Take my forum as an example. It has been open for just under 4 months and so far it appears, statistically at least to be doing quite well, albeit the activity is mostly confined to the throw away posts and threads, rather than the main purpose of the site which is computer help. However, if I didn't have the throw away topics etc, then I would have what amounts to a pretty static and possibly even a dead forum and no one wants to join a forum that doesn't have an active community. I guess it's a bit of a catch22 in that respect.
Right.
I see a lot of activity in the off-topic section as a good sign, so long as the majority of the members are posting to be part of a community, rather than simply to gain access to a resource (e.g., free advertising or downloads). Along those lines, I am reminded of a webmaster who, logged in at an administrator resource forum as "Anonymous,"
submitted a post in a topic titled "How do once popular forums fail?" In that post, anyways, he mentioned trying to "refocus" his "site's original purpose," but ruining forum activity with a plan that included the highly unpopular closing of the off-topic sections.
That said, I am also reminded of an article at SEO Refugee titled "
10 Tips for Promoting Your Forum," which included the following tip:
Allow Off Topic Discussion - Even workaholics don’t talk shop 24/7. Your forum members are no different. Creating a space for your members to blow off steam, tell jokes, and talk about their other interests will allow them to create friendships and unwind. Think of this as a team building exercise. The more your members interact with each other, the more likely they’ll be to visit on a regular basis. They’ll also be more willing to help spread the word about your forum or help improve the community. If nothing else, you’ll gain a few friends in the process. Now who doesn’t want more friends?
