I think smaller communities are more inviting. For me it's a combination of wanting Lemmy to succeed, now that Reddit has begun it's downward spiral, and feeling more involved in communities. Though I have only just created my account, so only time will tell if I continue to be active.
It didn't do anything. Usenet still exists and is active in some circles. It's not very popular, but it's as alive and well as it always was.