Being involved in some forum software myself, I'm always interested in reading what people have to say about related topics. Venturus published an article on how to build a popular forum community, which contains some useful tips. I don't agree with everything said, but there are definately some valid points in this article. Basically, I agree with points 1, 2, 4 and 5, and just disagree with point 3. I don't like lying. Anyway, worth checking out.