Sorry Otto, I don't know of any other site that would meet your needs.
Snake, sadly I don't have enough time to read every thread, but I do remember Retow's thread which helped borne the interest in the single in January challenge to get members focussed on images rather than the gear, and stimulate discussion about the images.
I'm not aware of it being cliquey here, it just seemed to me that some members are more active than others. I find, in life in general, that the best way NOT to be missed out is to join in. You've got to give a little to get a little. People are human you know, we like the give and take. If people want comments on their pictures, they should ask for comments, if people just post pictures and ignore other people's images then they shouldn't be upset that their own input is not generating comments. You also have to acknowledge that art (even what can be classed as art) is all subjective. Not everyone sees wonder in an image that you see and vice versa.