These are more like a beacon or a "dog whistle" (though that word has taken on a new meaning).
Attracting like minded people is best done by ignoring your self critic and putting your self out there - a curated interesting personality is not something you can produce by trying hard.
[1] - https://xkcd.com/356/
[2] - https://xkcd.com/214/
The first time I emailed someone on the internet about something they made that I liked, I was rather hesitant about bothering them.
The first time someone emailed me for the same reason, it made my day!
If you feel like you have something worth saying, even if just a compliment, it's often worth the email.
(I will say please don't ask to set up vague meetings, or create stupid github issues, however haha)
But to keep it 100 with you all, nobody has touched my doorknob in a while. How might I improve the odds of finding my people?
I am an aspiring author and since I still enjoy living, I sadly need an (more or less) unrelated dayjob. With a kid at home, time is the great filter I have towards my goal of being a regular author.
Having a blog, building an audience, all-this all-that...are things I considered on par with the goal of being an author. But I never thought about my blog being just...a place to let my weirdness hang out. Maybe it should only hang out in my novel(s), I thought. But maybe not ?
Anyway, food for thought. Thanks !
They're not trying to maximize viewers and deliberately filter for the types of people they want to attract.
I've also noticed that the most wholesome, supportive communities are usually in activities/interests that promise zero status or money.