I don’t agree with your assertion that advertising by providers is the true barometer. This site is primarily a review driven site, a forum for sharing information. The barometer, in my opinion is the quantity and frequency of reviews, and that is definitely trending upward. The more participation we see in the primary activities, the more the others will follow. The advertising is secondary, or even tertiary in my opinion.
Misogyny was never in, and I know that you agree. There was a fair amount of asshattery that went on here for sure, however I believe that most times, General Board aside, it wasn’t tolerated by the majority of folks.
While many have indeed thrived since the bomb dropped, I believe many more have not. Those that adapted found themselves in a constrained market that has largely allowed prices to be increased and has allowed them to be more selective, or see fewer clients to make the same amount of money. This isn’t a bad thing for the well established, but it has definitely made it more difficult for new providers to gain entry into the market and newbie clients to enter into this realm.
I don’t understand why you have taken this condescending tone when talking about guys needing their hands held. You were new here once, I remember, and you know damn well that TER was a very useful tool while you learned the ropes of safely interacting in this world. There is no doubt that it helped me, and it can help others again if participation continues to increase.