I hope this is in the right place; sorry if it isn't.
This thread is not necessarily for Sims-related sites but hopefully more generalized web administration discussion, so that it can hopefully help webmasters of all sorts of sites. I know some professional webmasters and some aspiring webmasters who have tried to develop a community through forums without much luck. Often the case with their forums was that they would eventually die out since the ratio of those who joined versus those who actually posted was so unbalanced. It seemed it was a matter of either a forum could not attract new members or it could not motivate the vast majority who registered to actively participate; in either case, those who actually posted grew weary of being the only ones posting and eventually gave up on the forum.

What direct and indirect things help or can be done to help a forum of a few members or so snowball and develop into a bigger multitude of members who want to return to the forum and actually/continue to participate (not just sign up and never post)? "Do's and Don'ts", if you will.

I have typed up some of my thoughts but I think I should wait and post a shorten version of them (since its text would lengthen this initial post to the point that people would start skimming it). I would just like to hear others' thoughts, advice and experiences on how to grow a community from just a few members.

Well, first you have to look at something.
Why should anyone go to your forums, when they could go to one that is populated?
Find a hook, something that would make them want to stay.
People are usually addicted to earning things, and I think vBulletin has a reputation system, if not, you could always get a hack for it/or another forum system.
Rewards programs are always nice too if you have something to offer, like saying that you'll be given or allowed X if you bring in X amount of members that are active and post regularly.
A lot of it is also advertising, find some good affiliates.
Anything else I could help you out on, be sure to give me a PM or ask it here, I'd be glad to help =]

Those are valid points. Some webmasters I know have talked about actually paying people for posts, but they were joking. Which is sad....not just because they are so desperate, but because I wanted to take them up on the offer.

I see balance issue with different forums. Certainly, content is key. One school of thought (mine) preaches that a concise forum is best. A forum with 20 or so empty or near-empty categories can be discouraging. Plant only the seeds for the crops you need; only plant other seeds if the need arises: "Site News", "General Discussion", and maybe less than five more categories depending on the subject matter of the site. But, there are those that feel that you should not put all your eggs in one basket (sorry, for mixing metaphors, here) and that the addition of other categories may attract more audiences and encourage discussions pertaining to different fields. God knows this site doesn't need help attracting members, but I will use it as an example. Although this is primarily a Sims site, it would be like the "Roleplaying" forum being added to encourage non-Sim players to join for Roleplaying. This is probably not the best example, but it is the best one I could come up with at the moment. A forum that already has a strong community will tend to dictate what is needed and not needed; however, if the community and/or site is just forming, it can be hard to judge.

I am by no means a webmaster of anything that has been as successful as MTS2. Most of my work has been for relatively small, private projects for others and for me, nothing international just local. So, I have no idea what I can do or say to help affiliates and friends who don't just want people visiting their sites but visiting and returning to their sites as well. Less is more? Or, is less...just that: less? Another balance issue I've seen is with restricted access with friends' sites and with sites for the Sims. On one hand, some webmasters I know feel that curiosity could make someone register to see what is in the forum, if given just a taste. Perhaps, like if you smell food cooking and it smells good, you follow the scent. I have heard explanations that said such things as "by letting someone see what is in the forum, the visitor could get all that he or she wanted from the posts without feeling the need to register". I have seen forum mods that limit guest viewing of threads in such a way that a part of sentences or paragraphs are cut out, only complete if the viewer is logged into the forum. On the other hand, I tend to think that the public presentation of the forum and what it has to offer is the best incentive to join. I consider myself riding the fence with the "is it best to display your open arms along with everything else, or just your open arms?" question, because I understand the feelings of both sides.

Example: It is one thing to have free TS2 content and it is another thing to have free TS2 content that is easily accessible. Some Sim sites are free but you still must register before you can get anything. This is hardly anything if someone wants to be active with the site, but some of those that just want the content may not like the hassle of having to go through a registration and log-in process. I understand the desire to make people register from the webmasters' stand point, but I understand not wanting to deal with the hassle of registering as a downloading lurker. I don't want to be active in every Sim site I download from and don't have the time to do so anyway. Yet, I know that if the content is just click away, without any registration and log-in system, it is all too easy to just take what you see and like and then move on without a second glance. I hope that makes sense.

I think the most important thing in having people visit AND return to your site would be the visual presentation of the site and the ease of use, combined with information on the site that is relevant to the people that you intend to attract. Also, regular updates are mandatory if you want them to keep coming back. If people notice that you only update once in a blue moon than that's how often they'll visit your site. Even less than that if the information they found on the site wasn't relevant when they first visited.

I'm definately of the school of "concise forums" - far too often I see sites have way too many forums, way too much graphics, way too much stuff on screen. I mean, why does somebody need to know how many PMs you have? or every little detail about you that can be gotten from the profile?

I'd say this - unless your site is about discussions, don't automatically add a forum. Only add one after a certain time - a critical mass as it where. You need to have a unique selling point - something that will keep people coming back. That is usually found in the content at the start, but later on will be the discussions and friendships and so on as well as the content. You can't neglect that.

Remember, too, that all the big sites started very small. MTS2 started on a $10 shared hosting account with just some news and a couple forums and that's it. The time and the idea and above all the people where right to help it grow into the multiple sites, multiple servers and so on that you see today.

As for the downloading without registering thing - sure, that works on small sites but for larger ones you always end up running out of bandwidth or having leechers, or any number of issues that you should always try and be on top of - it's not just a case of shoving a site up and expecting it to work - you have to put time and effort into it to make it work.

I'd have to say with the whole "limiting guests ability to read forums" - dont do it. Forums are designed to be there to share information - what point is there by cutting out half the thread? Let them read it! Just don't let them reply unless they sign up. That way your random googlers come in and can find the information they want, and your regulars can also contribute too. Forums or sites that black out or cut off information behind a registration basically force people to think "This sucks... next".

Start small, focus on your key aspect, focus on what you have to offer - and then if everything works, it'll grow with careful watering. You'll pull your hair out from time to time - you'll make enemies, you'll have people hating you, but eventually you can have a great community.

Hope this helps.

I don't mean to bring this thread back up from the depths, but I do want to thank everyone for their input.

This is a somewhat subjective subject, but is a forum/post exchange (e.g. "I post in your forum, if you post in mine...") a form of desperation or a valid means of supporting friends and affiliates? Does it put a burden on an affiliate to contribute to a site that is not his/her own? (The general topic of good versus bad web administration is rather interesting to me for various reasons, not all of which are directly related to running a site. So, I apologize if I ask too many questions.)

Thanks again for all past and future help and input.

To me, thats desperation. A good site should not need affiliates, and a site should not be rated or judged by it's affiliates alone. Just becuase you have links to other sites doesn't mean your own is any good. MTS2 has always stayed away from those kind of schemes becuase in all honesty, we don't need them.

Yes it can be seen as a friendship thing but thats a choice that people should be free to make themselves and not "forced" to do so.

I say let people make up thier own minds, build your site based on what you want, and let the members decide it's fate.