Please read...we may have to take the $$$MR. MARKET$$$ site down

[mrmarket]

The imminent implementation of GDPR regulations has created a big surge of activity around compliance. A lot of it is news to me in the past week.

Please take a look at this overview:

https://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/gdpr-compliance/

Some quick takeaways:
-- The MM site needs a new privacy policy that is in compliance with the new regulations.
-- The MM site can no longer email users who signed up for forum membership. They will need to separately subscribe to a GDPR-compliant newsletter service, like through MailChimp.
-- The vagueness of what is considered "personal data" in the regulations creates a lot of ambiguity as to what can live on our site.
-- You need to create a mechanism for any individual user to opt out of tracking cookies, whether for general traffic numbers, for ad targeting or any other purpose.
-- Users must be given the opportunity to make sure the ads are not tracking their site activities such as pages visited. Since we really have no way of doing this, we may have to take our ads down.

The punch line is, all of this regulation will most likely doom sites such as this. Without ad revenue, we won't be able to pay to outsource the stuff that will cover our compliance requirements.

The most immediate impact you'll see is that we will no longer be sending you emails from this site (eg the $$$MR. MARKET$$$ buys and sells). If most of you are on Facebook, what I am considering is to set up a Facebook group where we can continue our friendly and fun dialogue and at least I'll still be able to share my picks with you.

Your thoughts on this?

[BlueWolf]

First of all, what ridiculousness all this regulation is for a relatively small site such as this. Having said this, I believe a Facebook group would work well. I suppose individual posts and their replies will have to substitute for the threads you have now. It won’t be as clean, but it will probably work. You could also use Twitter for individual stock alerts. You will probably need to make a Facebook group private, i.e. apply to join, to keep the spammers from flooding it. Finally, thanks for what you do. Your picks and model are top notch and you provide a real service.

[tiedyed1]

I am naive to a lot of this (including website design), but wouldn't the software companies that provide the template for Forums like this institute updates to include GDPR regulations, which not only contains necessary disclosures but also provides the user the options to opt in or out in order to receive specific levels of access and service the site provides? Maybe vBulletin has viable solutions?

I am admittedly clueless about this as well as avoided social media as much as possible. (I do not even have a Facebook account but guess I would if it was the only way to have access to this Forum!)

[mrmarket]

We're working on it. I think Karel has some solutions.

[blindsquirrel]

I've been dealing with this a little bit. So far most of the platforms I've used have updates that allow you to comply. Custom websites and forums would probably need more work.

[Louetta]

Facebook will work for me. Or whatever you decide on.

[riverbabe]

Facebook group or whatever, works for me. Please don't go away!

[Paco]

I loved your site; loved your picks; GDPR will be obsolete in 2 years

I am not computer savvy: hate Facebook, hate Twitter


Goodbye

Paco

[Duniyo]

Isn't GDPR a EU regulation? Why do you need to comply with it?

[blindsquirrel]

Isn't GDPR a EU regulation? Why do you need to comply with it?

What would be the MM version of the "Brexit"? We could leave this dumb EU!!

[panthers#1]

Facebook would work for me although I don't add much to the forum for various reasons.

[wifwif]

I haven't been using Facebook since 7 years. I don't really like it. I would prefer a solution with GDR-compliant webpage (but I also know that this takes efforts to do so). I appreciate MM effort to create the Webpage GDR-compliant and still in place. Thank you!!!

[tiedyed1]

This week I have received >20 e-mails from websites I am signed up with regarding compliance with GDPR and Privacy.
As the subscriber, it feels that this matter is a required compliance disclosure for when someone signs up for a website and is just another CYA disclosure to bring the subject to the forefront.

Hope you have made progress and the solution ends up being a simple one.

Wishing everyone a good holiday weekend!

[mrmarket]

This week I have received >20 e-mails from websites I am signed up with regarding compliance with GDPR and Privacy.
As the subscriber, it feels that this matter is a required compliance disclosure for when someone signs up for a website and is just another CYA disclosure to bring the subject to the forefront.

Hope you have made progress and the solution ends up being a simple one.

Wishing everyone a good holiday weekend!

Still noodling it. The solution may be that we no longer issue emails from the site.

[Gary611]

This stooge is very grateful for all that you do and will follow you to FB; however I like the anonymity that the current site provides whereas facebook is more into the social thing which I tend to shy away from.