Social Networking for Traders: Are You in the Loop?
By Jose Escobedo ISSUE 805 | May 2009
When you need information, you want it now. Sometimes, email is not fast enough. Sometimes, you don’t even get it. Sometimes, you just need to connect with someone. Enter social networking. What’s today’s market outlook? What do other traders think of the latest employment report? When is the next webinar? Where can I get a trade recommendation for crude oil? You could search the Web for answers to these questions and try to narrow it down, send an email to the people you know for feedback, or try reaching them by phone.
But what if that doesn’t help? What if you want faster information, and advice from a broader crowd? If you want to the latest information as it happens on futures and commodity news, broker trade recommendations, reminders about upcoming webinars and events, and sneak peaks on our newest promotions, check out Lind-Waldock on Twitter, Facebook and our blog, Lets Talk Futures. Social networking can connect you to the world in all new ways.
What’s This Twitter Thing?
Given all the recent national attention on Twitter, you’ve probably heard of it--even if you don’t know what it is. Twitter is one of the most popular free social networking and micro-blogging services. On the Twitter Web site, users can broadcast and receive short text posts of up to 140 characters, known as “tweets.” Your tweets can be read by others, and you can sign up to follow the messages of the people; businesses and communities that you want to follow through short, quick and timely updates .
Why Should I Sign Up?
Twitter can connect to things that you care about with a simple question: “What are you doing?” When you answer this question via tweets, you can keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. You can also use it to receive breaking news by subscribing to the twitter feeds of your favorite newspapers and magazines. Use it for entertainment by reading the tweets of your favorite celebrities, or even for information about your community through tweets from your favorite stores, restaurants, clubs, and organizations. Follow other traders who share their market views, trade strategies and information you might not see anywhere else. Even exchanges such as CME Group and ICE Futures are on Twitter.
Although you can restrict the readers of your tweets, your “followers,” to only those people you know, you have the option of making your tweets open to the public. Keeping your messages public can help people with similar interests find you and start a conversation. If you have a question and want some feedback, you can post it to the Twitter group at large. Your post can reach a large number of people who can give you a new perspective, or start a conversation that you may have not had access to otherwise. This instant networking can help you discover new, interesting information in a faster way.
Why Follow Lind-Waldock on Twitter?
Instead of answering the question, “what are you doing?” Lind-Waldock tries to answer our followers’ main questions: “how can I improve my trading?” and “how do I learn about commodity futures?” Lind-Waldock and a group of our Lind Plus senior market strategists bring you quick, succinct updates about what’s happening in the markets, trading insight and advice, reminders about upcoming webinars and events, promotions, and helpful links to news and online tools we find of interest to commodity futures traders. Faster than email, these brief updates help you stay current on what is happening in the world of futures and commodities as it happens in real time--with a real personal connection behind each tweet.
Ok You’ve Convinced Me, Now What?
Signing up for a Twitter account is easy. Simply visit the site and create a username and password and you’re ready to start tweeting! Twitter has made it even easier to connect to people you already know by allowing you to search through your web email contacts to see who may be also using the site. By submitting your Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL, or MSN account, you can search for every person you are connected with in any of your email accounts and also connect with them on Twitter. To get started, visit the Twitter website and click “Join for free” to create your account. Consider using your real name as your user name to help your friends and colleagues find you more easily.
Once your account is created, login and click “Settings.” From here, you can setup your account details, manage your password, register your mobile phone and IM account, configure how you receive notices, upload your photo and customize your account’s design. Now you’re in the loop!
You can follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LindWaldock
Follow our Senior Market Strategists
Jeff Friedman www.twitter.com/LWJFriedman
Mike Sabo http://twitter.com/LWMSabo
Adam Klopfenstein http://twitter.com/LWAKlopfenstein
Bob Haberkorn http://twitter.com/LWBHaberkorn
Mike Hinman http://twitter.com/LWMHinman
Richard Ilczyszyn http://twitter.com/LWRIlczyszyn
Also don’t forget to check out Lind-Waldock on our other social media sites:
Facebook – Become a fan of Lind-Waldock and see what we’re up to!
Let’s Talk Futures Blog – Read news and market views, and share your thoughts!
Jose Escobedo is Internet Marketing Manager at Lind-Waldock. He can be reached at jescobedo@lind-waldock.com.
Kristina Zurla Landgraf is editor of Lind eWire. She can be reached at editor@lind-waldock.com.
Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.
Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future trading results. Trading advice is based on information taken from trade and statistical services and other sources which Lind-Waldock believes are reliable. We do not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects our good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice we give will result in profitable trades. All trading decisions will be made by the account holder.
© 2009 MF Global Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
