Perhaps we could think of visitor graphs that would give a sense of both the popularity of the forum and - more importantly - the popularity of Linux and the Open Source operating systems movement. Something similar to what sourceforge has done for their projects:
SourceForge.net: Project Statistics For eMule
These would be graphs of statistics for the forum as whole, not sections.
We could integrate Google Analytics (GA) stats. There is even a paid vB plugin already out there to do so, as I recall.
Ok, let us know what you + other moderators will decide.