Dear AGORACOM Member,
I am very happy to announce that AGORACOM is going to be even better in the next 45 days as we launch our next set of upgrades to the site. Most importantly, in keeping with our model of collaborating with, listening to and building the site for members, you will be happy to know that most of the upgrades are coming as a result of feedback and input from valuable members like you.
I want to thank you and all members for the time you take to provide suggestions, report bugs and tell us how to make your experience even better than it already it is. Unlike other sites that build for the benefit of advertisers, or on the sole input of IT people in a backroom that are out of touch with the needs of actual investors, AGORACOM has become "The Small-Cap Epicentre" by delivering tools that you need and request.
To this end, here is the list of just some of the upgrades you can expect to see rolling out onto AGORACOM over the next 45 days:
AGORACOM UPGRADES
PRIVATE INBOX
Currently, members are able to send private messages to each other through the contact section of your profile pages. E-mail addresses are hidden to maintain privacy. Nonetheless, members have overwhelmingly asked us to provide an actual Inbox system, so we're delivering it. You will continue to receive notifications of Inbox messages via e-mail but actual private conversations with fellow members will take place in your very own Inbox on AGORACOM.
IGNORE FEATURE
We resisted this one for a while to make sure that members used the "report violation" feature as the primary method of keeping AGORACOM clean, rather than simply ignoring junk that might make its way onto the site. Now that members have embraced reporting of violations, we're providing you with an Ignore feature to make your discussion forum experience even better. As a result, you won't have to read the posts of members that are staying within the rules but you have no interest in reading.
OFF-TOPIC DISCUSSION FORUMS FOR EACH HUB
One of the great things about building such an amazing small-cap community is the camaraderie and personal relationships we watch being built between members. We love to see it and want to encourage it.
Unfortunately, our current 6 Rules of Use strictly prohibit off-topic conversation so that we can keep each discussion forum focused on material and financial facts relating to each respective company. We've provided some latitude in the past (i.e. football discussion on weekends) but feedback from both individual investors and institutional investors is that they rely on AGORACOM to provide them with clean, factual discussion pertaining to their investments. We agree.
On the other hand, many members have also stated that off-topic discussion is an important way to maintain and build relationships with fellow members they have come to know and trust. We also agree.
As such, you will be happy to know that every HUB on AGORACOM will have on Off-Topic forum added so that members can discuss non-company related issues without worrying about violating our rules or, more importantly, distracting current and potential investors that are not interested in the OT discussion. An OT forum now allows OT discussion (family, sports, world news, etc.) to flourish more than ever, while maintaining the integrity of company forums that investors have come to love and expect from AGORACOM. We're very excited about this initiative – another financial community first!
PERSONAL CONTROL PANEL WITH DEMO VIDEOS
In order to enhance and maximize your user experience on AGORACOM, each member will be provided with a "control panel" that will provide you with one-click access to powers you have earned on AGORACOM based on your ranking. For example, updating company info, uploading photos/videos and adding important research to the Links Library.
In addition, your control panel will contain demo videos that show you how to use some of these functions, as well as, quick tips such as posting links or photos within posts, updating your profile page and uploading a video message.
Members that have earned the right to delete offending posts and offending members will be provided with an additional video demonstrating these abilities.
The control panel will be displayed below the left-hand navigation items of any HUB that you are on. By making sure every member is contributing to the best of their abilities, we create a powerful "investor-generated" community for the benefit of everyone.
MANAGEMENT
After launching the "Photos" and "Links Library" tools in each HUB, the last remaining tool to be launched is "Management". Look for this to be launched shortly.
THREADED VIEW
Many of you have been asking for the option to view discussion forums via a threaded view. You'll be happy to know we are now working on delivering this to you. We can't guarantee it will be ready within the next 45 days but we can tell you we are working on it right now.
The default view on all discussion forums will remain in its current chronological order but those of you that prefer a threaded view will have that option. We're optimistic it will be launched during this next 45-day sprint but want to make sure it is operating correctly before doing so.
CONCLUSION
We want to thank you again for helping make AGORACOM "The Small-Cap Epicentre." This upgrade is only the latest in a series of upgrades that you can expect to see in the next 6 months – all of which are designed to create the best user experience on the web for the purposes of providing you the best, most profitable small-cap community on the web.
As always, we welcome your feedback with respect to this bulletin and look forward to further suggestions you have about making AGORACOM even better. AGORACOM now serves as a great example to the entire financial community of what can be achieved when an entire community works together in a cooperative and mutually beneficial manner.
Thanks and have a great day.
Regards,
George, Paul and the AGORACOM Team.
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