For the most part, I agree with swbrains' prevous post (http://community.plimus.com/ecommerce/community/forum_topic/new-forum-ideas). Better forum software is crucial. My vote is for PhpBB. Don't waste time trying to integrate it with the rest of your website. You need something with search and something that allows Plimus reps to identify themselves. I'd prefer vendors only. I don't know what input affiliates would have to offer, but maybe a single category for them, which vendors can also access. The only kinds of people who have posted here are vendors, spammers and a few irate customers. Making the forums private should prevent the spammers; customers should be helped via email, not forums. Maybe create a single public category that anyone can access just to see how it goes. Unlike swbrains, I don't recommend using a lot of specialized categories. General, Bug Reports, Suggestions, Affiliates and Public should be sufficient. In my experience, people won't post in the correct category and it doesn't add a lot of value.