RonBoyd
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Tomorrow.
What will the the future of www.early-retirement.org ?
- Thread starter dex
- Start date
Tomorrow.
Thanks for the "resource" words-- I'll take them as a compliment. I was going to make a superficial comment about how you spend your time, but the busyness of your post probably makes that clear enough already.
I fear you misunderstand my point, although I'm not sure that you allow yourself to reflect on my comments. I'm not complaining about how complicated life has become or how exclusive the club membership should be. And I'm not ranting-- you raised the question and I answered it. If someone wants to hear how to improve this board, then I have an opinion.
It doesn't take much money-- if any-- to run a discussion board, as evidenced by Greaney and Raddr and probably many others. It does take more money to have the processing power and bandwidth to support the huge crowd of posters necessary to gain ad revenue. But don't we complain all the time about people's credibility? The stockbrokers and financial advisors who aren't rich from their stock picks and their advice? The retirement authors who aren't retired? The real estate gurus who make more money from "seminars" than from rent checks or flipping?
So why would we want to patronize an ER board whose owner depends on our revenue to support his quest for ER? If the top 25 posters on this board (by whatever ER metric you define "top") suddenly moved over to Greaney's or Raddr's board, would the rest of the populace stay here? When I have a question to ask or a project to work on, I come here because many of the people who were here when Dory was running the show are still here to offer their advice & support. They're not over at Raddr's board and hardly anyone is over at Greaney's (another management issue). Sure, more "precious resources" are welcome on this board, but it's become very hard to pick 'em out from the crowds.
I'm saying that this board, compared to the way it used to be and the way that other ER boards still are, has become too big and too crowded and too slow. It's not my equipment-- it's this board. It's also attracting people who have no interest in ER but who muddy the waters with spamming & trolling. (We never used to have veterans coming here for help with their medical issues.) IMO this board bears a strong resemblance to ER boards that are already dying or dead. I don't agree that "personal adjustments" are the answer to the situation any more than I would claim that it's appropriate to bend over and submit to the inevitable. "Hollowed ground" indeed. Instead I'll point out what's wrong and what could be improved. And when this board collapses of its own overloaded infrastructure, I'll be waiting over at Raddr's board for the rest of the crowd to join us. As the others whose opinions I value are spending less time on this board, so am I.
I read a story the other day, perhaps apocryphal, about J.D. Salinger being asked why he didn't write any more. His response was that he still wrote-- every day-- but he no longer bothered to publish. Maybe other valuable ER contributors will stay on this board or new ones will take their place, but it's hard to tell that retention is a management priority. Meanwhile there are other places to write without having to endure publishing's attendant hassles. I'm happy to talk to one or two people about ER when I don't have to deal with noisy distractions.
And if a "precious resource" left this board… how in the world would you ever find the time to notice?
"Mellow out"… *snort*. Judging from what you do all day, I'm not sure you have much credibility to demonstrate by that advice.
I fear you misunderstand my point, although I'm not sure that you allow yourself to reflect on my comments. I'm not complaining about how complicated life has become or how exclusive the club membership should be. And I'm not ranting-- you raised the question and I answered it. If someone wants to hear how to improve this board, then I have an opinion.
It doesn't take much money-- if any-- to run a discussion board, as evidenced by Greaney and Raddr and probably many others. It does take more money to have the processing power and bandwidth to support the huge crowd of posters necessary to gain ad revenue. But don't we complain all the time about people's credibility? The stockbrokers and financial advisors who aren't rich from their stock picks and their advice? The retirement authors who aren't retired? The real estate gurus who make more money from "seminars" than from rent checks or flipping?
So why would we want to patronize an ER board whose owner depends on our revenue to support his quest for ER? If the top 25 posters on this board (by whatever ER metric you define "top") suddenly moved over to Greaney's or Raddr's board, would the rest of the populace stay here? When I have a question to ask or a project to work on, I come here because many of the people who were here when Dory was running the show are still here to offer their advice & support. They're not over at Raddr's board and hardly anyone is over at Greaney's (another management issue). Sure, more "precious resources" are welcome on this board, but it's become very hard to pick 'em out from the crowds.
I'm saying that this board, compared to the way it used to be and the way that other ER boards still are, has become too big and too crowded and too slow. It's not my equipment-- it's this board. It's also attracting people who have no interest in ER but who muddy the waters with spamming & trolling. (We never used to have veterans coming here for help with their medical issues.) IMO this board bears a strong resemblance to ER boards that are already dying or dead. I don't agree that "personal adjustments" are the answer to the situation any more than I would claim that it's appropriate to bend over and submit to the inevitable. "Hollowed ground" indeed. Instead I'll point out what's wrong and what could be improved. And when this board collapses of its own overloaded infrastructure, I'll be waiting over at Raddr's board for the rest of the crowd to join us. As the others whose opinions I value are spending less time on this board, so am I.
I read a story the other day, perhaps apocryphal, about J.D. Salinger being asked why he didn't write any more. His response was that he still wrote-- every day-- but he no longer bothered to publish. Maybe other valuable ER contributors will stay on this board or new ones will take their place, but it's hard to tell that retention is a management priority. Meanwhile there are other places to write without having to endure publishing's attendant hassles. I'm happy to talk to one or two people about ER when I don't have to deal with noisy distractions.
And if a "precious resource" left this board… how in the world would you ever find the time to notice?
"Mellow out"… *snort*. Judging from what you do all day, I'm not sure you have much credibility to demonstrate by that advice.
RonBoyd
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Nords,
I am sorry.
And even more than that if I am a "last straw."
Ron
I am sorry.
And even more than that if I am a "last straw."
Ron
ERD50
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Wow, I guess there is no point in going through a play-by-play on this.
Nords, if a for-profit forum is so at odds with everything that you want in a forum, the answer has been hanging around like the 800 pound gorilla in the room, and no one has wanted to say it:
Go start your own forum. Design it to fit your needs. It'll be perfect for you. You remind me of the man standing in the rain without a raincoat or umbrella, complaining of the rain instead of going inside where it is dry and warm.
Like the line from the Eagles song " so often times it seems, we live our lives in chains, and we never realize we hold the key...."
And I'll take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to Andy and his staff and the mods for their efforts in this forum. It seems to be doing a pretty good job of meeting the needs of some of us, and I for one, am grateful for that. It is a valuable resource to me. So, THANKS.
And if I happen to see an occasional post from some veteran asking about medical information ( I can't recall more than about two of those?), well, that is certainly not going to ruin my day or my week. It's tough for me to imagine it would be that upsetting to anyone else either. Good luck in keeping any forum 100% free of distractions.
-ERD50
Nords, if a for-profit forum is so at odds with everything that you want in a forum, the answer has been hanging around like the 800 pound gorilla in the room, and no one has wanted to say it:
Go start your own forum. Design it to fit your needs. It'll be perfect for you. You remind me of the man standing in the rain without a raincoat or umbrella, complaining of the rain instead of going inside where it is dry and warm.
Like the line from the Eagles song " so often times it seems, we live our lives in chains, and we never realize we hold the key...."
And I'll take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to Andy and his staff and the mods for their efforts in this forum. It seems to be doing a pretty good job of meeting the needs of some of us, and I for one, am grateful for that. It is a valuable resource to me. So, THANKS.
And if I happen to see an occasional post from some veteran asking about medical information ( I can't recall more than about two of those?), well, that is certainly not going to ruin my day or my week. It's tough for me to imagine it would be that upsetting to anyone else either. Good luck in keeping any forum 100% free of distractions.
-ERD50
RonBoyd
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I second that emotion. And will just add that this board is such a valuable resource because it is not narrowly focused. The fact that ALL aspects of ER/R life is fair game makes it priceless. (well.. the current "politics" policy is at odds with this and although I am not interested in those discussions, the banishment is, IMHO, wrong.) There is, simply put, nothing like it anywhere else and the quality of the participants is "icing on the cake."
Westernskies
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- May 5, 2008
- Messages
- 3,864
As a relative newbie (9 months and 1000 posts) to the forum, I would like to offer a newcomers perspective:
1. There are a wide range of posts and posters on this forum, loosely focused around early retirement. Sure, there are always a few off-topic threads (appropriately categorized so those not so inclined won't experience retinal scarring through accidental viewing) , but some of them have been a lot of fun- and experienced wider participation than many of the "pure-ER" threads.
2. SWR and Wellesley have been discussed ad nauseum.
There are always many active threads going around the financial aspects of ER; in the current economic climate posts about bacon, building a deck, or feline lukemia help to personalize the posters, lighten the mood and make things more interesting.
3. The fact that the forum is not so closely focused offers posters an opportunity to cuss and discuss a wide range of subjects- just like real life-I don't have any single-subject friends there, either. All SWR and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
4. I don't really care what the forum was like three or four years ago. People and processes evolve. It is only natural that FIRE would evolve as well.
5. Everyone who passes through this portal brings us pleasure. Most when they enter, some when they leave.
6. Having a curmudgeon certificate is a side benefit, not a prerequisite. I don't mind an occaisonal military ER poster finding us. Systematically excluding them would be a mistake, IMO. There are a few ex-military folks here who have great perspective to offer those of us who did not serve.
7. I have not experienced any issues with the forum being too slow. Boring sometimes, but never slow..
8. Closing the Soapbox was a mistake, IMHO. In fairness, I don't think the mods expected actions and reactions from Washington to play so closely into the economic collapse when the decision to close it was made. I also think that if reinstated it would be a different Soapbox than what we saw during the run-up to the election. The professional spammers accomplished their objective and won't crawl back out of the woodwork until 2012 or 2016...
1. There are a wide range of posts and posters on this forum, loosely focused around early retirement. Sure, there are always a few off-topic threads (appropriately categorized so those not so inclined won't experience retinal scarring through accidental viewing) , but some of them have been a lot of fun- and experienced wider participation than many of the "pure-ER" threads.
2. SWR and Wellesley have been discussed ad nauseum.
There are always many active threads going around the financial aspects of ER; in the current economic climate posts about bacon, building a deck, or feline lukemia help to personalize the posters, lighten the mood and make things more interesting.
3. The fact that the forum is not so closely focused offers posters an opportunity to cuss and discuss a wide range of subjects- just like real life-I don't have any single-subject friends there, either. All SWR and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
4. I don't really care what the forum was like three or four years ago. People and processes evolve. It is only natural that FIRE would evolve as well.
5. Everyone who passes through this portal brings us pleasure. Most when they enter, some when they leave.
6. Having a curmudgeon certificate is a side benefit, not a prerequisite. I don't mind an occaisonal military ER poster finding us. Systematically excluding them would be a mistake, IMO. There are a few ex-military folks here who have great perspective to offer those of us who did not serve.
7. I have not experienced any issues with the forum being too slow. Boring sometimes, but never slow..
8. Closing the Soapbox was a mistake, IMHO. In fairness, I don't think the mods expected actions and reactions from Washington to play so closely into the economic collapse when the decision to close it was made. I also think that if reinstated it would be a different Soapbox than what we saw during the run-up to the election. The professional spammers accomplished their objective and won't crawl back out of the woodwork until 2012 or 2016...
OP
OP
dex
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2003
- Messages
- 5,105
And I'll take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to Andy and his staff and the mods for their efforts in this forum. It seems to be doing a pretty good job of meeting the needs of some of us, and I for one, am grateful for that. It is a valuable resource to me. So, THANKS.
-ERD50
I'll add my thanks also. With Firefox and Adblock, I do not see any advertisements. Also, the forum functions seem OK with me.
RonBoyd
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
So the answer to your original question is: Seems bright... seems like.
BunsGettingFirm
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2004
- Messages
- 1,502
I agree that closing the soapbox was a mistake. Everyone leans toward one end of the spectrum or another, so it's actually healthier to have an outlet. Otherwise, politics gets brought into every discussion even ones that aren't even related to politics. Think of the soapbox as the pee corner of the pool or the litter box.
REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
...or being just a little bit pregnant.
Or having just a little cold sore......or being just a little bit pregnant.
BunsGettingFirm
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2004
- Messages
- 1,502
Well, it's better than searing off the cold sore and calling yourself cured. Politics, like cold sore, can never be cured.
NW-Bound
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2008
- Messages
- 35,712
So, are political discussions the cause of all this discontentment? Cheer up people.
I have not logged in for a while... The truth is I have been w*****g! Yes, it's true.
I felt a little blue after my last post, when Goonie suddenly signed off. Then, I fortuitously discovered a song on youtube that was my favorite in my late teen years. I have been searching for it the last 35 years, not knowing the song title nor the singer. That song had a very special meaning for me when I was in my late teens. Listening to it again brought back a lot of memories, sending me into a deep melancholy. Perhaps one of these days I will tell the story.
Anyhow, it so happened that while recovering from that funk, I got a call from a friend. He needed some work that was a follow-on of what I did for him. So, I accepted the work to keep my mind busy. Before I finished that job (working from home), a megacorp where I worked called wanting to send me abroad for a short assignment. They were in a panic mode. With my portfolio having lost 8 to 10 years worth of expenses, would I be of the right mind to say no? I am now back in the States. Now, they want me to go on another trip next week, but this one is domestic.
So, I have been busy, and have not run off like others. This is still the only forum I frequent. There might be better ones out there, but hey, I've made some friends here, and it is enough.
The francophile in me also found a song that I've got to share. No, it's not the aforementioned nostalgic song that sent me down the memory lane, but if this song does not make you want to learn French, I wouldn't know what will. And by the way, it's the French version of "Dream a little dream of me" sung by Mama Cass Elliot, but the French lyrics mean something entirely different ("I dream with my eyes opened").
YouTube - Les Yeux Ouverts / Beautiful South
I have not logged in for a while... The truth is I have been w*****g! Yes, it's true.
I felt a little blue after my last post, when Goonie suddenly signed off. Then, I fortuitously discovered a song on youtube that was my favorite in my late teen years. I have been searching for it the last 35 years, not knowing the song title nor the singer. That song had a very special meaning for me when I was in my late teens. Listening to it again brought back a lot of memories, sending me into a deep melancholy. Perhaps one of these days I will tell the story.
Anyhow, it so happened that while recovering from that funk, I got a call from a friend. He needed some work that was a follow-on of what I did for him. So, I accepted the work to keep my mind busy. Before I finished that job (working from home), a megacorp where I worked called wanting to send me abroad for a short assignment. They were in a panic mode. With my portfolio having lost 8 to 10 years worth of expenses, would I be of the right mind to say no? I am now back in the States. Now, they want me to go on another trip next week, but this one is domestic.
So, I have been busy, and have not run off like others. This is still the only forum I frequent. There might be better ones out there, but hey, I've made some friends here, and it is enough.
The francophile in me also found a song that I've got to share. No, it's not the aforementioned nostalgic song that sent me down the memory lane, but if this song does not make you want to learn French, I wouldn't know what will. And by the way, it's the French version of "Dream a little dream of me" sung by Mama Cass Elliot, but the French lyrics mean something entirely different ("I dream with my eyes opened").
YouTube - Les Yeux Ouverts / Beautiful South
Telly
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2003
- Messages
- 2,395
I lean to the side that has the little guy with the pot 'O gold at it, aye, but it keeps slippin' through me fingers...
But seriously, I think this forum will one day return to the past, where there will be just a few posters a day, like Red Oscar (what became of him?), and Ted, and JGalt will be regaling us (repeatedly) with the fact that he owns no equities, and I posted more often.
Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end, we'd sing and dance, forever and a day.
And just like that, NW-bound and Notmuchlonger are back!
NW-bound, I am glad to see that it was nothing more serious than w*rk that kept you away from the board (don't get me wrong it's still pretty serious
)
CuppaJoe
Moderator Emeritus
Thanks for the news, NW-Bound and the song. A song that throws me into a funk of memories is "Both Sides Now."
Last edited:
NW-Bound
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2008
- Messages
- 35,712
Yes FireDreamer, I did read your kind post.
For you and others like CuppaJoe who know some French, I have posted this song, "L'amitié" (Friendship) by Françoise Hardy, one of my favorite French singers as I was growing up.
For all my other friends who don't know French, I have included Hardy's English version.
Again, my love for the French language surpasses my knowledge of it. The song "Les Yeux Ouverts" has so many colloquialisms that I needed to look up a translation on the Web.
YouTube - La Amitie - Françoise Hardy
YouTube - Francoise Hardy - So Many Friends (l'amitié - En Anglais)
For you and others like CuppaJoe who know some French, I have posted this song, "L'amitié" (Friendship) by Françoise Hardy, one of my favorite French singers as I was growing up.
For all my other friends who don't know French, I have included Hardy's English version.
Again, my love for the French language surpasses my knowledge of it. The song "Les Yeux Ouverts" has so many colloquialisms that I needed to look up a translation on the Web.
YouTube - La Amitie - Françoise Hardy
YouTube - Francoise Hardy - So Many Friends (l'amitié - En Anglais)
OP
OP
dex
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2003
- Messages
- 5,105
Welcome back. This is the type of thing I like about this forum - you never know what you're going to get in a thread.
RonBoyd
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Ditto that!
haha
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I believe that more than any other factor, this is why this board succeeds while most others fail.
Ha
Westernskies
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- May 5, 2008
- Messages
- 3,864
FinanceDude
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2006
- Messages
- 12,483
FinanceDude
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2006
- Messages
- 12,483
FinallyRetired
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2002
- Messages
- 1,322
I've been on this forum for over eight years. I first joined through Dory's board, and became interested in FIRECALC and the various discussions about early retirement. At that time I was ready for retirement, but the dot com bust pushed that back several years. I was an intermittent contributor, sometimes being gone from the board for years, but always coming back. Now that I've been finally retired for some time, I have a special fondness for this board, since the posts helped me organize my retirement thinking and helped me through many rough spots. There are many selfless individuals here, well, maybe no one is completely selfless, but they are very helpful, and they share their expertise on everything from financial to legal and medical matters -- in a general sense, of course, no individual advice.
So, today I find myself returning to this board sometimes a bit too often, and I'm unsure how much I've contributed, since I'm beyond the FIRE planning stage. Much of that has been discussed ad nauseum, and is there is the search box or in the FAQs. OTOTH, I'm a slow learner, and have missed some things that are staring me in the face if I were to just read the FAQs.
So, long story short, I like this board, the variety it offers, the diversity in personalities and interests, and even the occasional tiff, though the posts through the election cycle was a bit much for me.
Thanks to all the moderators here, you do a great job.
So, today I find myself returning to this board sometimes a bit too often, and I'm unsure how much I've contributed, since I'm beyond the FIRE planning stage. Much of that has been discussed ad nauseum, and is there is the search box or in the FAQs. OTOTH, I'm a slow learner, and have missed some things that are staring me in the face if I were to just read the FAQs.
So, long story short, I like this board, the variety it offers, the diversity in personalities and interests, and even the occasional tiff, though the posts through the election cycle was a bit much for me.
Thanks to all the moderators here, you do a great job.
CuppaJoe
Moderator Emeritus
Thanks for that song, also, NW-Bound. I’ve been offline for a week but had to comment on this. BIL introduced us to this group out of Portland, OR. We heard them at a symphony hall last summer and the crowd went wild when they got to that line which translates to “I don’t want to work.” “Je ne veux pas travailler” could be a contender for ER Forum song.
YouTube - Je Ne Veux Pas Travailler - Pink Martini (to Feh!!)
My room is a cage
The sun streams through the window,
the bellhops are at my door
like those little soldiers
who want to take me away.
I don't want to work,
I don't want to lunch
I only want to forget and so I smoke.
Long ago I knew the smell of love,
a million roses didn't smell as sweet.
Now a single flower in my way makes me sick.
Chorus
I am not proud if this life
that wants to kill me.
It's magnificent to be sympatico
but I have never known this.
Chorus
-----
After the poem, “Hotel” by Guillaume Apollinaire
Sympathique
Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage,
le soleil passe son bras par la fenetre.
Les chasseurs ma porte
comme les petits soldats
qui veulent me prendre.
Je ne veux pas travailler,
je ne veux pas dejeuner,
je veux seulement l'oublier et puis je fume...
Deja j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour,
un million de roses n'embaumerait pas autant.
Maintenant une seule fleur
dans mes entourages
me rend malade.
Je ne veux pas travailler,
je ne veux pas dejeuner,
je veux seulement l'oublier et puis je fume...
Je ne suis pas fire de ca,
cette vie qui veut me tuer.
C'est magnifique, etre sympathique,
mais je ne le connais jamais.
Je ne veux pas travailler,
je ne veux pas dejeuner,
je veux seulement l'oublier et puis je fume...
