To be honest, I think that supporting OID/OAUTH would help you get traction -- lowering barriers to entry is especially important when you are just getting started.
Building something like this has been on my "someday, if ever I have free time" list for a while now -- I know plenty of people who would use it, but only about 1/3 that I've shown it to have registered, all citing the need to make yet another new account.
Integrating a multiple auth solution like Janrain Engage[1] should take no time at all, and it might help texchannels get traction.