Beyond Selidor

>> I've seen a lot of people talking about reviving Dreamwidth comms, and I think if that could be achieved, <<

In most cases, this is easy to do. If a community has open posting, then all you have to do to revive it is post in it, as I've done with several. This alone makes it pop to the top of the search lists, which increases the chance of new people subscribing and posting there. Ideally, get some other people to post also, for more interaction.

In some cases, revival is harder. If the posting is moderated and the Administrator is no longer approving posts, then nothing will appear no matter how many people try to post there. This can be addressed by first attempting to contact the Administrator, and if that doesn't work, you can petition Dreamwidth to appoint a new Administrator.

Among the best ways to keep a community going is to create a pattern of activity. This can be a set of recurring posts, a schedule of volunteer activities, or an event that happens periodically. Variations include:
* allbingo has a new fest each month with a different them hosted by a member. It also has a monthly post summarizing activities.
* crowdfunding has a mid-month Creative Jam for people to prompt and create works on a theme. It also has a monthly post summarizing activities.
* Rec communities usually do one of two things: assign timespans to volunteers, or set a theme per timespan that anyone can post about.
* Motivational communities or events typically have challenge or summary posts at regular intervals.
* Q&A or prompt memes are great because they present a list of things that get posted one at a time. My current Coping Skills and Philosophical Questions features use this format too.

>> Dreamwidth would be an absolutely wonderful place! <<

I agree. It's good now. It can be better if more people choose to invest in it. This year, I've seen numerous folks setting plans to make their blog or communities more active. I hope that pans out. The most frustrating thing about Snowflake is that the vast majority of its members are dormant except during January. :/