To the average player who's visited here a few times, who visits infrequently, or played here in the past, the improvements to our little server might not be obvious, as well as the various events that go on. I know some people might view it as spam, but I think tastefully-done emails detailing server improvements, temporary changes (like everyone being able to use VIP weapons at the moment), and server events (for example, PPLV's party) might remind people that this community is still alive and well, and/or get them jonesing for some PTP.
I think it would also be better to more frequently create update topics-- I know in my case, they encourage me to start playing again to test out the new improvements.