Across the range of possible HZ participants everything will be true. Any architecture will do for those who are determined to stay. For others if it's not rapidly intuitive they might leave. And some other people will hang around if it's attractive, understood at a glance. I'm not thinking of the choir, I'm thinking of how to attract the person driving by to stop and sit a spell. There are 6 or 8 of these things I've used for specific needs and information, and I haven't hung out at any of them. Dull and drab, they are for the few.

I think another class of user, sometimes the most interesting, are those who will post if there is a larger audience. I'm thinking of James O. but there have been others. I think it's important to achieve critical mass, which then stimulates many people, posts and topics. (His Space posts are received enthusiastically and he seems to think that should transfer to his political ideas, too. It doesn't, to his consternation.)

As what seems to be the chief lurker, I don't care if the "on line" feature is there or not. However, it seems to be uncomfortable for most other folks.

I'm not sure if your post crosses over from explanatory to defensive or not, and there is nothing to be defensive about. Splendid job of keeping the passengers dry during the transfer to the lifeboat and then morph it into a ship. I had the sense I had pushed it with my first post, and this thread was overkill and I apologize. You can rest assured there isn't a critical motive anywhere in either of them, more of an awe. All of this seems like magic to me, so it's easy to overstep that which is either possible or desireable.