> Be sure that it is allowed, some forums don't,
> and they get upset to the point of banishment.
Yes, please follow the forum rules. A good way to do it is to place a link in you signature, many places allow that. Also, posting a promo for something specific like a photo or article is usually a better way. Simply posting "Hey, visit this place" is generally considered spam.
Telling your modeling friends is a good idea, and if done in moderation they probably won't mind. Send them an e-mail saying "Hey, I found this cool place" and see if they show up.
> we have 689 members and by far the majority never post a message
That's quite typical. If you get 10 percent participation, you're doing good. Model Railroader's forum says they have 190,000 members. They get about 1,000 posts per day. At that ratio, 1,000 members would get you about 5 posts a day, and that's about what we get, so it's right in line.
> Why they join at all is a mystery to me as they can
> readily access the forum as a guest.
Many of them join so that the forum software will keep track of new messages for them. (i.e. Messages posted since the last time they visited, no matter how long ago that was.) That's a handy feature, and won't work unless you're a member.
I bet that'd draw a few members in.
