Indeed. It is somewhat recent, but is a reflection of a return of interest in pens. You are entirely correct in identifying the problem as simply one of human interaction, and there are quite a few people trying to work to make things smoother.
One other factor is that pen collecting, as such, didn't really become a thing until the 70s or so, because prior to that people just used the darn things. With enough time and product accrued, the older pens became... collectible. What we are witnessing now is a bit of a generational event (not unlike other millenial changes) in that the bulk of the collecting community, and especially the most knowledgable, are older. It is very possible that many of them (and I've seen this first-hand) just aren't drawn to online venues the way they are to non-virtual gatherings and other forms of being connected. It isn't as if there aren't places with collectors in the main - the long-running pen forum Pentrace is a good example. It also shows, if you read it, what a forum looks like when it is populated by mostly older gen players. I don't mean that negatively, and I'm a member there, too, but there is a very different energy and style and purpose of posting.
I highly doubt there will ever be an online venue that can maintain a flow of threads that equally delights the n00b and the veteran alike. All one can do is put things in place and run the joint in a manner that is conducive to all, and let it play out as it will.
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