Moderator note: If you have something to say to Tom, just say it to him directly. His email address is not hard to find. This thread is about the issues caused by forums, and potential solutions to those problems. If you don't see a problem, and/or you don't have a solution, then there is no need for you to post.
I agree the forum is an in-group. I've said that in Magistrate cases and numerous threads many, many times. You're right: it's an in-group. Which is why I've made numerous attempts to try and find ways to include players elsewhere through advocating for surveys and trying to use data to extract the real story on whats going on in the silent majority of BM players. I've spent a lot of time and effort doing that, and I resent your blatant denigration of any contributions I've made.
Most of us on the forum know it's a socially exclusive group. Tim is right that it's a group with a pretty low barrier (far lower than IRC or the D-List, IMHO, which is why I still mostly boycott IRC, because it's a wretched hive of scum and villainy), but you're also right there is a kind of self-selecting exclusivity. It has a result of exclusivity but not a structural support or intent for it.
But damn it all Tom, don't you realize most players don't want to form a community? Tom, most players aren't looking to sit around and make friends and develop elaborate stories and interesting, complex political narratives. It's a lightweight game. But it only stays fun for "lightweight" players (used non pejoratively, btw) because some of us really put in hard work to invest in making an interesting world. Surprise, interesting plotlines actually don't arise spontaneously. They happen because players create them intentionally, and are motivated to do so for some reason. Internal motivation is swell but, frankly, the social atmosphere of IRC and the forum is a huge incubation chamber for gameplay ideas in what is still a very PvP game.
Tom, if you don't want a BM community, fine. Get rid of OOC talk about the game, limit everything to just nuts-and-bolts conversation, and you'll have your goal.
But some of us like having a BM community quite a bit.