If you're going to follow other people's picks, I would 'paper-trade' them first... meaning, do EVERYTHING the exact same as you are doing now, except don't use any money... that way, you'll find out whether or not your strategy is working...
Keep in mind, 'paper-trading' doesn't exactly simulate real life trading b/c you don't have any money on the line, however, it'll be able to help show you if you're on the right track.