Are there any tried and tested methods for rejuvenating an old message board?

Question

I have a moderately successful message board with an excellent (but tiny) community associated with it.

One of my goals for the month is to try and increase the amount of users on the site and also the amount of posts per day.

Apart from the general methods that any site could use to drive traffic is there anything I should specifically be doing for a message board?

Here are some of the things I have already tried (and am already trying, obviously some of these things are on-going projects)

• Harnessing Facebook Communities and the 'like' button.
• Writing a friendly message to non-logged in users asking them to sign up or log in.
• Writing posts in such as way as they spark debate or conversation.
• Listen and engage with the community.
• We have a basic reputation system.
• We have an introduction thread and it has a friendly welcoming atmosphere.
• We interview people on the site.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

A resource that you may find helpful is the Managing Communities blog at http://www.managingcommunities.com/ You'll find information and tips for moderating and growing your forum/community effectively.

Answer 2

• Use a reputation system that allows members to achieve ranks and/or titles. The badging and reputation system at this site is a good example of that.
• Have a referral system in place. Reward users for referring new members. It can be as simple as a badge or custom title.
• Have an introductions forums so new members can introduce themselves. Make sure you are active in greeting them and encourage other members to do so as well.
• Interview active members. Give them a chance to let others know about them. It's a good opportunity for people to promote themselves. But in order to be interviewed they have to first post great content in your site. You win either way.