Ease of use. Keep it simple. Bells and whistles are fine but they detract from the purpose of the community. Look at it from a newbie's point of view and make it very obvious how to post, reply to other posts, contact other members, etc. - Sue

@Sue, I think ease of use is critical ofcourse and bells and whistles will make it almost always harder to use. Still, lot's of those extra things make it for members more valuable to participate. I mean, is email-subscription to every single kind of thing an extra of 'an essential'? - Melle Gloerich

@Melle, I would say that option should be offered so members can decide. What I mean by bells and whistles are more games, gadgets and gizmos type things that some seem to load communities up with. The types of things that take the emphasis away from "community." Essentials would be tools that make it easier for the members to communicate with each other, so email, private message systems, ability to create their own groups, etc etc would be very important to include. - Sue