I would be delighted to point them here but the problem is that it will continue to remain an elitist art form with very few proficient artists as you are hiding away from the wider world of young and up and coming artists.
Why is it elitist? I don't think a medium (not art form, pixels are a medium) can be 'elitist'. We're not pushing anyone away here. Everybody who wants to learn and help is welcome. That's not elitist at all.
There's so many capable pixel artists here who are not hiding at all from the net art scene at large. You're simply mistaken on that count. My own personal choices on the matter partain to a complete lack of ambition to be 'recognised' as 'an awesome artist'. I can live without the asspats.
Once they discover what real pixel art is all about, trust me they will find their way here.
Fair enough, if they don't get trapped in vanity sites like DA to the point where they're not interesting in making and bettering their art, but just in the social aspect. Pixelation discourages socialization-sans-art-critique (we actually have very few users who only talk and don't do art). We're a critique board foremost. This will never change as long as I'm involved with the administration. DA is an experiment in social clique construction, the art is very secondary.
The point you make about vanity may be quite another thing altogether, some may see it as encouragement. Are you not in the least bit susceptible to your peers telling you they like what you have done with a piece of your artwork?
Sure I do, but that's not why I make stuff. If you look at my gallery in pixeljoint, you'll see I do odd artwork that isn't usually easy to love. If I wanted to be adored I'd draw big-breasted women and cool hip samurai robots in snes-pastel palettes exclusively. Pixelation doesn't pressure people to make the same style of art because we don't rate, we don't have favourites, we don't have the watch mechanism. We don't reward art with anything other than good critique and honest opinions.
The thing you dislike about dA will only get worse if there is no knowledge there to teach the young about pixeling....and more importantly the ethics of pixeling.
I hope DA simply collapses on itself soon. I don't care at all who it takes with it, carreer socialites and art pests and all the assorted internet drama. Let them drown.