+1 hidden from google. Plus a little perspective from a noob:
I'm new to the forums but have been following dans deals blog since 2012 (started with the famous mistake israel deal). Its a shame to make all the forums password protected, as there is great non MS discussion and information (trip reports and the other deals thread). Plus I never would have felt comfortable enough to start the MS game myself without reading about data points other people have posted in the forums so I could understand the risks involved beforehand.