I look at a providers profile to see her different websites, ads, etc. I specifically look for consistency in her pics, her words, etc. Too many providers out there who post different things (prices, services available, etc.) on different sites. For me, that is a sign of possible problems and I avoid the ladies who do this.
I also look at her profile to see how accurate it is. Lots of times, ladies do not have their profiles updated with changes. Some ladies get enhancements, add additional services, etc. but neglect to have their profiles changed to reflect that. They may advertise it in their ads though.
As for reviews, I have always taken them with a huge grain of salt. Basically, I look for consistent review scores (I am very weary of a lady who has a long string of 10/10 scores) and usually only from guys who have a history of writing accurate reviews. If I do not recognize any of the reviewers names, I take the review with an even bigger grain of salt.
There are other factors I consider on a case-by-case basis as well. But the bottom line is I find TER to be a very centralized location to start my homework with. Lots of easy access to info right there in a ladies profile. Just point, click and learn.
As for the boards in general and how they've changed, I wish I could disagree but cannot. The complaining about everything just gets really old sometimes. I used to be more active on them, but have since cut way back on my involvement because everybody now is a target and everybody thinks they know it all. Who needs the drama?
There are WAY too many ISO posts, far too many arguments, way too many people ganging up on and chasing after certain peoples posts and seemingly nobody really helping anyone else out. I know helping people still happens, but I agree that it seems gone are the days where people don't get ridiculed for not knowing something.
Given all of the above, I still consider TER to be the best overall source of information.