Absolutely - the Baron and Baroness are ambassadors. It's rather like
good managment, where you have to work both up (to your boss, aka the
royalty) and down (to the group you represent). Feeling connected to
the Baron/ess can help people feel connected to the barony. It's awful
being a new person and wandering around without anyone to talk to,
perhaps not fully understanding everything you're seeing. Some people
join in a borough, which helps a lot with providing a support system
and information, but even that can't cover everything. Many other
people don't become active through the boroughs and therefore lack
even that support at the beginning. Unless there's a welcoming
atmosphere, interested people may not come back. Having "important"
people like the Baron/ess personally greeting them can make newcomers
understand they're important too.
