[James]

There is two major downsides of forum cliques for this forum as I see it... one is it can make the forum look like a bit of a private club which is off-putting for new members wishing to join and get involved.

And second is that it can lead to arguments as rival cliques turn on each other - again bad for the forum.

But on the other hand with any virtual community that is relatively successful you are going to get members that become friends with other members. (Of course be wary about who you are communication with online and the type of information you give out).

One thing that I think is relevant and needs to be pointed out is that although we don't mind chit-chat and banter threads between people who know each other they should only be posted in the Chat and Games forum. The distinction with the General Chat forum as I see it is that it should be for specific topics that anyone - not just long-standing members - could potentially want to have an opinion on.

You only have to put yourself in the position of a new member to see that cliquey topics can put people off.