Do you feel you have to play more if you're off-peak? More if you're independent? More if your hours are erratic, less if they're consistent?
If these factors matter, how much do they matter?
Does it help to play a PC who's outdoorsy and/or adventurous enough to go looking for activity when the inn is empty? Or do you find it more useful to be willing to park your PC, pmote, and idle, trying to trap whoever might speedwalk by? Do the in-game boards help you spark interaction?
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On a related note:
Does anyone have tips for bridging the gap from 'acquaintance'-level roleplay (transactions, news, weather) to more interesting topics (politics, philosophy, personal story)?
It feels as if this progression used to happen much more naturally for me when either (a) I spent a whole lot of time in game or (b) I had a character who was more or less obviously 'special' (or, more often, publicly linked to someone else's 'special' PC) -- so that other characters would take the initiative in opening nontrivial conversations.
Right now, though, even when I'm playing relatively proactively, I feel as if more than half my conversations are some variation on the "Hi, what's your name?" type.

Is there an X hours or days played at which most people feel they pass that stage?
[Edited to add the poll.]