Yeah, I know a lot of people do have that perception, I just don't think it was the intention.

There are invite-only comms out there that explicitly state "this comm is only for the best, so if we haven't invited you, you must not be the best". Which is silly, IMO, since quality in literature and art is so subjective -- and even if it weren't, in a fandom this size no group could reasonably pretend to have cornered the market on good stuff.

I think both public groups and invite-only groups have disadvantages. I appreciate having both types around, though.