My name is Big Bill aka SkyForum and this is my house. TowTalk.net. Originally conceived back in 2004, the original site came to fruition in Aug of 05. The idea that I had was to build a community that was information specific about the industry I love and work in every day and that I could share with others of the same mindset. I spent a lot of time on other forums like tow411 and some of the magazine boards and they all had one thing in common. They had lost site of the goal and had turned into little more than child care centers.

After much trial and error, I found the best way to engage members was to cater to their skills and positions. Be recognized for whom you are and keep all others at bay. The following is the system we have adopted over the years that works for us. In essence, you are a tower or you aren't. Non towers have limited access and owners have access to areas that an employee/tower does not.

• Standard Member - This is where everyone starts. To enjoy more access, you will need to complete your profile as fully as you can. A moderator will review your profile and set the permissions you are best suited for. Reviews happen most everyday. If your access isn't granted within 48 hours, you can drop a note to the admin and they will get you handled. If your membership is refused, you will receive an email stating why. At this point, you will be able to argue your case, if desired.
• TG Member - This is the workhorse of our operation. If you are a tower, you will be set to TG Member. This will give you full access to all that TowTalk has to offer except for specific rooms (Like the TG Owners room).
• TG Owner - What this site is known for. Owners coming together to discuss problems with employees, and the everyday stresses of running a business. TG Owners have full access to the board including private areas where sensitive topics can be discussed out of earshot of the general populace.
• TG Moderator - Moderators on TowTalk are all powerful and have full decision making capabilities. Their decisions are considered final and unless a special situation exists, will not be challenged by me. TG Moderator has full board access to edit, delete or change anything or anyone. Section moderators will be identified by their deignation. Example, TG Photo Mod will have control over what happens in the Photo galleries only.
• TG Vendor, Dealer & Manufacturer - Once again, memberships specific to the user with appropriate permissions. These particular memberships will be a little stronger in the area of creating groups and creating ads to promote their wares. Because they are not towers, they will be restricted slightly in other areas so they don't overwhelm the board with advertisements. We welcome all towing support type copmpanies to TowTalk. In the very near future, there will be some paid advertsing programs you can avail yourselves of to get your products into the view of our members.