas, learn, and hopefully contribute. My motive in contributing, is that I usually learn something new. So there is a personal benefit to being involved. I've learned that by trying to answer questions, and give opinions, I learn something new.

As I started to understand why different people were making posts, and learned things about them, I gained some clarity about what is going on. I began to realize that many people making posts are simply in the self-promotion business, for whatever reason.

It's not that self-promotion is inherently bad, but knowing what is really going on adds some depth of understanding.

Ultimately the goal of TL is to attract traders, and get them to visit the site often. Advertisers and vendors want to see a lot of traffic. TL is not going to hold or attract more traffic from people getting disgusted and fed up with the crap that goes on here. It just seems like common sense for TL to bring a halt to contentious and insulting behavior. I don't care if someone wants to sell me something. I might even want and like what they are selling. The self-promotion and selling isn't the problem.

It's not vendors, or self-promoting people who are the problem, it's anyone who just doesn't understand simple respect. Although, if TL wants to increase the respect level, then there needs to be some transparency about what is really going on. It may be surprising to many what the background and motives are of many of the members who make a lot of posts.

I've noticed that some members with a lot of posts, seem to have not made posts for years. Sooner or later, probably everyone moves on and stops visiting the site for one reason or another. TL should consider who is coming back to the site and why. You don't want an imbalance of contentious and/or self promoting people to the people who are sincerely looking for beneficial interactions.

[gosu]

You are obviously sincere but very naive.

It might benefit you to take things less seriously, because what you desire to obtain from here may not be possible.

The reality is very little transference can be accomplished through a message board.

You do get to see a lot of the myths in the industry get repeated over and over, sometimes by loudmouths and sometimes by polite idiots. Is there much of a difference?

The interest of the site owner is not aligned with that of a person who seeks to go beyond the myths. That's something you're going to have to do on your own outside of places like this.

[thalestrader]

Why not just add a "Commercial Thread" forum and move any thread that comes into being that is authored by someone with a known commercial interest?

And instead of the TL labels, e.g. "starting...," "guru", market wizard," etc, for those who are known to be vendors, a simple "commercial member" or "Vendor" would suffice. Other forums do it - they simply label a vendor as a vendor or sponsor or whatever, and then the others members at least know that the motives of their interlocutor may be more than simpy altruistic.

Label them all "Vendor," and be done with it - we can then be done with the vendor bashing as most of it is simply the well informed and formerly burned doing what we can to protect those less well informed. If all vendors are labeled as such, then let caveat emptor prevail.
But so long as the sharks are allowed to swim with the children while simultaneoulsy being allowed to masquerade as children, then those calling a sharkl a shark are right in doing so. If MMS sticks the sharks with a branding iron that makes their nature immediatley recognizable, then the children know when to get out of the pool on their own, or at least know to be counting their fingers and toes and checking for wounds.

Simple solution, if you ask me. Then again, no one asked ...

Best Wishes,

Thales