>>8 It's not like you need thousands of people to 1. carry on a productive conversation with people who share your interests or 2. get your questions answered. It is very easy in, say, a subreddit/newsgroup/mailing list/IRC with tens of thousands of subscribers for whatever you say to be swamped by what everyone else is saying.
If you are not concerned with getting paid, it can be easier to learn and interact (online) in a less popular language- irl is another matter.