Guys, I think you are missing the point:
Truth doesn't matter, impression does. If a player new to or just interested in the game sees a lot of political discussions on the official forum, he will assume that he will need to follow the forum in order to stay up-to-date on in-game events. And with that one impression his mental model will double the estimated time requirement for the game.
It doesn't matter if his impression is wrong. You will never get the chance to discuss it with him and correct it.
On the other hand...
New characters are often not privy to a lot of info. And they lack the contacts and experience to "do something about it" or "force the ruler to do better" or "get someone more competent in place". Many players leave because, after joining, nothing seems to happen and they simply see no point to come back. The forums allow them to read up and learn on stuff, even exchange with other players, while they wait for stuff to actually happen IG. It can also help them choose the realms they will play in, an incredibly serious affair that the game offers really too little help with.
And then there is the effect of the forum on the game. The forum DOES create an "in group" of people who are more in-the-loop, better informed, more connected than others. Please don't deny that the sky is blue.
Yes, it does... but let's consider this: which do we prefer? A source for greater access to info that is available to all, regardless of activity, that they can read up on their own time whenever they want, and that can be monitored and moderated, or a place that holds no logs, that has no moderation, and that basically forces you to be on at all times and to read through a bunch of crap before being able to find the interesting stuff. In both cases, really active players will be able to fetch all the information they need, and seed all of the misinformation they desire. In one case, though, less active players will not have the time to get as much "scoop" as the more active player, and will not have anyone to protect him from hostile behavior. Which would you prefer?
In case you haven't guessed, I'm comparing the forums to IRC, here. It used to be that IRC was the place to be in the scoop. It was a much more elitist medium than the forum could ever be. Here, at least, all of the posts are organized into boards and subjects, and the most blatant crap is filtered out. This "in-group" you mention is a LOT broader with the forums than it was with IRC.
