The barrier to entry for most interesting things is <$100 and a few hours time.
The barrier to entry for making money is a different thing.
The barrier to entry for making money is a different thing.
It's mostly due to this principle actually that Facebook usurped Myspace despite having far fewer features.
One exception to the rule lately is Roam Research, which looks like dog shit but is apparently popular.
> There are still PHPBB forums which "look like dog shit" but host vibrant communities
There are small communities that predate modern web/Facebook, which is irrelevant. There is also craigslist, and its shitty design is remarked upon constantly. It's frequented by the elderly so falls outside the scope of discussion.
You're married to the idea that design standards haven't changed, or that the web as a platform hasn't become much more sophisticated over the last ~decade.