As a part time Family member I can say that Family is a nice forum. I lurk and post occasionally. I am not sure why I don't participate all of the time, but for some reason, I don't.
I don't mind a PM or a email, but a form email is not cool.
If you want to come across as a friendly forum and you want to encourage members like "me" that are not here all the time - or post only occasionally, I would encourage you to form a "group" - "committee" - or formulate a plan of longer, or more senior, or "steady posters" to make a "personal" encouragement plan.
Have your committee make personal contact through PM or EMAIL to have meaningful connection with prospective lurkers, or new posters, or occasional posters. NOT a form message.
Make REAL messages - from "you" ---- to "me". Interact --- bi-directional - dialog - recognize the person you send a message to - talk to them - don't send an impersonal form.
Make it REAL.
Actually ----- I received a *REAL* PM from one of the Family members recently about a couple of recent posts I made. Nearly brought tears to my eyes that the member sending the PM even recognized me. Trust me - this place - Family - is a tight knit group. The way you all interact with each other makes it obvious that you are all "together".
Someone from the outside - like me - comes in and makes a post - you all post in response to each other and the outsider is not acknowledged. His post is all but ignored. It's as though they do not exist.
Picture a store front porch on an old country store. Townsfolk are on the front porch having coffee on rocking chairs and chewing the fat, having a good old time. A stranger comes up and grabs a coffee. Sits in the empty chair and says hi. One of the townsfolk says hi, but resumes the conversation. The outsider "maybe" finishes his coffee, feels awkward - then leaves. This is a lot of how Family feels.
So - they just don't come back - they don't feel welcome. In the whole scheme of things - it's natural. Sooooooo - when I received a PM - here - on this tight knit - family - I was flabbergasted. WOW - one of the - family - members recognized ---- me. I thought that was just sooooo cool.
Anyway - that is my 2 cents on the subject.