Something I've noticed about the journals ...

[jacob]

Once a journal thread hits about 200-250 posts, it coincides with the owner becoming FI ...

Cause and effect? Correlation? Latent variables? Selection bias? Survival bias?

[Dragline]

Sounds like a new part of "The Secret".

Now you just need to start charging. Suggest you make the first ones free, the next level small and then double every level after that. We'll call it the "ERE Pyramid of Success." Complete with dire warnings about the ills you will suffer if you fail to complete a level and if you fail to harass and sign up all your (soon-not-to-be) friends.

I go with correlation and survival bias for your informal survey.

[fips]

One could also think about what time frame 250 posts imply ...

Hypothesis:
ERE folks retire in 5 years.

Calculation:
250 posts / 4 posts (assuming you get three replies for each of your own entries) / 12 months (assuming you do monthly journal entries) = 5.2 years

Answer:
ERE folks retire in 5 years. We proved the magic formula.

q.e.d.

[George the original one]

> Complete with dire warnings about the ills you will suffer if you fail to complete a level

LOL. Motivation for the clueless.

[GandK]

Crap. I should post more.

[dragoncar]

Ok, you convinced me to update

[jacob]

@fipsfrugal - I think it's something like that---except the forums haven't existed for 5 years. Specifically, if you can persistently run a journal into a few hundred posts, you also have the persistence to reach FI.

I do wonder about the derelict journals. Did they give up on ERE, FI, or just journaling?

[Spartan_Warrior]

I gave up on journaling and had my journal deleted, but I've since been informed that the thread was somehow resurrected! Maybe when we switched forum software. I had started a blog to kinda replace the function of the journal in terms of motivation and accountability, but I find myself reluctant to post real numbers and personal details there... which is ironic given that more traffic probably sees my old obscure journal here than my blog.

[TheWanderingScholar]

Reason I have abandon mine persee is because of college and with it the work that comes with it, socializing, and in general having a good time.

[akratic]

July 2010: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3

jacob: Respond here with ideas for more forums.

akratic: I would like to see an "ERE Journal" forum. I have seen this before on a fitness forum, where people actively pursuing a goal will create a single thread for themselves and update it regularly, and other people will chip in with suggestions or encouragement. I know that I would create an ERE Journal thread like this, starting with an in-depth introduction, and updating it every month with new projections, spending history, what I'm working on, and what I'm struggling with.

Fabian: Yes, akratic, I agree. I would do a journal as well!

jacob: @akratic, Fabian - How about doing it in the Goals & Plans?

akratic: Yes, I can do the ERE Journal thing in "Goals & Plans". I personally think ERE Journals could be valuable and frequent enough to eventually warrant its own section, but I'm content to wait to see if this happens organically. I do understand and appreciate the desire to minimize the number of subforums.

...

I told you so...?!

PS: thanks again for ERE, for the blog, for the book, for the forums!