The benefit of the forum is for lesson users to ask questions and get gut checks from fellow members. Ok, cool. Pretty much everyone here has said that.

Where things might fall down is that the lessons do not untilize the forum's benefit to a lesson user. Each lesson should have at least two links within the lesson interface somewhere:

1) Ask an instructor (link to the Full Access Forum)

2) Talk to other members (link to the general forum)

Having the Forum link/button in the overall site header is good but the forum is not leveraged throughout the remainder of the GT platform. The idea is not itself to get more 'action' in the forum. If people don't need to have that kind of assistance, they don't need it. My sense (based on nothing but instinct) is that people might want that kind of help but not know that the forum can really be quite helpful. Further, GT forums have historically had a 'friendly' vibe. This is awesome.

I work as a project/program manager at a Fortune 20 company in the US. The program that I own impacts millions of customers. A significant part of what I own has a public internet interface used by 10's of thousands of people daily. Neato resume and all but that's all immaterial other than I've learned one thing; people will not go somewhere (like to the forum) unless you giude them to do so. WIIFM (What's In It For Me). Why would a lesson user go to the forum unless they're told the benfit of doing so and have strategically placed links (ie - within lessons) to do so? Users need a motivation and the easy ability (well placed links) to do so.

Few are going to come here of their own valition unless there is an implied benefit of the forum. Most people (rightly) see internet forums as a cesspool of trolling and anger. Twitter is the ultimate example of internet trollery. GT is the opposite of that. It's a darned friendly place here at the GT forum! People aren't going to come here unless they understand the benefit of doing so, know that it is a supportive place and mostly, easy access to get here.

Adding my thoughts to the convo...