The author describes the 4-stage process they used to build their board. In the 1st stage, they searched forums to find potential members by reading profiles. In the 2nd stage, they made contacts by sending hundreds of messages and communicating with interested replies. In the 3rd stage, they identified roles for potential members. In the 4th stage, they accepted a member to their board. They reflect that the forum search was good for networking but messaging could be more comfortable.