It might be worth thinking about the two possible ways to participate:
- commenting on an existing topic, which means feeling that a contribution would be valued, understanding what’s wanted - is it praise, is it an anecdote, is it to bring up some related thought, is it a considered response to a question
- creating a new topic, which means discovering that it’s possible, feeling entitled and empowered to do it, understanding what kinds of topics are welcome, understanding which category to use, coming up with a topic title.
The barriers to entry are lower in chat environments, like whatsapp, discord. There’s no topic, no topic title. But still one needs to know, is this a space to hang out, or a space to ask and answer questions, or a space to discuss particular kinds of ideas.
The easiest case, I think, is a support forum: a user or customer has a problem and wants an answer.
The hardest case, perhaps, is a forum with the vaguest of missions - something like nextdoor or facebook, where anyone can say anything.