I'm wondering why most of the staff members doesn't bother to reply to new members introductions?
Is it hard for you to say couple of words? You can copy paste same words if you want.
The introduction section is the main key for members to participate in the forum, if they see good start I bet they would stick much longer than they thought.
How do you want the forum activity to increase while the member don't feel welcomed? does that make sense to you?