I wouldn't say Advanceshipping is dead. As long as there are people out there who enjoy it, then it lives, and one could make arguments that Ash and May would potentially end up together (as they could for Misty or Dawn). One could say that it is declining in popularity, because from what I have observed, that does seem to be the case. But that's about it.
As for how well they type, well...I've seen some who can type perfectly fine, but I've also seen those who don't really advance their 'cause' by making faulty arguments that are nearly illegible. But I would argue nearly every shipping or fanbase has a few of that lot.
Regarding Dawn...as I said previously, she is quickly growing on me. I think it is because, as you said, she seems like a lot of fun. I don't know if its true or not, but it does seem like Ash/Dawn (Pearlshipping, is it?) is growing a lot more quickly than Advanceshipping did.
This is kind of unrelated, but I think one thing that hindered Misty a bit was Togepi (that and Psyduck getting old, and fast). She always had to carry it around in her arms, and I don't think it did anything to add to her character either. A small point, but one I wanted to bring up.
