Quote from Pension_Admin:
One thing I like about ET is how things are organized. Baron did a good job which shows his business sense.
T2W is a nice website too, but there are way to many little sub-forums and sometime you don't even know which forum you should go to.
I think website valuation has a bit more to do with how a website is run and the target audience. I could have a website that gets a lot of traffic and it gets mentioned on a lot of social networking site, but if my website is about frugal living and the target audience are all low income earners with tight wallets, then I doubt the website would worth much.
I too like how ET is website is lay out but the moderation and registration process is problematic but that's not why ET has a low web site valuation in comparison to it's competitors.
Here's a generic example of what I see on social networks involving ET and it's competition. For example, a website for traders with only 3 links at
reddit that takes traders to quality information about trading in comparison to 25 links at reddit that takes traders to the chit chat section about CNBC's maria's boob size or the latest discussion religion will have less value than those 3 links.
My point is that there are more links out there to quality information about trading that's taking traders to ET's competition instead of to ET even if those other sites aren't as well organized or simple to use. Just as important, those quality links are being shared more on social networks in comparison to links not of quality info.
Also, a lot of ET former quality members that don't post here any more is not because they blew up their accounts...it's because they wanted a more quality audience to read their messages which is why they post elsewhere. Regardless, the
main issue is that the competition is embracing social networks while ET is not and this site to Baron is about advertising dollars for his pocket...eventually he'll have to embrace it especially as more sponsors themselves began diverting their advertising dollars to social network sources.
Like I said, ET needs to get more social network aware as it's sponsors and competition and doing something as simple as having the option to send a link for the message post to different social networks at the bottom of each post and/or trader's profiles is a big plus for
evaluation worth and it's a
simple coding.
For example...check out the bottom of each of these message posts at Traderslaboratory @
http://www.traderslaboratory.com/forums/f56/profit-target-levels-7315.html
You'll see that there's a direct link to send the message post to either digg, delicious, technorati or furl. That's a very simple coding to do and easily can embedd stuff like facebook, myspace, twitter et cetera or even a
send link via email. Also, I've seen those other sites (competition) when they were first born...they now have sponsors when in prior they did not and I strongly believe it's because those sites have embraced social networking when ET has not.
P.S. In your bodybuilding example...dont' look at one site alone. Instead, compare it to the
evaluation of other bodybuilding sites and the evaluation is not based upon revenue or sales although they do well in sales or bodybuilding products and ad space...nor does it implies their sales is +16 million.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/
http://bizinformation.org/us/www.bodybuilding.com
Mark