John,

>Thought so. That was one of the "elitist" things that made me uncomfortable. A private online forum for people who distinguish themselves in online forums. Why?

Gee, that one's easy. A company provides for a special way of honoring loyal customers who promote and support their products. To these customers they give honor, gifts, special access to tech resources and occasional inside information. In return, the loyal customer agrees to not to divulge that inside information.

With that scenario, what in the world is wrong with a private forum? It makes perfect sense to me.