The difficulty with non-physical chat channels like the Summit is that there's no reason to be there other than bullshit.
Uh, yeah, I think I figured that out about 2 weeks after I started reading it. Non-physical channels need some sort of community of interest to hold people there and give them things to talk about - The problem with that is that I'm not sure how well people of antagonistic factions would co-exist well in a meaningful channel.
At least with a physical location like a bar, people have a two-fold purpose: to unwind and chat/mingle with other people. In the Summit, people join to yawn and complain about how quiet it is, find new fuck-buddies, and/or pick a fight.
I guess it depends what you go to a bar for. In my RL experience most people don't hang out in bars with people they don't like, unless the music is wound up enough that they can't talk to each other, in which case they're trying to "find new fuck-buddies, and/or pick a fight." Really, I don't know anyone that goes to a bar to meet new people; they're usually going with their current friends and acquaintances, which means they start with things in common to talk about. But then, I'm aware that other people may have different bar experiences from me.
The Summit is supposed to be the first place characters go when they are new to RP, and most of you HATE the channel; That doesn't exactly send a good signal, does it?
Well, no, but then I have never recommended a new Eve roleplayer join the summit...
Some of you are wondering why outlaws factions are so prevalent in places like the Summit, and active on the IGS, it's cause they don't have faction warfare to keep them busy- they still have to be creative to represent themselves and stir conflict.
That's quite a perceptive comment, and it feels correct to me. Thank you - I'm going to think on that a bit.