It's very different to the early 90's where we didn't have internet isn't it?

oilit

At the risk of sounding like a grumpy young man (:rotfl: )

Come on, the internet is nothing more than a blend of newspaper, newsletter, noticeboard notes, and meeting minutes (you get the idea)

First rules of the internet are the same as the newspapers - dont believe EVERYTHING you read. The internet is not censored (unless you live somewhere like Saudia Arabia or China), and its beauty is also its falldown - ie its free from restrictions, and so the content is the opinion of the poster, it may not be real, accurate, or reliable. But it is ONE source of information, which can be used along with others.

The Internet really took off for the masses in the early 1990's but prior to that BBS and forums still existed, so those who wanted to share information earlier could do so - but yes those in the FS industry etc had access to information that you and I didnt have at that time - but today they have generally more comprehensive information earlier than you and I still today.

The problem with this current market situation is that the press have pretty much talked the UK into recession through our normal 'glass is half empty' approach. Im not saying it wouldnt have happened anyway, but if you cant stand the pressure then move to china or SA where you wont have to worry about all the information and suffering information overload, where the lack of information will be the least of your problems.

I call it progress, we may not like it all, but I would rather have information than go back to mushroom management - whcih is effectively what the OP is proposing, and is what we would have without the information available.

sorry if anybody feels i have offended them - not the intention.

PasturesNew

oilit wrote: »

At the risk of sounding like a grumpy young man ( )

Come on, the internet is nothing more than a blend of newspaper, newsletter, noticeboard notes, and meeting minutes (you get the idea)

Not true. The Internet is an instant resource to dig out instant information, real time breaking news information, charts/graphs, pictures, videos - and seek real-time feedback/interaction with other like minded people.

You don't get this from the mediums you listed at all.

oilit wrote: »

First rules of the internet are the same as the newspapers - dont believe EVERYTHING you read. The internet is not censored (unless you live somewhere like Saudia Arabia or China), and its beauty is also its falldown - ie its free from restrictions, and so the content is the opinion of the poster, it may not be real, accurate, or reliable. But it is ONE source of information, which can be used along with others.

It is better than newspapers because you don't have to go out of your way to buy it, read each piece looking for what you want, it doesn't have hyperlinks to further information that can instantly plonk more newspapers into your lap that are opened at the right page.

You don't have to make a choice with the Internet - wander in a paper shop and you don't wander out with every newspaper.

You only get the opinion of the editor - and the carefully chosen 6 readers letters - in a newspaper. The opinion of 10,000 random strangers is better.

oilit wrote: »

The Internet really took off for the masses in the early 1990's

If you had the cash. It was VERY expensive back in those days. In fact I couldn't afford to be on the Internet "full time" until there was an affordable 24/7 dialup in about 2000/2001 - and even then I was banned from that because they deemed I was online too long.

oilit wrote: »

prior to that BBS and forums still existed, so those who wanted to share information earlier could do so - but yes those in the FS industry etc had access to information that you and I didnt have at that time - but today they have generally more comprehensive information earlier than you and I still today.

If you had the money to pay for Internet access, which was very slow to load and on dialup.

With less people about - and slower - less information was available to be shared too. Were you actually there or are you reading this from a textbook? Or did you have the privilege of unlimited fast internet and time back then?

Even now I have Internet problems. I have a very slow (0.2Mbps) connection. Yes, I have broadband, but that is the fastest I seem to be able to squeeze out of my provider!

pickledpink

It's utterly ridiculous to think an internet forum is responsible for the country's decline! We have a DREADFUL government - and the whole world has gone pear-shaped with us too!

You can't blame Martin for that!:money:

And actually, although most people the world over access the internet - they don't all read THIS forum!!!!:rotfl: :rotfl:

These forums - and the HPC forum has been going for 6 years - and that never stopped property prices soaring!!!!

In fact, on the Housing forum (and the HPC Forum) most of the posts are written by a handful of the same old regulars. It's like a little club where they check in every hour and then they all go off on forum crawls cos they've exhausted themselves on most of the threads.

I only scan a few threads, and whichever one I pick I KNOW, just KNOW the same old regulars will be there saying exactly the same old stuff.

It's boring now. And that's why fewer new members post - they can't be bothered to listen to the same boring old record over and over again.

In actual fact, people become tired, weary and very suspicious when the same old, same old people keep repeating themselves and trying to talk down property prices. They think it's done for a reason - which we all know it is! A few little old forum posters have no influence over property prices or the financial markets. As has been proven by the HPC forum and the boom of 2007!

We all know that there's a whole bunch of nuts out there who post on the internet; not to mention people who lie, exaggerate and distort the truth! Everyone knows not to trust what an internet poster writes - they could have just walked out the local loony bin!:eek:

We have people on here who claim to be years younger than they really are; pretend to be richer, cleverer, have better jobs, houses, cars etc.

It should all be taken with a large pinch of salt!:money:

wymondham

Cannon_Fodder wrote: »

Isn't knowledge power?
So empowering the people is a bad thing?

Knowledge is power, but at present all the information available on this current situation is not necessarily factual - the majority is speculation about the future and mainly opinion, which might not be the best thing to read for hours on end!

skap7309

tomstickland wrote: »

No doubt many governments would like to control the internet.

Please....that worries me but i honestly think i will see it in my lifetime.

oilit

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not true. The Internet is an instant resource to dig out instant information, real time breaking news information, charts/graphs, pictures, videos - and seek real-time feedback/interaction with other like minded people.

You don't get this from the mediums you listed at all.


It is better than newspapers because you don't have to go out of your way to buy it, read each piece looking for what you want, it doesn't have hyperlinks to further information that can instantly plonk more newspapers into your lap that are opened at the right page.

You don't have to make a choice with the Internet - wander in a paper shop and you don't wander out with every newspaper.

You only get the opinion of the editor - and the carefully chosen 6 readers letters - in a newspaper. The opinion of 10,000 random strangers is better.


If you had the cash. It was VERY expensive back in those days. In fact I couldn't afford to be on the Internet "full time" until there was an affordable 24/7 dialup in about 2000/2001 - and even then I was banned from that because they deemed I was online too long.


If you had the money to pay for Internet access, which was very slow to load and on dialup.

With less people about - and slower - less information was available to be shared too. Were you actually there or are you reading this from a textbook? Or did you have the privilege of unlimited fast internet and time back then?

Even now I have Internet problems. I have a very slow (0.2Mbps) connection. Yes, I have broadband, but that is the fastest I seem to be able to squeeze out of my provider!

I think we are essentially saying the same - ie the internet is a useful tool, and not the disaster that the OP was suggesting - but I maintain that using it in isolation is a foolhardy strategy for information that is critical. All your points are valid - but I wouldnt pay money into anything just on the sayso of the internet best buy recommendations for example.

As far as 'was I there' - indeed I was - I work in the IT industry and worked with the guys who developed the third node of the arpanet (the pre-curser to the internet) in Santa Barbara...and then supplied the likes of Bt with all the equipment needed for dial up modems, ISDN and GSM (WAP) calls to be able to receive the internet.

SingleSue

If we had had internet when we were about to buy our first home back in 1990, then I think we would have thought again and quite possibly have saved ourselves a lot of grief and heartache over the following decade.

As for when we got internet...well we didn't get a computer until 2002 (via a disability grant) and we got connected up virtually straight away (would have been immediately but now ex hubby got the hump and refused to do it for a few weeks!)

I am not sure how it impacts though, yes it could be contributing to people holding off buying as they can see just how bad it is out there right now..something you didn't always get from the papers in late 80's early 90's but it has its good points too, people can also research better deals, how to manage any debts etc.

kennyboy66_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

- and seek real-time feedback/interaction with other like minded people.

I think this happens to be one of the big drawbacks about the way people use the internet. Many or most gravitate to websites or forums which simply re-inforce their own idea & predjudices.

Rumours & deliberate mis-information spread easily and take a life of their own.
At its best, as an example it has helped empower people to take control of their finances (though clearly not enough!), although you could have done the same and got 80-90% of the same benefit simply by reading a decent newspaper.
If you are not motivated to be it, the internet won't be any additional help.

It is great that access to most of the newscopy is now free - however you have to balance that with the fact that there is much less actual investigative journalism now (compared with the 70's / early 80's) because it is inherently expensive.
This applies to TV as much as newspapers.

sabretoothtigger

In theory it means we are more informed, in practice bad info and gossip spreads more easily also and its still down to good judgement and the main media to explain it, etc

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/

WTF?_2

SingleSue wrote: »

If we had had internet when we were about to buy our first home back in 1990, then I think we would have thought again and quite possibly have saved ourselves a lot of grief and heartache over the following decade.

Absolutely - without the internet I'm pretty certain that I'd likely have bought in late 2006/Early 2007, almost at the peak. The reason being that the mainstream media was saying that the economy was going great guns and that prices were set to go up, up, up so get on board the ship while you still can......

The internet provides an amazing repository of information for anyone with the inclination to get at the facts and the time to spend sifting out the wheat from the chaff. Potentially borrowing >100k to buy a house certainly qualifies as a situation where I like to do my homework first.

I'd like to think that a few FTBs read one of the bearish posts that have been made on MSE by the 'doomsayers' over the last year and a half and thought twice before buying into a doomed housing bubble. Of course, like everywhere else on the internet there's an awful lot of static and this group has been plagued by idiots dragging down the signal to noise ratio by trolling or even offering downright financially dangerous 'advice'.