KEEP URG GOING I SAY

Have been an occasional Poster here for a few years, but a lurker for
much longer, and have seen many changes since using a Bulletin Board
back in the early 1980's. 'BB' 'NG' 'Forums' and Facebook, all have
advantages, (not sure about twitter)
I run a number of forums, some combined with 'web sites' and facebook,
and a twitter feed.
The reason forums need you to register is in an attempt to keep out
spammers, you can allow 'non registered' to view (and even post) if
you wish.
As with every form of communication, unless you get participation, it
does become a 'one man band' get it right and it takes off , for
instance one of my Forums, for the Olympics, had 2000 users, and five
million visits, but that will probably never be seen again. A
combination of different types of social media is the way forward.
For an example of a forum

http://lincolnfuchsiasociety.info/

Derek