I agree with the above wholeheartedly. Thing is, this is a Discussion Forum. It gets its value from folks participating. While having a Trading Post and Industry Partner section are really nice to have, their value is secondary.

While lurking is beneficial to the individual doing the lurking, it doesn't provide value to the site as a whole. Nor does it allow other members to get to know anything about you. No one gets a chance to establish bonds or trust in who you are. This is important in a community-based (albeit statewide community) group like we have here. It's even more important to someone who wishes to present their business to this community. Especially in firearms businesses, people need to feel that they know and can trust those they're considering doing business with. Unfortunately, this can't happen without active site participation. This is one of the main reasons we require active participation from our Industry Partners or those allowed the occasional commercial advertisement.

I hope this provides more clarity to the requirement.