@whattheFUE first off, great handle name!
I dont disagree with what you are saying mate, I have been using this forum since maybe 2009 and have watched it go through all kinds of phases. As I started re-lurking again a few months ago (haven't been active since 2016) I noticed many of the old school popular users such as Spex, Joe etc not appearing. To be honest they are becoming redundant as there is so much information now available compared to 10 years ago, YouTube, new techniques, new clinics, new forums etc etc. We don't need their newest "eBook" or whatever they are trying to market these days online.
Having been a paid rep myself I literally trust less than 5% of the industry with some of things I had experienced behind the scenes. So some of these guys never really had your best intentions at heart.
Compared with most forums HRN is one of best still in terms of patient posting, there are many surgeons on here whom are recommended that I personally believe are way behind the 8 ball in terms of technique and results, but hey, I don't run this place.