We've all seen new forum communities pop up all the time. Some become instant hits and some never take off.
New forum admins tend to make the same mistakes which cause their forum to be less attractive to new sign ups.
Lets start a list of the common mistakes new forum admins make. I'll start.
Having a popup, usually with some ugly graphic, encouraging you to join the community. A welcome message isn't a problem it's those javascript popups you come across on so many new sites. New admins think they are cool.
Another mistake new forum admins make is they will put Google Adsense ads on the site with no content. I don't have a problem with ads. I have a problem with the ads I see when I visit a new forum. Since there is little to no content to serve relevant ads you get those girl friend finder ads or a public service ads.
Lets hear some other mistakes new forum admins make.