What makes a great community site?
Kent Tegels wonders this.
I don't think it's anything you can put in a "terms of use", or moderate out. I don't think it's anything you can find in an SDK, no matter how long you've been there. I think it's simply "respect and humility".
Take our little blog spamming pest(s). If persistent enough, there's about nothing Scott or anyone else can do to allow legitimate comments yet keep he/she/they from requiring a little housecleaning now and then. No respect. What's preventing me from doing the same to all the other blogs? I respect you, what I have learned from you, and look forward to more. Maybe we'll meet some day, and if we do, I hope not to be a pariah or get slugged.
Are there forums you used to love but now never stop by because of the attitude of a few members? I know of a couple. Every day is a day of learning in this biz, and we were all beginners once. This doesn't preclude someone taking 10 seconds to google for the same thintg their posting--laziness isn't a popular notion in my world. But public disrespect just ruins the spirit of sharing and helping.
Certainly, the amount of useful information plays a large role in the success of a community site. But I think respect and humility are part of taking good to great (yes, I've read the book).