I was looking at the "How did you get into FL" thread in the polls section and I gathered the following:
So, most of you are here by someone telling you, "Hey, this game is cool, you can do cool stuff, you should come play with me". Why don't we put a team of promoters together that does just that, promotes the mud to the online masses. Where? Online gaming website forums. All of them provide mud promotions sections and reviews sections. It will surely draw more players than our ad banner failure. We have a Wiki that makes it easy for a surge of new players, we have extensive help files. Once they give it a chance, the mud will sell itself... all we need is to drop its name out there like a cheap slut.
My suggestion:
The immortal staff should choose a few articulate and trustworthy members of the FL society to promote the game on open forums and submit well written reviews on any mud/rpg/free online game/d&d/whatever website that allows user submitted reviews.
I like the idea, but I think it is beyond the scope of the immortals to pick the team. It's just up to us to do the promoting!
I'd been thinking the best way to find new people might be to target the forums of games that emphasize gameplay over graphics, since in essence that's what a love of muds boils down to. In particular I'd been thinking of things more like some of the indies out there making rogue type games, which have complete **** for graphics but usually some in depth gameplay, ones like DF or prospector. Ideally trying to snag some heads who are completely new to text based and can begin their honeymoon period with it here and hopefully a life long obsession.
Going back to the first point, I feel it's important to at least acknowledge what the strong point of muds are and try and match it to the games and forums you would approach. That though muds are technologically outdated they simply offer a level of in depth gameplay, mechanics and rp, that you simply can't achieve in a graphics based game.
shrug We've tried it before. I even hit up the Wizards of the Coast D&D community for people who don't live near D&D groups. Few heeded the call.
However, given that I'm at college, I'll post some info on one of the bulletin boards. Maybe that'll bring you all a few players. 
Kind of see a D&D community as too close to home. Most people into have either already tried text based and not liked it or already have a favorite. It's a spent market.
Just an idea but perhaps posting something on MMORPG's websites, even just the RP server forums for those games might attract a few people, not going to be a lot but the RP side of this mud is going to attract more new players than it's PK system which can be very harsh and unforgiving for people just learning it.
Rens
T-shirts
www.customink.com
P.S. I just chose that quote, because it's like...the truest thing ever said about FL. The website, obviously, allows customization. I'm totally gonna buy that hoodie and never take it off 
Heh, we we first launched FL 1.0 it was right after the September 11th attacks, and I had about 20 black shirts with red text printed up that read "We Have Been Forsaken" on the front, with the url on the back. Used to get a lot of questions about it when I'd wear it around...everyone thought it was something religious.
I think at some point I tried selling them on the site, but in the end, I think they just ended up becoming paint rags.
Heh, we we first launched FL 1.0 it was right after the September 11th attacks, and I had about 20 black shirts with red text printed up that read "We Have Been Forsaken" on the front, with the url on the back. Used to get a lot of questions about it when I'd wear it around...everyone thought it was something religious.
I think at some point I tried selling them on the site, but in the end, I think they just ended up becoming paint rags.
I know mine still exists. Granted, I gave it to one of my fledglings for his birthday. It made for great advertising.