If I was writing purely to "ramp" my portfolio then there would be better and less time consuming ways to do it. For example, like other offenders, I could create multiple usernames on the bulletin boards and plug away. I like to think there is some reason arguments for my supposed "ramps". Plus I cover stocks and subjects that I do not even own e.g. recent posts on Irish banking collapse, Google, Apple etc. I do look at the content of bulletin boards for additional information but if I "copy" anything I will always reference the author.
I write the Contrarian Investor on an anonymous basis purely to protect my interests in my job. It is not because I wish to hide behind posts which are ill considered, non-sensical and full of errors. I make a couple of pounds a day from Google Adsense and nothing more. None of the stocks I talk about dramatically rise after I compose a post, so my supposed "ramps" don't work! Though I think Buffett is an amazing investor, I consider myself in the Z list compared with the greats. Always learning from mistakes, and there's always something to learn in this game no matter the number of years.
The reason I write Contrarian Investor UK is because:
1. I love the workings of the stock market and I am fascinated by its herd psychology
2. There are very few places to find information on small cap UK stocks apart from the bulletin boards and there's some good stuff there but a lot of dross too.
3. Unlike the U.S. there are few good U.K. stock blogs with informative content
4. I want to share my knowledge of the stocks I invest in and the significant research I do on them
5. Finally I enjoy writing and it helps me to confirm my investing decisions
I gave up Contrarian Investor UK last July because work was too busy and commuting too long. But I missed the buzz of writing a blog even though it is a constant drain on my free time. Often I think, should I bother. But the odd email of positive support gives me the will to battle on. If the guys on the bulletin boards think I am doing a bad job and they can do better then so be it, perhaps they should start their own blog. I have been very pleased with the traffic to the site this month, 23,000 page views visitors and counting so I guess someone's interested??
I think a lot of people enjoy this blog but as with everything the vast number of people who enjoy it don't say so, they remain quiet and anonymous while the haters gonna hate because tey are always like that, and noisy with it. They will be noisy, pushy people in their everyday lives too no doubt. For example sexism and homophobia on the iii boards is rampant and the language used is often really coarse and uneccessary. They act worse than kids. Look at BMD, he gets slated on forums even when he's near the mark, but they go and read his stuff.
ReplyDeleteIf you put yourself out there publicly then obviouly you gotta take the repercussions but I think you do a great job and I really enjoy reading your views. You offer a balanced approach and I like to hear what other people invest in and how they assess their own ups and downs. I have sadly found the financial/shares forums to contain some of the most vitriolic characters on the net with multiple aliases and agendas so it's no wonder, where money is at stake - and huge amounts - people get gnarly and act badly towards one another.
As long as you know you're doing this for the reasons that matter to you then that's the bottom line. Nobody forces anyone to come here and read and I suspect, as is often the case, the whiners enjoy surfing the net and eating up opinion then dissing it elsewhere because it makes them feel superior for ten minutes. It means they are keeping an eye on you, which means you have something they actually want to hear. But they're not going to admit that. Chin up.
I am new to investing and hold share in XEL,GKP,RRR and KMR.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading your articles from new year and are very helpful. Keep it going mate. I appreciate alot....
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