If the Soapbox was to be used properly, a larger crew of participating people would be neccesary. Like you said, it DOES have a potential.
"Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica and is widely regarded as the most important innovator in scientific and technical computing today." - Stephen Wolfram
That's forum related, plus that there is a FAQ that actually has some useful information. On the other hand, a FAQ/Newbie forum might prove useful, allthough it could as well be a waste of space.
True newbs post looking for help in a random forum so it would just be a waste.