New forums, creating and running your own part of LFGSS

2.) sounds exactly like what we want - is it possible to make it not readable as guest, so you need an accepted user (approved by admin) before reading?

It is possible to have forums be private, and for you to add people to a permissions group to give them access.

But... how does that chime with this... ?

We have a very powerful and great admin/moderated forum called fixie-king.dk which essentially is Copenhagen based - but sometimes the magic shines in a different hue when everything isn't 100% transparent and4everyone. Exclution and elitist is a different way of socialism.

If fixie-king has transparency/moderation issues that makes you want to branch off and create your own space, then this is a good way to do it. A lot of very successful cycle forums have been created by breaking out of other forums.

But, then you need to show people that you offer better transparency, less opaque dictator control, etc.

Usually this means providing a more open and welcoming forum, and listening to people and adapting to how people want it to be.

The word "admin" is usually inferred to be some kind of dictator, top manager, etc... but I personally think that the word and role is best when it's close to the original meaning... to administrate, and the role is more about creating the right environment, a space that enables people to do what they want largely without being told what they can and can't do.

I'd be wary of starting with an exclusion based policy of an invite-only/friends-only forum.

Besides, people naturally leave forums over time, and the only way to grow a community is to have more people join than leave. You should keep as much of the content public and visible as possible to help attract new members (and then you should welcome them in).