I personally don't see a problem with the private forum. Doc John offers many opportunities for members to submit their work to the newsletter. look at how many people post their poems in the creative message board. as far as I can tell everyone has posted something in there at one time or another. All it takes to get those poems into a newsletter is sending Doc John a copy of it and asking the question - "is there room in the next newsletter for this? I think it will help other people to see things from a personal point of view on this." No where in any of the site rules does it say any topicis in the newsletter is off limits. having Doc john include just one of the meany poems that people post in creative will get them access to the private forum.

Im guessing basically the private forum is going to be only for those that submit something to the newsletter or offer even one dollar to helping a fellow member keep ther lights one and heat on so that those that are non members cannot lurk and read with out registering and logging in which is exactly what many people over the course of the past few weeks have been asking him for.

This was probably Doc Johns way of meeting each and everyones points of views on the privacy issue. those that don't want the community to be private now have a non private area and those that wanted the private area can have it all they have to do is submit one paragrah, one haiku, or poem for the newsletter that they think will help someone reading the newsletter understand mental illness or a specific mental problem.

If this was the solution he came up with for a very divided and controversial issue on the community boards I say way to go Doc John.

So much for the saying - "you can't have your cake and eat it too".