What are the signs of a healthy community

We all know what it's like to build an online community, so why don't we share the signs of a healthy community?

I'll start it off with the following:
~Users support the community via referring their friends, posting threads, and also, engaging in posts.
~Your traffic is on the rise from month to month - you see a lot new users.

So, why don't you share your signs of a healthy community?

 

- Users helping each others without needing of staffs supports .
- Increasing membership with increasing activities .
- No spams at all !

 

New members daily(Not only new but the number is usually consistent).

On top of new members, i think retaining members is twice as important as attracting because you can 120 people to sign-up in a day but if you dont give them a reason to stay they wont.

Consistent and active post count

Engaging Community feedback & participation

 

In addition to all of the above...

A lack of desperation. When a forum is struggling, you often see the admin asking people to post more or donate. Or they're posting dozens of new threads a day and begging people to respond. A lack of obvious desperation is a clear sign to me that a forum is already thriving and moving along nicely.

 

Here's my list:

-Users interact well with others in the forum.
-Users follow your forum rules & regulations.(less management).
-Users invite their friends and promote your forum without telling them.
-More users are active than passive.
-Every thread/topic has a reply.
-No spammers lurking around.
-Traffic grows eventually.

 

That is a good point. If a forum is struggling, begging people to post will most likely just send them in the other direction or make them leave the forum completely. I have a new forum, and am trying to gain members. I know it will take some time, but I am posting as if there are several members there already even though anyone can see how many there really are. I do not have many visitors to my site yet either, so in time I'm sure both numbers will increase.

I am here to learn from others the best ways to make my own forum a thriving community. I would rather learn from others than make costly mistakes which could be detrimental to my business. Thanks everyone for being so knowledgeable!

 

Actually not really, you could run a contest if its an a lack of desperation, users will post, when they follow your lead. Users will post if they really like the community, so thus, you can sit back and promote the forums; while your users are doing all the work.

But, its even more healthy when you're posting along side with your users, its make the community even better.

Great lists, you hit the nail in the coffin - and plus, users will also write reviews, and guides if your community is about that as well.

 

Pretty good list. Definitely a sign your community is healthy. It's actually hard to come by these types of forums these days though I see plenty of forums go up just to be taken down months later so when I do stumble across a healthy community it's rather a nice breath of fresh air.

 

I'm not sure how that is "actually not really." What you listed is a successful way of promoting content....and shows that "lack of desperation" I mentioned. It's "healthy." I don't see them as contradictory statements, so care to explain?

 

Do you have anything to share on this list? We'd love to make it bigger and help other forums in regards to creating a healthy community. I also think giving the users a way to express themselves - in a blogs feature is a nice way to keep them around as well, thus, making the community even more healthy.