100,000 accounts? Does not matter. When you look at the forums you see at max 50 of the same people with thousands of posts who inject themselves in each and every topic and spout their repeated views wherever they can. 20 of them are die hard technical analysis guys who have something to say to everything, trading related. 10 guys that populate the entire political forum and fight with each other day in day out. And 15 guys who chat about everything else under the sun. And of course the forum would not be complete without the 5 guys who push their self serving crypto agenda. It's like searching for the needle in the hay stack. Gold nuggets are always hard to find.
That is what makes them valuable. Just as important is having the ability to recognize the gold, when it crosses your path.
There exists a bar on the Alabama/Florida state line, it sits atop the boarder of the two, between Perdido Key, Fl and Gulf Shores, Alabama. Biggest dump you'll ever find. Its been completely wiped out by hurricanes more than a few times, the rebuilding looks like something an 8 yo kid would construct with nothing but scrap plywood, a hammer, and a bucket of nails in the woods behind their backyard. But the FloraBama Lounge is world famous. On any random night you can go in there and perhaps sit down next to the likes of Jimmy Buffet, Brad Pitt, Mike Ditka, Allen Jackson, Toby.... and shoot the sh*t. Most nights its filled with just a bunch of local losers, tons of em. Goes with the territory. There's always lots of music, 2 or 3 stages... and chairs, stools and tables that you can bet have probably been seasoned if not with vomit, then at least 1000 spilled drinks and saltwater (from the last hurricane), and a floor that if you drop your phone on you immediately reach for something to wipe it off with. It's one of America's greatest bars. Drunks, stars, and everything in between. Plus that white sand beach out back with all its dunes that so many couples, both old and new, have perhaps discovered on a 2AM Saturday night buzz. Here's the point. Joe and Pat, they could care less what folks write about the FloraBama. It is what it is and people from around the world go out of their way to visit it. Why? Because anything goes and the owners let it be that way. So there's ya'lls answer. ET is successful because Baron lets it be what it is. Call it the FloraBama of trading forums, because that's exactly what it is and that's exactly why it's been so successful. Pour a Bushwacker for VZ. EDIT: here ya go... this one. https://30a.com/flora-bama/