A response specifically to the community bit: I don't use any linkshell at all and I have never had a problem with the community. When my girlfriend and I go partying, we use the player search feature, ask people to join up, we head out with these people and we have yet to come across anyone who has been rude using this method. Even people who don't want to party are still very kind in their replies - a lot of "Sorry, I am busy right now. But good luck in getting your party sorted!" My social list is made up almost entirely of people I have met through random partying now.

I certainly hope you don't think the community is purely made up of those that spam shouts in Ul'dah, because that is not the community, that is in effect the game's central chatroom and central chatrooms are the same as this in every MMO I've played. And, to be fair to these people, they are only doing this because it works for them. If they were shouting abuse at people instead I could understand you saying the community is crap, but for me, I've yet to see a bad member on Sargatanas since subscriptions kicked in.