Wow, there are certain posters I have on ignore that I am profoundly grateful to see quoted once in a while: it inevitably reaffirms my choice to ignore them in the first place.
"Hear hear" indeed!
Riskadverse (risk "averse"?), you're welcome to read my "revolving door" post in its full context.
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/showpost.php?p=776036&postcount=50
VaCollector made a number of extremely difficult decisions, and I think he dealt well with the options he had available to him.
I think that if he came back to this board then he'd end up re-reading his old posts. He'd also have to read about this situation every time someone one showed up on the board touting Buffett's debatable wisdom of a concentrated stock portfolio. In my opinion there's no reason to keep picking at old amputation scars. So I think his decision to leave was a good one. It took guts, too.
As Ziggy has already said, there are a number of discussion-board posters who threaten to leave the stage just to hear the audience cry "Encore!!" I don't include VaCollector in this number, but that number would certainly benefit from growing a spine like he displays.
I've said it ad nausem: I don't care for the way this site is run for profit. I don't care for the way that crowds of newbies (and spammers, and trolls) are driven here in the relentless pursuit of revenue. I don't care for the way that every post here could show up among Google's top 10 hits within two hours. I don't care for the way that moderators had to deal with humongous workloads from crowds of new members who aren't interested in ER or experiments like the SoapBox or the way that this site's infrastructure was initially "upgraded" after Dory handed it over.
But I gratefully appreciate the dozens, even perhaps hundreds, of veteran posters who've informed and advised and challenged me over the years. When I ask my niche questions on other ER boards I don't get anywhere near this board's volume of responses, let alone the quality of answers. That's the status quo, so until circumstances change then I'll continue to seek the wisdom of the best posters on the most informed website available-- even if it's not run the way it could be.
34 names remain on my "Ignore Poster" list, many of whom have subsequently been banned. The mods would prefer that I not post the contents of my list here, but I'll mention a feature of this board's software. vBulletin will let my "ignored posters" send me all the PMs they want. It just won't deliver them, and it won't tell the ignoree that their missives are vaporizing in the aether. So if my "ignored posters" have something they really want to get across to me then they'll have to send me an e-mail. Or, here's a thought-- they could put me on their own Ignore Poster list so that we don't add to the moderator's workload.
Since the book has come up, I'll address it. I'm writing "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retiring Early: FIRE!", although progress is sporadic. Over 50 of the board's military veterans, families of veterans, generous authors, moderators, and volunteers have graciously consented to read the draft chapters. They can affirm that it's more like watching sausage being made than "review and praise", but I tremendously appreciate their efforts to help me explain ER to the rest of the military. Every author knows that books don't just write themselves, dammit. A half-dozen of the volunteers have done the tremendous heavy lifting that got me this far, and I will honor their efforts by getting the book to publication.
I used this board to ask for their help, and we have a social group where they're welcome to discuss the text, but they don't really use it and this board is no longer necessary for that effort. I don't mention the subject on the public boards. I'm happy to answer people's questions but I haven't decided how to market the book, whether it's on this site or by other means. The mods will let me know if I cross a line or if the situation changes.
And no, VaCollector's story is not in the book. I'd put it in there if he asked me to, as others have volunteered their stories, but that's his choice and I think he's already made the decision.
