A feedback question.

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JohnHwangBT ( 180 )
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Re: A feedback question.

Post by JohnHwangBT »

Adunaphel wrote:I still don't understand all this "strategy" talk. It sounds a little shifty. I just came on here a long time ago (first as Kaz and now as Adunaphel) and traded...

Karl
Hey Karl:

When I first came onto Btown, I had several hundred dollars worth of stuff to unload. So I wanted to be as safe as possible and minimize my risk. That's what I mean by "strategy" - managing my potential risks.

/John
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JohnHwangBT ( 180 )
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Re: A feedback question.

Post by JohnHwangBT »

MagickalMemories wrote:Sorry, man, but I don't think it's fair to be like that to me.
Looking back and re-reading, I see that I misinterpreted your intent. I apologize.
MagickalMemories wrote:Honestly, you're the only one I recall saying that this was a recommended ref-building strategy.
OK, that's possible. I seem to recall it having been suggested, perhaps rhetorically.
MagickalMemories wrote:
JohnHwangBT wrote:On Btown, a 20-30 rating is pretty meaningless unless you're a total n00b. Now if he's going to give away 50+ bitz or models to get a 100 rating, I'd be pretty impressed. That's like $200 in shipping alone, not counting the bitz / models. That is a *lot* of up-front money to throw away if you're going to run a scam on Btown.
With the commonality of "lower rating ships first," someone with a 30 could do a LOT of damage.
As for the up front expenditure of $200...
I guess we just disagree on the 20-30 ratings. 10 trades doesn't seem like much to me. I don't really think people have much of a track record until they hit 40-50... ;)
I agree that a 30+ could do a lot of damage, but then look at the_trader... If you can pull a $2k scam with <10 rating, why spend $200 and build up to a higher rating when clearly, it's not needed?
MagickalMemories wrote:I'm not too fond of calling people stupid, myself. Actions are stupid. People rarely are.

Anyone with, say, a 10 or less, I can understand being scammed (to a degree). Once they hit 12, though (DOUBLE his rating), I'm thinking that the protocol should have come into play.

Something else, though... He made over $2000 on a $10 investment, per your estimations (and 3 trades). Look at what the guy with the $200 investment (above) could have done, presuming all the numbers stayed proportional. One more reason that PIF's shouldn't get ref's, IMO.

Eric
OK, a lot of non-stupid *people* on Btown performed a lot of stupid / gullible / foolish *actions*... ;)
Eric - a lot of the victims have *much* higher ratings than 12. Some have triple-digit ratings - at that point, you should be driving, not the new kid.
It's harder to run a big scam, because you start talking about big numbers of people and large dollar volumes, so people should be paying more attention. Though you never know...
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MagickalMemories ( 832 )
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Re: A feedback question.

Post by MagickalMemories »

JohnHwangBT wrote:
MagickalMemories wrote:I'm not too fond of calling people stupid, myself. Actions are stupid. People rarely are.

Anyone with, say, a 10 or less, I can understand being scammed (to a degree). Once they hit 12, though (DOUBLE his rating), I'm thinking that the protocol should have come into play.

Something else, though... He made over $2000 on a $10 investment, per your estimations (and 3 trades). Look at what the guy with the $200 investment (above) could have done, presuming all the numbers stayed proportional. One more reason that PIF's shouldn't get ref's, IMO.

Eric
OK, a lot of non-stupid *people* on Btown performed a lot of stupid / gullible / foolish *actions*... ;)
Eric - a lot of the victims have *much* higher ratings than 12. Some have triple-digit ratings - at that point, you should be driving, not the new kid.
Well, I can't say that I disagree with that AT ALL. I have to admit my own surprise at the ratings of some of the individuals who were taken. I can see WHY they were taken... some people are just trusting, by nature.
Myself?
As a matter of fact, I DO tend to be trusting of others... but the unfortunate numbers of scams that we've seen happen here and on other sites has taught me to squelch that tendency, and to be careful.

JohnHwangBT wrote:It's harder to run a big scam, because you start talking about big numbers of people and large dollar volumes, so people should be paying more attention. Though you never know...
Well, I don't know.

First, notice your own choice of words, "people should be paying more attention." That's the key... "SHOULD BE."

Even so, I really don't think it would be that hard for someone who's intelligent. Not if he plans it the "right" way.

I have to say... I went through and spent about 30 minutes detailing what someone could do to scam the hell out of BTown... Then, I realized; There may be ideas in there that some people hadn't realized yet... So, I deleted it.

Trust me when I say that someone with a 26 - 30(ish) rating could run any site ragged. Probably $5K, easily. Feel free to PM me, John, and I'll detail it. I just don't want to put it into public and let it get out there.

Eric
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I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

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JohnHwangBT ( 180 )
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Re: A feedback question.

Post by JohnHwangBT »

Eric: While I'm sure anyone could scam like crazy on Btown with a higher rating, TBH, I think the Btown site is too small and insular for any major scam operator.

I'm not going to PM you on potential scams, because the idea of scamming others just doesn't interest me.

That said, it wouldn't hurt to put up a scammer FAQ under info, to explain the various scams that have occurred on Btown, and why / how people got burned. At least, this way, it helps level the playing field by letting potential traders know what the risks are.
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locust ( 104 )
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Re: A feedback question.

Post by locust »

JohnHwangBT wrote:Eric:
That said, it wouldn't hurt to put up a scammer FAQ under info, to explain the various scams that have occurred on Btown, and why / how people got burned. At least, this way, it helps level the playing field by letting potential traders know what the risks are.
This sounds like a very good idea to put into that New Articles and Tutorials forum you wanted to start MM. hint hint...
Go on, laugh! But one day, you'll be sitting in your house feeling all safe and secure... Then you'll look over and I'll be there... Doin'... stuff!
MagickalMemories ( 832 )
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Re: A feedback question.

Post by MagickalMemories »

locust wrote:
JohnHwangBT wrote:Eric:
That said, it wouldn't hurt to put up a scammer FAQ under info, to explain the various scams that have occurred on Btown, and why / how people got burned. At least, this way, it helps level the playing field by letting potential traders know what the risks are.
This sounds like a very good idea to put into that New Articles and Tutorials forum you wanted to start MM. hint hint...
Oh, locust... You don't have to drop hints.


You're welcome to write it.

PM it to me when you're done, and I'll post it in the Watch forum for the staff to peruse and edit.

:mrgreen:

Eric
Lower rating? You ship first.

Give me a sense of humor Lord. Give me the grace to see a joke.
To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk.


I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

"...I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.” – Gilbert Lowell

Want my help with a BTR or backout? All messages sent/posted should be in CHRONOLOGICAL order. Otherwise, I just won't read it.
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locust ( 104 )
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Re: A feedback question.

Post by locust »

What??? Who pushed me??? I didn't say anything!!! (quickly points finger) It was JohnHwangBT, not me! Make him do it! :wink:

Seriously though, I'm the last person you want to write that. I'm nowhere near experienced enough to tell folks how to avoid being scammed. I'm more of a watcher who (recently) decided to crawl out from under the couch to chime in occasionally about stuff. I'm not real good with vocabulatin werdstuff an buklernin. :wink: If I see what someone else has written my brain gets ideas and I can come up with something that might have gotten overlooked. Plus the only scam that I've really been witness to, was the fiasco with the_trader. I know I've been a member for a long time, but I've had some long gaps in there.

Greg.
Go on, laugh! But one day, you'll be sitting in your house feeling all safe and secure... Then you'll look over and I'll be there... Doin'... stuff!
MagickalMemories ( 832 )
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Re: A feedback question.

Post by MagickalMemories »

Mmmm Hmmmm.... I had a feeling you'd say something like that.
:wink:

Eric
Lower rating? You ship first.

Give me a sense of humor Lord. Give me the grace to see a joke.
To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk.


I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

"...I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.” – Gilbert Lowell

Want my help with a BTR or backout? All messages sent/posted should be in CHRONOLOGICAL order. Otherwise, I just won't read it.
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