Attention all posters...Please read.

Attention all Posters.

This post is just a general headsup at this stage to get you all used to the idea that some changes will be coming. HC mods and admin are faced with a conundrum and the pressure on us is increasing. The post below is the stance of the moderation team and together with HC admin we will update you as things progress.

Perhaps I should start by saying that you should never criticize a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes. HC admin is getting to the point where they are being inundated with all manner of complaints from all side of the debate. It would seem that there are many lobby groups on HC all working at cross purposes and all demanding that we run the forum according to their wishes. This is not to say that everyone does not have a good point to make however it is impossible for us to please some without enraging others.

Some true believer type posters are complaining that the negative posters are ruining their discussions on the forums. They feel non holders should have no posting privileges and they are just "trolls" or "down rampers" who are only their for nuisance value. Negative posters feel they should have equal say and object to being muzzled. Some people want to have a little bit of friendly social banter on the threads while others want to jump up and down if every single post is not stock related. No one is ever supposed to attack another poster or their motives ever....but they do continually and they feel they are justified in breaking the rules because they see it as some sort of struggle of good verses evil.

So we have been having a discussion in the backroom and we thought that as HC is about to IPO that this might be a good time for us to define what the Hotcopper's culture should be. We want to work out what is important to, and most beneficial for, the majority and then after that is established put it into print. After that is established everyone will be expected to abide by the decision.

Personally my input is, and has always been, that both sides of the debate should feel free to add their views without fear of personal attack. I think if you are going to invest in the market then you should be mature enough to listen to all sides without feeling you are being personally threatened or insulted or feeling you need to engage in character assassination of others. For me personally I want to be warned of possible pitfalls in my investments and I welcome the input of negative posters......On the other hand it has been suggested to me that camaraderie is, and has always been, a source of great joy to many of our members. Like minded people like to celebrate their stock together and get excited about the possibilities of the future and that perhaps too much negativity can ruin that experience. I take that observation on board and concede that this could be an vital ingredient to the HotCopper culture. The shadow side of that of course is that you run the danger of the threads becoming boiler rooms where unscrupulous but experienced traders get the newbies over excited and drive the price up for their own benefit. Posters could become drunk on euphoria as they are then lead over the cliff. But these are all the sorts of things that we are currently considering. We are keen to get the mix right to make as many of our members as happy as possible.

So can I suggest in the next little while, as we mull this all over, that maybe you should have a look at three of our premier forums. They would be the XSO, the Short term trading and the XJO forums. For my money these three forums are models that I would personally like to see every forum aspire to. Posters on these forums for the most part have years of experience. The camaraderie is as good as it gets and no one gets upset over conflicting stock views...and in fact they are welcomed. Anyone who tries to start trouble on these forums are quickly given their marching orders as posters here have created for themselves a happy working environment free of delusion. That is more that I can say for a small number of our forums that, despite the best efforts of the mods, have deteriorated into cyber ghettos.

So have a think about that and we will get back to you soon.

Please note: We will leave this thread open so that you can make construction suggestions to aid in this process. But please absolutely no whining or complaining or attacking other posters and no mod bashing. We want this discussion to be a positive one.