This post is here just to tell you what private forums are, how to gain access to one of them, the list of existing private forums, and how to get your own private forum.

What are private forums?
Private forums are created for internal discussions of Stanlean subgroups. For example, Elysee 94 batch (Class of 2004) has its own private forum. The StanMed.net forums uses a group system. Each registered user is a member of one of more groups. Now, the Elysee 94 private forums are accessible only to the members of the Elysee 94 group. This way, we can give each class or department or special interest group their own place to have their private discussions, which they only want to share with members of their group.

How do I get access to a private forum?
To get access to a private forum, you need to be the member of a group that has access to the forum. For instance, you need to be a member of the "Elysee 94" group to access the "Elysee 94 Private Forum". To become a member of a group, send a private message to its moderator (listed below). The moderator is someone you would know personally if you belong to a specific class or group. The moderator would ask you for personally identifying information to verify that you are who you claim to be. Please provide this information when the moderator asks for it to be granted membership to a group.

List of existing Private forums

1. Batch 88 (Class of 1994)
URL: http://www.stanmed.net/home/forums/batch88
Moderator:
Membership:

2. Elysee 94 (Class of 2000)
URL: http://www.stanmed.net/home/forums/elysee94
Moderator:
Membership:

3. Nexus 95 (Class or 2001)
URL: http://www.stanmed.net/home/forums/nexus95
Moderator:
Membership:

4. StanMed.net Architects
URL: http://www.stanmed.net/home/forums/arch
Moderator:
Membership:

5. StanMed.net Moderators
URL: http://www.stanmed.net/home/forums/mod
Moderator:
Membership:

Why can't I see all these private forums on the StanMed.net homepage?
We have a long list of private forums, which keeps growing. So, listing all these on the homepage makes the list too long. It is not meaningful to show the entire list, since most people do not have access to most private forums - they cannot enter these forums even if they click on the link anyway. So, if a user logs in, he/she will see only the forums he/she has access to. If a user does not log in, he/she will not see any private forums. We do this to keep this list minimal and relevant to our members, by filtering the irrelevant private forums from the lists.

How do I get my own private forum?
If your class or department does not have its own private forum, please email StanMed.net Administrator at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please be advised that you will need to provide identification to the Administrator to become a member of the newly formed group. If you also want to be the moderator (which you probably will, being the founder of the group), you are expected to accept the responsibility of moderating the content, and managing your group's memberships. Be aware that special interest groups need to have sufficient number of users, activity and scope to get a private forum, and this will be evaluated by StanMed.net Administrator, Moderators and Architects on a case to case basis (In case of any non-agreement within this group, the Administrator holds veto power).