There’s no reason for an OOC player to join an RP server that benefits it. There’s a lot of mental gymnastics that goes on with trying to argue why it’s a good thing while a lot of denial at the same time.
Those in this thread who have defended it are unsurprisingly OOC players or the usual contrarians who argue because they don’t like the other forum users.
Myself and other friends many years ago moved from ER to AD because it was more populated, nothing to do with OOCers.
There have always been OOC players on Rp realms and the vast majority of them live in harmony with RPers. The minority are the ones that cause bother. Report and ignore. They’re functions in the game for a reason. Stop trying to argue with trolls in bracket chat - that doesn’t help.
Now, I find the below points far more damaging to Rp servers than trolls / OOCers:
RPers who:
Try to lay claim to an area as their personal RP Hub
Not allow other players to get involved in their ‘bubble’ of an RP event. (If you dont want randomers walking up and trying to get involved, get out of the main areas and go somewhere quiet if you want peace)
Think their characters’ titles or backstory gives them more privilege in the game than others. (We all pay the same sub for the game, stop thinking you’re superior OOC because your toon has; 1) Been around longer. Or 2) Holds a higher self proclaimed title.)
Judge others on their RP (“That goes against the norm and shouldn’t be accepted in my opinion”. If someone is genuinely trying to RP and wants to enjoy themselves and join in, stop ostracising them for not choosing a ‘common’ or ‘simple’ RP concept. This is so off-putting to new RPers who are just learning and want to get involved. People like this are a lot more damaging to new RPers trying to populate the server. If you genuinely feel their concept is so outrageous, try talking to them in whisper, stop bringing it to OOC chat in /e or ((b R a C K e T - T a L K)) where it distracts everyone else)
Gathering on the roofs - You know who you are. Everyone can see you up there. Don’t complain about OOCers standing around on mounts when everyone can still see you stood up there on mounts (ht tp://prntscr.c om/r38wam)
Non-rper sympathisers also get the 
Did you read the original post in the thread? Here, I’ll quote it:
Please don’t derail the thread.
Nothing i said is derailing this thread, get over yourself. You specifically mentioned “Talk about the servers they started on, — and how those servers died. — The damage OOCers do to a server”.
You’re talking about what damages and kills a server, so did I.
To my knowledge, no guild does this. There is a difference between using a place as a hub when your guild isn’t out and a bout and laying claim to a place. Just because Red Blades hang around in Razor Hill when not out in the world, or Hand of Conquest uses the barracks in Orgrimmar doesn’t mean people outside those guilds aren’t free to come and go as they like.
If people do lay claim to a place however, have a laugh and go about your buisness.
If there’s people that think this, they’re idiots. Plain and simple. And I wager they will find themselves largely ignored.
From my experience, people will try to right others mistakes before landing a judgement. Everyone makes them after all, considering that Blizzard can’t even keep the world they created consistent half the time. Nothing wrong with giving a friendly nudge if you see a mistake in someone’s profile or something.
There’s a difference between RPers chilling on rooftops and OOCers being a pain in the behind where RP is being done.
A man looks down upon some roleplay, he sees non roleplayers walking over it in a mammoth train and then pans his camera up to a roof out of chat range.
The latter is worse, he decrees loudly.
No, the thread is specifically about OOCers and how they damage a server. That is clear from the original post. Selective reading does not remove context. Cease.
I know from mingling with a few off realmers one of the main motivators to hop to AD for a RPER also was due to the fact of how populated and easier it was to find RP on Argent Dawn (supposedly) just going off speculation of mingling.
Theres also the issue of some non-Rpers are just people who are incapable of making the time investment yet aren’t inclined to opt into the idea of paying £££ to move realm just for the sake of not RPing, I’m confident in saying that the roleplayers themselves probably do more damage to the server than the OOC players do :P.
Nah, this isn’t it buddy
We all know you’re a jaded RPer my dude.
Its speculation/Observation! though I do sympathize for the lack / in-ability to be able to comfortably use zones like the Boralus Hub cause its infested with players mounted up which is why I leave myself in warmode out of the way x)
You’re not allowed an opinion that goes against OP’s narrative.
You are not allowed an opinion that defends OOCers
Synonymous to what I said.
No, you’re being asked to not derail a thread. There’s this lovely other thread you can go to to talk about what you want to talk about, right here:
Go on, off you go.
The very first reply derailed this thread, so we’re far beyond that point.
“Someone else did something bad, therefore I can do it to”. No, the thread was locked for 24 hours, and has re-opened, and I clearly posted to get it back on topic. Cease. Thy. Silliness.
But hey ho, I guess anything else I said isn’t allowed.
Random forum person can’t stop you posting on a public forum, my man.