Tadpole takes the blame
I think it was about 2002 that I took my first step into the wonderful world of share dealing online. Like a lot of us newcomers, the internet has opened up a whole new way to get our hands on the stock market. I doubt I would ever have gone to a broker to buy shares as it seemed the preserve of the old school tie brigade with oodles of dosh who were willing to take someone elses advice on what to buy and also were prepared to watch the newspapers for snippets about what they held.
The new breed (as I would refer to us) like to do our own research, talk to other investors, and learn off of each other by our blunders as to how to make or break the piggy bank with a punt. The share that really got me 'into' talking to other shareholders was Tadpole Technology which incorporates Endeavors Technology and Geospatial Division (GSD) and my god it has been a rollercoaster ride of a share. It's a company that has been to the edge and back on many an occasion but through thick and thin has held a faithful band of followers commonly referred to in the press as 'The Tad Army'.
This share has been a huge learning curve for many an investor in how not to fall in love with a share...lol. However it has also been very good learning curve in how to make friends online with a similar interest to yourself and to gleen knowledge from a wide variety of different sources.
I guess my particular skill is in researching a share and have spent many a long hour in Google world, digging through the depths of links from one page to another till I find the information I'm looking for.
Tadpole are a particularly secretive company when it comes to informing sharehoolders with every bit of info having to be prised from their vice grip at the very last moment - ie the annual results usually popping up on the last available day. They also like making deals with companies who insist that their name is not announced with the deal, which doesn't really help the shareprice much, but with a huge amount of googling you can usually unearth anyway....PMSL.
A tip tadpole.......save us a few hours and just tell us straight!
Anyway, having met and made many a friend through this share I thought it only appropriate that it gets the top spot (after the hello what am I doing here post) but it doesn't stop there. I will be posting on other shares I am researching or am hearing about from other investors and if you behave yourselves I might even invite some others to post, creating a team blog. We'll see how it goes. I'll create a side list of shares being talked about as time goes by and hopefully some links to their websites so you can research them yourself.
If there is anything you'd like me to look into (no promises) gimme a nudge and I'll have a look when I have time. in the meantime..........I have several spreadbets open and I need to go check my profits :o)....or losses. I'll be back.
