Comment by Mz

You can start by finding out what your "best" people want from the community and try to find a reasonable means to ensure they get it. (At the risk of sounding like an egomaniac:) I have left a number of online communities and seen evidence that amount and quality of conversation went way, way down after I left. In almost every case, I could have been kept if people would have just engaged me in conversation without turning it into either "let's kick the crap out of Michele" or "let's fawn all over and idolize Michele". My need is for a social (and intellectual) outlet and being idolized and then attacked for it doesn't remotely meet that need. I need people I can talk to who will actually speak to me like I'm a human being -- like I make mistakes and don't know everything but don't deserve to have the living crap kicked out of me because I made some stupid mistake. Letting forum members pounce on little mistakes made by your best members and blow them all out of proportion and turn it into a fucking federal case is a great way to encourage them to leave.

Other people will want other things from what I want. And you will need to find some healthy means to balance meeting their needs with the needs of the forum. I have seen forums go completely to hell because it got all twisted out of shape to meet the need of one or more top members in a really unhealthy manner. So while trying to find out what your best people want, don't let it become their personal pond to piss in either. You want to foster an environment that is highly likely to consistently provide things that more than one top member is looking for without specifically making it about them as an individual. Don't prostitute the forum to them as an individual but shape the forum to be highly likely to provide X, Y or Z so that most of your current top members are likely to stay but fresh blood will also be attracted.

HTH.