Your concerns are well justified, of course. But it is possible that this is in line with the design philosophy. Gorgon rewards you for playing the game however you choose, at least in theory. The designers have expressed desire before for people to be able to write in-game novels and gain writer skill and notoriety based on how often it is read. Or to be journalists and be rewarded accordingly.
Much of that activity, though, would manifest outside of the game. This is a logical way of trying to capture it. Someone writing a game-guide is spending their time with the game but receiving no in-game benefit. If their guide is widely used they have created in-game value but receive nothing in-game to show for it. Incorporating the forums allows some of this effort to be reflected in-game.
Interesting comment. I thought about something mildly yesterday regarding exploring. In a lot of MMORPGs--old and new--you get experience for exploring new areas. I wondered don't you already get a benefit when you explore, like finding a quicker path to somewhere or finding a quest giver? If you already get a (indirect) benefit, why do you need a direct experience increase?
A few things. For one, by directly granting experience through exploring they can disconnect it from combat. Now freer, they can be more creative and possibly get at more players who otherwise might be bored with the combat. And being direct, an absolute number is attached. Indirect means are blurrier and that might complicate the design stage. It's easier to compare numbers than it's to compare blurry somethings. This may reduce the chances of producing imbalanced content.
But more broadly what you're referencing is what happens when you DON'T get a direct or indirect benefit? For example, if you write a story in a book nobody else will ever read or pay for. Obviously, you derive some enjoyment, but no in-game benefit is received. Or maybe you prefer to play the game a certain way, but it's less efficient that way. YOu're being punished for playing the way you want.
Roughly speaking, it's hard for a game to please everyone, be they writers or craftsmen or puzzle solvers or combat specialists or something else. Typically whne a game tries to do too many things it falls short and loses its way. So what we usually get is a game which focuses on something. This means if you play it the wrong way you'll probably get reduced or non-existent in-game benefits. Even if you play it the right way, you might not enjoy it that way, so you'll be encouraged to not play it anymore.
So what's the solution? Probably to add thigns to the game step by step, only after each one works, careful not to break the previous as you add new things. You have to do it in such a way players don't have to do everything, but instead can focus on what htey like to do and go to completiojn that way. You also don't want to confuse them or bloat it so much players can't navigate it.