Part of the reason it is difficult for new members to join, I think, is because we are so used to puppet accounts being made that when we see a new account we just ignore them for a while.
I remember when I first joined I had a really difficult time getting anyone to talk with me, and a few ppl (TC I'm looking at you) kept arguing with me about how I was "not a new member but a puppet." I had to put in quite quite a bit of effort to differentiate myself.