Yeah, I have one as a webmaster with ten years experience. Don't weigh it down with junk. Everyone hates junk...toys...flashing crap. It gives them headaches. You might think it looks pretty, but you will drive all your hard earned visitors away.
I don't even recommend flash, because they hate that too, but if you can do it VERY professionally in such a way that it doesn't induce an epilleptic siezure then give it a shot. Most people have no idea what they are doing when it comes to flash.
Don't use flash as menus... Don't use java as menus. Many people have this stuff disabled so they won't be able to navigate your site. Yes, I know, it looks pretty, but there are other ways to get the job done.
A forum isn't a bad idea sometimes, but be warned that it takes up a huge amount of disk space for the database and it has the capability of bringing your website to it's knees in a real quick hurry. It requires a tremendous amount of processing power and bandwidth to run one effectively. Something to think about.
Stay away from all those java bells and whistles. People don't want toys. They want information. Like I said, most people have java and flash disabled, so don't waste time with nonsense. Give them what they want. Information. That way they will keep coming back.
To add to the information concept, take a look for a really good news feed to add to your site. I don't know all the sites anymore because I haven't used any in a while, but I know there are some really good ones out there. Put one on your site so they have another reason to come back.
Also there are plenty of sites where authors publish free articles for you to reprint on your website, provided you keep the author's name and link in tact. I got a lot of hits off of using these articles on my sites. They are awesome for giving the search engines something to index. Make sure they all relate to your theme.
