No interested in joining a private forum just hopeful that those who have will not completely destroy this forum for the rest of us. You call the Lurkers selfish? How hypocritical.
With all due respect, dynomyte, you don't have to join a private forum if you don't want to. That's your choice. I find amusing to read people complaining about private forums... but also unfair because in fact you are probably complaining just because you don't have access to what is going on there!
Terb is new for me, I join Terb only this year but have been in the industry for a number of years now. When I found out about that private forum, I was first denied access, base on the low number of post I had. They told me to provide some eligible contributions as a workaround to my low number of post on Terb. I did it and I am in... just simple like that.
People on Terb shares info, but anybody can write what he wants here... no matter that he is a trusted or a non-trusted person. Private forums bring together info from people that have valide and verified experiences. These people have 2 things in commun: 1- they are hobbiest 2 - they are looking for certain type of providers (ie: quality). Access to that kind of private forum is simply a +. You have access to specific information that you will use in your search of quality services; in return, you share to other some info that you have.
We are in Canada, in a society where in public we want to look politically correct at all time. We prefer not to say certain things publicly. Although sometime things get heated here on Terb, in general we look for civilized interactions and a number of information won't be share just because it doesn't look (or sound) good. So to have access to a private environment where I can read easily green, yellow or red flags, while being confident that the info is accurate, is very convenient for a guy like me. I hate wasting my time and I go where I know that I will get what I want.
Private forums are, in fact, the same general idea than Terb at the exceptions that it's not everybody who can have access, there are specific info that you may not find on Terb and personally, I trust more the info on them. This is nothing new, this is nothing unusual. You probably know that providers have their own forums where they can discuss and share info about clients. Some providers look at them, some don't! That's each other choice.
As far as I'm concern, the destruction of Terb is certainly not the goal of those who have join a private forum and I really don't understand what benefit it would give them.
Cheers
The D.