Hmm, personally i think it's a little longer than 15 seconds. I like to spend a few days lurking around the forum for a while before i join up to see what the members / post quality are like.
If it seems decent i'll join up and give it a few days of being an active member. If i enjoy it then i'll stay, otherwise i'll leave.
I think with communities you need to give it a chance, as there is always a chance that there will be some improvements that will make the forum awesome. ~razz~
You really can't tell a forum is going to be any good without joining it first unless the course the forum has a crappy skin t hen right there you will not be a part of it for that reason and joining it is not needed to find that out.
I haven't really got active at too many places as most forums just don't measure up to what I want in a forum that I am joining then again most don't last too long either especially ones I didn't find to be ones I wanted to be really active on..
I think. you first join the forum because it suits your purpose. Alot of the time forums open up more doors when you register. So just registering you get a better idea.
It depends really. Usually it takes me way longer than 15 seconds. Like Murder he Wrote I usually tend to join up after looking around for a couple of days. If I am on an advertising spree though, it takes very quick.
Well to be honest i would join a forum if a site looks good visualy, although there may not be many members. After all it takes decent people to make a good posting forum.. so if you base your joining on the amount of members and posts it'll never take off!
Surley this is why we are all here... trying to help out our fellow forum creators, i join all the forums that look good or interest me regardless of the amoun of members!
If the subject propels me, there are interesting posts then I will 'lurk' If I like something I see or something that will benefit me I will join.
If there's a bad skin, I'm not a fan of light skins either or an empty baron forum that distracts me from even putting the effort into lurking itself.