Guest Access
 

How much should you limit guest access? Does it help registration rates?

I suppose it depends on the content of your website. If you provide information to users in threads, then enabling guest viewing would defeat the purpose of registering (beyond posting anyway).

At the same time, some might say that forcing users to register to view thread content only leads to high numbers of Registered Users and low numbers of posts (users registering, reading a post or two, and then leaving).

Though if your forum hosts debates or discussions, then you haven't really got anything to lose by allowing guests to view thread content; in fact in this case, guest viewing could actually help increase registration rates as guests who come across a debate thread and would like to give their opinion on a hot issue being discussed must register to do so.

In the end it really boils down to personal preference.

What you said about debates could be true. But then again, they might simply want to give their opinion just by reading the thread title. Maybe if they actually looked inside and realized either everyone agreed with them or their point was already covered, they might not register. So it can go both ways.