As a beginner to xml, perhaps I am not the best person to comment on the worth of a separate forum but I do value the discussions on the IBM exam which are intermingled with other general queries and discussions.
I don't understand the benefits in having a separate forum just yet. I don't believe there will be much traffic (unlike the Sun certs) although this is likely to increase (judging by the increase in the number of visitors to the xml forum).
While I agree it would not be any extra trouble for me to view the new forum if one is created, I have seen the quality of the uml/ooad forum improve dramatically just from the discussion of the ibm uml exam.
I think the xml forum, with its excellent moderators (I include Map here), is the place to leave the ibm discussions for now.
regards,
Jyotsna