To throw in a peanut from the gallery...
Reading this thread I am mostly glad that I did not engage in forum/chat channel RP - I don't think I have that quick-minded immersion required to enjoy that environment (plus I'm too self-conscious about it).
At the same time - this year I increasingly thought of stories I wanted to write, and then logged into the game with the express purpose of making those stories happen (I got a 50:50 success rate). It's not really RP, since my targets aren't RPing at all; but it's not just "playing the game" either. Or so I like to think.