@Gargron
Biggest points of friction for me that make it a non-starter to recommend to non-tech friends:
1) the requirement to pick a server up front. I found myself wishing google would host an instance just to avoid having to think about this before I'd had a chance to even see what it is.
2) Server links go straight to sign up pages, instead of a browse page for a peek at what is actively being talked about there