A year ago, Paul Grimsey, 33, the winner of the Shares trader makeover competition... embarked on a journey to discover what it was like to be a full-time share trader. In his search for the secret to alchemy, Grimsey stumbled across the chat room site Traders Network Organisation, which he refers to as a world of information on share trading and an ideal place to interact with other traders.

Shares Mag (March 2005)

"If I had questions about my software, a stock or different methods of trading, there were always experienced people there to help me out," he says. The website costs $330 to join, but Grimsey says the charge actually serves to "weed out the rubbish" and attract genuine share traders serious about honing their skills.

Some traders who posted their buys and sells on the site were exceptional stock-pickers, Grimsey says. One in particular was so accurate with his predictions that Grimsey claims other site members, cottoning to his successes, began to follow his calls. "This guy was absolutely brilliant. He would say 'Watch this' when he made a trade," says Grimsey, and the share price would invariably spike by 10-20% the following day.

This article was published in the SHARES magazine.