Design, posts, age, numbers(how many members, posts etc) what are the aspects of a forum attract you most for being an active member?
the biggest thing people look for in a forum is that their are other active users or if it exactly fits their niche then their will be no trouble getting them to join. for example, if someone is looking for a community of bass fishers in missippi, they will jioin because it is such a targeted niche see?
If you have good members, then that is a plus. No one will join an empty forum, purely because they'll have no one to talk to, so try getting some paid posters to come in and make your forum look active until you get some real, natural members to start posting. Once you get a decent amount of posts and have advertised, more and more people will come.
I look for one with some age so I'm not wasting my time on some upstart that may never stick around. I look for an active admin; active members, number of posts etc... Starting a forum takes a tremendous amount of work. No QB's.
I look for content.The rest is bs....doesn't matter the age,how old members are...or other things like that.I f you have good content...the forum will be found and it will grow .
First - what is the topic of the forum. There is no need in joining a forum where I am not interested in the main topic. How many times do I see "banned" under a users name? If I see a lot of banned members, there is no need in me joining, simply because I might be next on the list. Is the forum software updated? What kind of forum software are they using? I am more likely to join a forum running VB, IPB or SMF then a forum running some off the wall software, or phpbb. If the forum is running phpbb, most likely I will not join. Is the site over developed? Does it have too many banners, too many flashy ads, does it fit my screen? If a forum has pop-ups, I will not register. Appearance means a lot. If the site is under or over developed its a turn off. Did the owner of the forum take the time to install a good theme, change the header image, install some modifications. Or does the forum look like the default install? This shows a lack of interest by the owner. I like forums that have video embedding software installed. This way I can watch the video straight from the thread, instead of leaving the site. It really helps to have some steady traffic. All forums start out with 1 post, its after that is what is important. Its natural to have people that disagree. But when most of the people on the site disagree with almost everything you say, its time to leave. I want an exchange of ideas, not dozens of people telling me I am wrong almost 100% of the time. Heavy handed moderators - they will drive me away real quick. Especially when the moderators start posting personal attacks.
My forum is exactly what you like, would you mind joining it? By the way, i like this thread cause i really need some members in my forum and i don't know what i am doing wrong. From the posts above i have already learnt something useful.
If the forum has great content, and discussion then it will be fine for me. A good design would be a plus for me.
I think people who look at the number of already registered members do not act correctly. This way a forum will never be active. It shouldn't be the number of the currently registered members who really matters, but the content and the niche of the forum.