Good question.
I visit many boards, and cosider myself somewhat of a Board Whore also...when I have time. (I get too anxious if I leave them for long though. LOL) However, I definitely have the boards that I like and don't.
For me, the biggest factor is the people. I just can't stand to be on a board where everyone claims they're 6'7" tall and bulletproof. Nope--I want honesty and realism. I want to know who YOU are, not what personna that you wish to create. I know that that GFY board has some good stuff on it from time to time, but I just can't wade through all of that crap trying to find the diamonds.
Promotions are good for gaining people, and since I don't have my t-shirt yet, I SHOULD state that they're excellent promo tools. However, it's been my experience that if people like the boards, they'll stay. (Please don't dis-continue the t-shirts before I get my jersey though!!
) HOWEVER, they ARE great for general advertisements.
I'll wear my X-biz t-shirt to a show sometimes, and branding is ALWAYS good.
There are a few reasons why I don't visit a few boards more often though. Some of them are because I don't like the attitudes. Again, I prefer honest people, not trash talking and "hey--Fuck you"s. And, as much as I hate to say it, I typically avoid boards that are Too busy. Because there ARE a lot of boards out there, I try to visit as many as I can. If it's too busy that I can't keep up by visiting once a day, I typically don't go there as much as I wish to.
BUT--that's just my overworked and underpaid position! LOL
Huggs!!!
Lady Sharlot :-)