From what I remember, when LG was most active we had contests for referrals,guides to all sorts of things, advertising, and the like. We also had many things that kept the site's social aspect up. I think I recall there being a couple small programs that weren't tucked away in the gold basement, available for the public. The incentive was to give them a taste of the minor league things, and advise them that with contribution and good conduct, they would be allowed to see what's behind door number one.

Also, I know it's the internet, but users have genuine concerns and questions, and while it's meant to be fun, users won't want to return to a forum if the moderators and contributors are trolling and bashing one another. It needs to be shown that no one is above the rules, so no one feels neglected.