As most of you know, Slope of Hope has its own comments system, which I'm quite pleased with. There is a new enhancement added today which lets you display which markets you like to trade. This is a good way to quickly give the world a sense as to what your markets are, and it will help begin understand what areas of expertise exist on Slope.

Here, for instance, is my icon showing that I trade ETFs and stocks:

Giving yourself these badges is a cinch. Just go to your profile (which you can do by either clicking one of your comments or clicking Settings in the upper-right corner of Slope) and check whatever boxes correspond to markets that you trade:

And that's all there is to it!

In addition, I am limiting the threaded hierarchy to five levels deep in order to avoid the ridiculous "half-inch wide comments" that occur when people reply to a reply to a reply to a reply (et cetera).

I've been using computers for over 30 years, and in after so much time, it's easy to become insensitive to what seems easy and what seems hard when using these machines. Far too often I've heard folks who are lurkers (that is, people who read Slope but don't comment) that they don't know how to get into the comments section. Well, let me break it down for you……

First, look in the upper right corner of your browser. (UPDATE: it's been relocated to just ABOVE comments now; scroll down a bit; you'll see it!) See that red stripe? Click on Create Account:

A dialog box will appear. Tell the system your first name, last name, email, username, and password. Also make up a screen name. If you are Lindsay Lohan, but you don't want people to know you are here, you can use any screen name at all (LiLo will do nicely), so don't worry about using your real first and last names.

You'll get an email confirming you used a functioning address. Once you've done that, you can spruce up your account with an avatar or other information about yourself. Click on the Settings button in your now-proud-green (as opposed to shameful-red) bar in the upper right. (UPDATE again, it's just above comments now)

You can click on Profile, Picture, Notifications, Account, and Password to adjust any of those settings. The most important thing is your picture, since a default avatar suggests you are boring and uninteresting, and that certainly isn't the case, is it?

Lastly………..what's with all the military ranks? Well, those quickly show how (a) active and (b) well-liked a person is on Slope. A person who does a lot of posts and gets a lot of Likes gets a higher rank. When you're just starting out, you won't have any rank at all, but be a little active, and you'll be a commissioned officer in no time!

So join the conversation! It's what makes Slope great.

In May, I had the pleasure of having at least 5 male Slopers in my room. Thankfully, my husband has an open mind.  I have listened to Market Sniper's wonderful stories first hand–what a pleasure! I've been graced with the company of charming Doolie, our clever Biffermas, our wonderful Vittorio, our inimitable Gilledain. I've dined in the company of Gary S who really can squash dear Toshi like a grape (as well as the rest of us).  Beautiful and skillful Wing and Fergie who bring a new spin to grace (and beauty) under market fire.  KC and Baby Dragon, who stay in the background here, but are vibrant, interesting and charming men. And Toshi….(sigh……)

Tim's blog was recommended to me by a dear on-line friend, Nona.  Over these last 5 years, I've been an on again, off again blogger and recently contributor.  I consider it a privilege to participate in this blog as both.  I know that Tim's blog is something that is precious to him. And if you do not feel his commitment to this community and the honesty in which he writes, then you've not been listening closely.

Slope-Fest East was a spark ignited from the first Slopefest in Las Vegas.  Iggy has been a galvanizing force in initiating the second gathering in Myrtle Beach.  He, too, does this from his great commitment to this community.  While he was not in Las Vegas, he was the very first Sloper that I met, and I consider him a dear friend.

Already there are 33 folks attending, but there is room for more. I'm writing this post to encourage you to join your on-line compatriots.  My 22 year old daughter asked me prior to Las Vegas, "Mom, don't you think that it is a little risky to be meeting people on-line?"  The answer was simply, "No.  I know these people's names, and they are all indictable."  While that was the practical answer as a parent, the real answer was simply, "These people are my friends."

If there are any of you out there that have a niggle of an inner prod, that says, "Wouldn't it be fun to go to SlopeFest, East?"  I'm writing to support that niggle. We are a community here.  We laugh and we cry together, and we get pissed offed from time to time.  We do not share the same economic, social or political views, but we do share the desire to understand market dynamics and persevere in the face of those dynamics.

If you are on the fence and a couple of days in Myrtle Beach is within your time and dollar budget, then I encourage you to visit and be with "us".  You will find this group warm and welcoming, thoughtful, respectful, and all of the other superlatives that you would want to mention.  Most importantly, there will be no force feeding of bacon. That is where I draw the line.

Our time together is a chance to celebrate our community–a mosaic of perspectives and personalities that make life interesting and challenge each of us to consider our own points of view.  Our lives are not about what we make, what we drive or where we live..  Rather, our lives are about the connections we make with others–the difference we make in the lives of others by sharing our wisdom, laughter and friendship. Consider, then, making a connection with fellow Slopers.

You can read about SlopeFest East here .

Biffermas, Giledain, me, Toshi, Market Sniper, Vittorio, and our beloved Lloyd, on whose behalf we toil and grind.