You mean where the elite meet, so to speak?
I haven't been on there in years. I don't recall it being shady, rather it reminded me of a gym I once belonged to that went out of its way to advertise that it had a pub/juice bar on site. Stringbean men and fluffy females would arrive, go to the locker rooms, change into workout attire, and then head for the pub and just socialize for hours on end. When the chatting was done, back to the lockers, change, and go home.
That's the type of vibe I got on those forums, if you know what I mean.