For those who don't already know, I created the GLB Experts forum. It is a private forum specifically made for the so-called GLB Experts. Guys who are well-known for their success and knowledge of GLB.

You wouldn't believe how much praise and crap I get for starting this forum though. People can assume all they like about me, this is only a game and you obviously can't please everyone. But my inspiration for creating the Experts forum was simple. When I first started playing this game, I knew nothing, just like everyone else. Back in Season 1, the game wasn't nearly as big and there weren't nearly as many guides, tips and clear portraits of what worked and did not work. Everybody was just beginning to realize and understand the tiny nuances behind the game. Was anybody even really an expert then? Maybe a big handful of guys, but all in all, the game was rapidly growing and most owners were just trying their best to stay afloat.

Season 3 came and I purchased a team. It was much more difficult and even then, it was more complicated than I anticipated it would be. When I purchased a team, there were 1024 new teams being created. On top of that, all the teams that already existed were still recruiting in addition to 1024 teams who needed full rosters of guys. My first season was a total bust. I had purchased an expansion team in Eastern Europe AAA1. One of the more active and competitive leagues at the time. Unfortunately for me though, I was one of only two expansion teams that season in this league. Everybody else was neck deep in a solid roster. I had to piece together a team and we struggled. The frustration of the game got to me and I had falling out with a large portion of the team. It happens.

Because of this initial experience, I wanted to make the game easier for those who were committed to it. If guys half-ass it, I'm not going to help them if they don't help themselves. But for the guys who spend too much money and too much time on GLB, I'm going to work hard for guys like that. Ideally, I want a team full of guys who are passionate, not just enthused about GLB on my team. GLB is my homepage. I spend almost half my day checking forums, meeting new people, networking and just learning more about the game from others.

The Experts forum brought all of that to life and made it a whole lot easier.

The main forums are full of guys who have no real clue what they're doing. I understand that; there is a learning curve. But trust me, let's take any subject in life. Let's say physics. I don't know a damned thing about it. The last thing I would want to do as an idiot in the realm of physics is walk into a group discussion with all the Nobel winners in physics of the last decade. Not that it wouldn't be interesting to hear what they have to say, but because it would do a disservice to them to add my thoughts to their own. In a forum, this happens all the time. Between the noise of people who don't know what they're talking about and are still very new to the game, there is the occasional drop of wisdom. I wanted a place where the best could learn from the best.

People also think it's dumb and unfair idea to have an Experts forum. That's fine. But I honestly doubt these people have put much thought into what it takes to even make it work in its brief existence. First, people assume I'm making all the decision. I make all the decisions in how it will work but ultimately, I do not decide who is in. It is very democratic at the moment. I can decide to kick people out for being inactive and not saying anything in the forum. But in terms of how people get in, I initially invited all the household GLB names who I thought deserved it, which I think anyone would have done. But after that, I immediately implemented a voting process to have the Experts decide who should get in and who should not. Any bias can easily be negated by the vote, where each Expert in forum has an opportunity to vote people in or out.

Some have said that the Experts forum is egomaniacal. I really disagree and throwing a term like that around is unfair. Egomaniacal would be me only allowing the people I wanted in to stay in. Egomaniacal would be be bragging and boasting about how great the forum is and how it'd be above and beyond useful to any owner.

Some have said is not all that useful to someone who already knows their stuff. Might be perfectly true.

To be frank, the Experts forum is not and will likely never be a place where someone could go from zero to hero in a matter of a few hours. The information discussed is limited. People who really know their stuff never ever reveal their entire hand all at once. Do people help when they can on smaller issues? Yes. Do people go out of their way for others? Yes. Is most everything discussed something you could learn by just reading the hell out of the forums? Yes. All the forum really does well is offering a convenient place to ask a question or make an observation... where guys who can be trusted to give their opinion, have their opinions nitpicked by a small network of guys who know their stuff. That's it. There isn't any insider information (because it doesn't exist) and there is no collusion. There is no cheating. There are no pearls of wisdom that could suddenly have a 39 overall team beat a 48 overall team 10 times out of 10. It is what it is: a helpful forum full of helpful people.