It is what you make of it I think.
Certainly negativity is going to put off contributors and potential new blood.
It is a journey, I have learnt so much over the years from contributors, it's fantastic. I feel so privileged to have an avenue to banter with other punters, in the pre internet days, you were pretty much on your own.
It probably saved me ten years of going down the wrong path.
In the beginning I was like the opening of 2001 space odyssey, no internet, on the floor of my bedroom with The Sportsman, a pencil and an exercise book.
These days, if I get something wrong, my computer says "What are you doing to me Dave"
Seriously, I don't contribute as much as I used to, because I have found an edge which is completely different to a system, but if I shared it, it would certainly disappear completely, because there isn't enough liquidity.
That's not to say I don't share other ideas though.