I don`t feel that way about this site. A free public forum with a wealth of experience and knowledge that I and I`m sure many of us have benefitted from I think is a fine thing. A place where, for example, a factory representative can walk a customer through a fix for his very electronically sophisticated piece of equipment? Way cool! Getting advice from someone who has been in R/C since forever and knows more than I could ever hope to learn? Again I exclaim, Way cool!
I realize few things are truly free, but I think putting up with the commercials is a pretty good deal for all the good here. As for all the hand wringing about our "hobby in decline", I feel the best thing we can all do is try to stay positive. To quote a television personality that I`ve forgotten the name of, lets not be "Nattering Naybobs of Negativity".
It gets pretty confusing sometimes to hear on one end that the hobby is in it`s death spiral, on another it`s going great guns. Who really knows?. I for one am going to keep enjoying this hobby and help out who I can.