Many many people say they are holding this, holding that for the "long term" but please tell me what exactly is your guys definition of "long term"?
For me, 1 year is considered long time. I began investing this January and I will hold one year and cash out everything January 2019. So by your definition, is this more short term or long term? Is 1 year enough time to see gains?

1 year has included long-term investment and for short-term investment may be 1 month - 3 months. Everybody has a different perception of this. However, I advise to avoid short-term investments, because the market is not yet normal and hold your assets, if necessary buy back to be a long-term investment.