Just to respond to the constructive feedback from beachboy and garindan...
The target number of different investments we hold (I suggested 6) can be debated separately from what process we follow. But if you agree that there IS an ideal number, then we need some mechanism for forcing sell decisions. To date, we have lacked discipline in selling investments that didn't achieve the hoped-for gains, whilst looking to cash in modest gains on the ones that did do well. i.e. WE'VE BEEN SCARED TO CRYSTALLISE A LOSS!
The process I've outlined still allows for different kinds of investment strategies to be adopted. Again, this can be discussed in a separate thread.
And if you feel that buying a selling a share every 2 months involves too many trades, then fine. Let's agree a different period.
I do feel that some of you are being unrealistic in the flexibility with which an online club like this can operate. In a classic share club, all the members would gather in a room once a month and have detailed discussions before arriving at a decision. That's just not practical with an online club, and to boost both the quantity and quality of participation I feel that we need to have a more rigid and predictable process.
On a more general note, I have to consider what the benefit is of continuing to operate this club. imutual members are rightly expecting me to devote what time I have available to developing their company, and without an overhaul, it's not clear what benefit the share club is giving imutual. To do that, it needs to be more than "just another share club" and I disagree with the comments about the Top Tipsters feature. At a minimum, it can provide something of passing interest to new site visitors; at present, I don't think our club does that.
I like to think I was reasonably clear about the importance of this, as per my post
here back in 2011 and again
here in 2014.
My primary objective is to help attract and retain imutual members....
.. I'd like to see "member reputations" developed as a key part of the decision-making system i.e. over time, each member can establish a statistical "rating" based on their historical votes and recommendations....
..I just want to make sure that if we all put in the effort required to get such a club off the ground, it gives the hoped-for boost to imutual with creating an administrative burden
Please don't interpret this as a "my way or the highway" ultimatum. I'm open to alternative ideas but I haven't really seen any positive suggestions in the previous comments that would help to achieve the original objectives.
So I think the fundamental question is: can this club be run in such a way to generate a significant benefit to imutual e..g more members, and if so how?