there needs to be a third option, "both suck" because if it's not in-game, it's hard getting people to use it.
OR... to be fair.. make it super super super easy to get people into the forums.. not having unique passwords, or separated servers (us/eu).
Basically you should be able to get to the forums by clicking a single link in the game, otherwise people just won't bother.
and of course.. forums that are phone/tablet friendly.
for the record, i'm also a web developer.. and i understand how companies either don't have the resources, or the desire to create something from scratch, and would prefer to use a 3rd party option, but it's very clear that players just hate leaving the game to do any kind of interaction. I mean facebook is about as easy as it gets for boomers, and i still can't get everyone in the fellowship to get on facebook pages. Having them join discord, or these forums or anything that is not in the game just isn't' something they're interested in.