Google Official Blog: New Google Help Forums!
Many people feel that there should be some platform where they can share there views and experiences about surfing through different sites of Google. Forum is a place where any one can share his or her views with others.
As per the views of Google:
For the last few years, the Google Help Forums have been a great gathering place for users, developers, and anyone else who has an opinion about Google or its products. We’ve been taking stock of what you have to say, and we’ve been impressed by the hundreds of thousands of people who really understand our products and are willing to share their knowledge.
Today they have decided to provide an easier way to get the right answers to the questions as quickly as possible. They are also trying to spot the most helpful commenters as most of the popular communities do. So they are converting their forums into way so that it can provide more help, encourage and reward everyone who visits.
Read more about all this at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-google-help-forums.html