Online Meeting Tonight

[Stocktrading101]

Guys, 9:30 pm my time get on aim for a meeting if you can. Topic of discussion:

IMAGE

What image are we presenting here for the contests? what image do we have for the community? If you are part of the contest, part of the community (as in website), then what image is created in your mind?
How can we enhance that image?

My screenname is StckTrdr4Lfe if you don't know it already. I will invite you to our chat room once I create it. See ya then!

[JeffBox]

ok I'll be there

[MDZ]

likewise man!

[Matt Moss]

Chat cancelled due to Blain's internet being down. I just got off the phone with him. We're going to have to do it some other time.

RIP 2005 Blain's internet connection

[spncr2]

Darn, alrighty keep us updated.

[FirstConsul]

Do it on Sunday! I won't be able to make it on weekdays.

[Stocktrading101]

Maybe the weekend would work best, Imma post up my thoughts here though for you guys to respond and discuss until we figure out when to meet.

Before I get into my own personal image of what we have, I want to throw out our main community aspects that I think we are all here for:

1. The contest itself
2. The Portal (discussion boards)

I want to look back at this contest four years from now with the chance of maybe even not being the ring leader of it, and going "Those contests were great, they helped to shape my life, and I can't believe I even won one". Furthermore, looking ahead I want this to be something HUGE. My vision is mini groups of graduated contestants sticking together to invest in private groups, having national conventions where any participant can come, a board of directors that manages the 10,000+ participants each contest, etc. I want people to be alumni persay and be 30 and be able to volunteer to help out somehow.

So, with that image in mind, what I wamt to do now and especially now as we prepare to break the 100 contestant mark for next contest, is to get our community to harbor that image day in day out. I had originally questioned what direction I wanted to go with this discussion board, but now it is clear for me, to have it be THE TALK PLACE TO BE if you are in the contests. I personally want the discussion boards sole purpose to house contestants, connect us together, and help us all get further ahead in our investing knowledge. Not a dating forum (thought about it), not a professional trader disucssion forum(thought about it), but OUR community for the contest.

MY Call for Changes:

To harbor that image I have, I would vote to make the following changes:

1. Make number of posts irrelevant. I don't see myself being any better than you are because I have "super member" status for posting 100 messages. The first change would be to get rid of this, and my idea would be to make our IDs based on how many contests we have participated in as designated by color (my name is now green for example). So, first contest or have yet to participate = brown (just throwing colors out here), orange would be second contest, three, four, and your fifth color is represented by your fifth+ contest. This would help bring the forums in touch with the image of being directly connected with the contest.

2. Getting you guys more involved with the contest overall - This brings value in my mind to the contest, because you guys feel truly like you are a part of its operations. The best way I found and is already prepared to be implemented is the Falkin Reps program. I think this will be an excellent opportunity and program, and as it grows it will be a great part of our image. Another possibility would be to have a "core group" of contestants, voted in by the contestants, managed by the contestants.

3. Connecting our cores all together - I need help with this guys, but the main reason I made the site was to connect the two biggest cores we have right now, the contest itself and the forums. By making the forums customized for the contest it will enhance image, getting you guys involved in the contest will enhance image, and having the site itself be unique will help enhance that image as well. Other Ideas I have to bring a stronger image are to make a professional logo for the contest, start a professional newsletter (the software costs $9.95 a month up to 500 people), and finally what the heck do we call ourselves?! Yea we are part of the The Portal, ya we are participating in Falkin III, but if I am telling someone about it, I want to exclaim, "Hey Man, I am part of the Falkin Community; I am a _________!!" Every person that comes in is something unique, we need a title for ourselves guys.

And, those are my thoughts all typed out. I apoligize for the long email but I spend hours a day thinking of this contest and I think right now we have a great opportunity to start building an oustanding image. I don't want only 15 out of 50 contestants on the forums, I want 50 out of 50 contestants to be a part of the forums. Let's all come together to make our foundation of steel, so that we can stand on it for years to come.

To the future,

[Administrator]

hey guys, (this is Blain under the Administrator acct)

Notice how it says "Falkin Leader" under my "administrator title" as well. These are custom ranks I can make (which are based on posts) for the groups we can decide on. So for example, let's say I am in my third contest and just got my 50th post, my name could be displayed:

Billyboy512 (in let's say Black coloring) <-- Black coloring = 3rd contest
3rd Falkin Contest <-- title obtained from being in 3rd contest
Falkin Private <-- rank given based on group and 50+ of posts

Yes, it may be confusing as all get out. But, we do have some options on cutomization!! Let the creativity run wild! Heck, you can even have a 2nd ranking as well! O, side note about coloring, when your logged on your name appears in your color at the bottom of the main page next to "whos logged on" which is pretty sweet!