Mar 12 2008
Forex Trading at Meetup.com
As I continue to think long and hard about how Trading Post can better serve its traders, I think of some pretty crazy ideas sometimes. More often than naught, the biggest obstacle I come across is time. I would love to pursue every idea that I think of or that is shared with me, but it's impossible. 
So, I do the best that I can.
In December I elected to become the organizer of the Vancouver Forex Trading Meetup group. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Meetup.com, it's a website that brings people together for seemingly any popular to obscure interest.
True to blindness to some of those in our society, however, in the Vancouver market alone there are two other similarly sized Forex trading groups. One is a marketing group for FreedomRocks, which I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole because it purports to be a solution for EVERYBODY, when there truly isn't a universal solution for everybody.
The other is an independent marketing representative of a another Forex company called FX Innovations, which was based in Vancouver until a recent address change to a more hospitable tax situation in Florida.
My purpose for leading this group is not to make it a "Trading Post" group. The vision is to make it a top 3 Forex Trading Meetup group in North America by the end of the year. So I hope to take it from it's current membership of 74 to over 200 by the end of the year.
The purpose is to bring traders together and share information and experiences openly. We will invite guest presenters (as we did in February when we had Lewis Evans) and alternate that with months where we have our group members present. Trading is oftentimes a lonely endeavor, but it doesn't have to be.
What this experience will do for me as a partner at Trading Post is give me a first-hand feel for the trader experience first-hand.
It's been fun so far, and I'm looking forward to our third Meetup next Tuesday. If you're in the Vancouver area, I would encourage you to be part of our group and join our meetings. Even if you can't attend all meetings we're always uploading resource files that you'll have access to as a member of the group.
The best part is it doesn't cost anything to become a member.
Comments
I read your article with great interest. I've been a part of TP for a year in April, but haven't really done anything. Shame on me. I usually dig my heals right into things and get things done, but I've been struggling with this... My analogy is that it is like trying to get on a very fast moving merry go round. I haven't found a place to get on yet.
That leads me to the meet-up idea. I'm about 2 hours south of you, so I think it would be hard to get to yours, but there are a few down here near me, in Marysville, WA. How do I go about judging a meet up group... good bad, goals? Is there one you would recommend?
Thanks! Michelle
I think to explain your struggles, I've seen alot of it. You're not alone. Some of it may be that your expectations are perhaps higher than they should be especially at the beginning OR you don't have goals OR both.
For example in university you know that it's 100 level, 200 level courses before you can jump into 300 and 400 level courses. Sometimes you want to jump in so quickly with this, that you feel overwhelmed. At other times you aren't clear with what your goals are and what mileposts you need to hit that again, you become overwhelmed. Just lay some goals, mileposts and start slow and easy.
As far as Meetup groups go most of them out there are built around (I'm speaking of Forex Trading ones) one product. You don't want that. Ask what the philosophy of the Meetup is all about. There needs to be openness and transparency, where anyone can bring any product/service/idea to the table and you can all look at them objectively.
Unfortunately I don't know of any such groups down in your area, but keep an eye out.
Great comments Michelle!
- sam
Trackbacks