My gosh... what a reply. As much as you piss me off wrbtrader, given how much effort you put into your replies to me, I have to at least commend you for the work involved.
Listen, I have caught up on some other posts too and I even see some suggest that Q3D is marketsurfer. If this is the case, then it is an unfortunate waste of time all around. But even without this issue, I have to say there is still this troubling feeling I have. So many of your posts have the flavor of what isn't possible, what can't be done, what ET isn't, what ET cannot provide, etc. Lately everyone bitches about all the problems at ET, and yet nobody is doing anything to fix it. If the self moderation would clear up all these problems, then I would love to see that because you're clearly just as fed up with my posts as I am with having to write them. But I still think they are valid given all the info posted here.
I don't doubt that many people agree with you about me, and I don't deny that I don't have problems, but given where I'm at, and vocal about it, there are 10 times as many traders on here in the exact same boat, but without the fire to share their frustrations like me, and not always frustrations, but even legitimate concerns.
What really gets me is that so many of your posts point to all these other sources of much better information out there, and yet, your extensive posting here at ET is almost an oxymoron because you're spending so much time posting at ET about how inappropriate ET is for trading discussions. If ET is so horrible, which it seems to be as of late, then you would figure everyone would leave and there would even be any replies like mine, or the one from the OP. You would think that ET would just implode, and yet, lately we have a flurry of activity, quite heated in fact.
In fact, if you got your way, if the forum was exactly how you wanted, there would simply be nothing to talk about. I made this exact same post in my journal more than a year ago. When I was posting about how horribly I was doing, the classic replies were.. "do you have a trading plan". If not, get one before trading. If yes, did you follow it. If you didn't follow it, your problems are psychological, and if you did follow it and are still losing, you don't have an edge. So if you don't have an edge, go back to looking for an edge. Then when you find an edge, go back to step 1.
Now is this wrong, of course not, but if this is how it was, there would be absolutely no reason for a journal forum. Every single person who starts a thread in this section should always be pointed to this simple flow chart. And since ET isn't about looking for an edge, since you're saying its not the place to actually look for trade triggers and such, then there would really be no point to ET in the first since all problems could be solved by the flow chart. This is even more true since you say ET isn't a fraternity, and since trading trading is also very individual.
That is perhaps what I find the most frustrating thing about your posts. If we did exactly what you suggest, if this place was exactly set up the way you think it should be, there would be no need for any posts or any discussions. ET wouldn't exist because its clearly the worst place to talk about trading, and if anyone did actually come here for trading help, they would be referred to the flow chart as I describe above. The way you describe ET, its about everything but trading. Trading, at the simplest level, starts with an entry and an exit. Of course to figure out when, and where and how to enter is what makes it so difficult, but you can talk about about theory and psychology and everything else till the cows come home, but it all comes down to an entry. The fact that so many experts here cannot talk about this is troubling to me. Sure you have to have an idea of where its going and understand the big picture and all that jazz, but to take advantage of any of it, there must be an entry. Once the entry is made, this is now where all the fun and pain begins.
Now I realize there will be a huge amount of traders out there who completely disagree with me, who say that the entry is the least of your concerns when it comes to trading, and yes, I've read about these ideas and I understand in some ways what they are saying. But I still think that the way to separate the men from the boys is if those guys who actually say that everything else is soooo important, with the entry being the least important, then they could back this up.
There was a question here way back when about indicators that people found most useful. Redneck had the best reply. His reply was that his PnL was his most important indicator.
(I hope I got this quote right... its how I remember it.) Likewise, I think to summarize what I'm trying to capture with all my rants, and I think what all the strugglers out there would like to see is, does all the important mumbo jumbo, all the theories discussed to no end, all arguments about TA, everything on this forum, does it translate to a positive PnL. I don't give a shit if nobody wants to help me or if all they ever did was put me down, but I would respect them if I knew that they knew what they were talking about since their actions and views about the market translated to highly positive PnL's.Its like all these arguments about TA. Who gives a shit about how anyone views the market, the real question is if their view is making a profit. Since nobody can step up to the plate (as of late, since you say this used to be the case many yeas ago), everyone's opinion here only goes so far. This is why strugglers find it so hard on here I think. Its just a bunch of he said/she said. All wonderful arguments, sometimes not all that wonderful, but still, zero substance. (yes, I know I can also go to that Salon place to look up what PA traders are doing, but then this once again means there is no point in having ET around, which gets back to my earlier rant)
Ps. Not that I actually think this, but since everyone says that marketsurfer is just looking for people to sign up for his trade call services business, couldn't we think of you as someone who is just looking to recruit for trading schools or perhaps trade competitions? Once again, I don't actually think this, but many of your posts talk about University level trading programs and trading competitions. You could perhaps know just as much about trading as marketsurfer. I could also be absolutely killing it right now but just posting on here under the disguise of a failed trader looking for kicks while I wait for price to hit my profit targets.
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