I will admit, I can see why this place has grown.
I'm a player who actually uses some mods and such, and I can say that on a lot of the mod sites, I don't want to post or ask questions, I just want to get my download and leave, because if I post, I'll likely get flamed. (That, and half the time I don't download it because I can't get exact information, and I'm not installing -anything- I can't get specifics on.)
Isn't that sad? Here, if I'm downloading from the swap-shop, I'll usually post something, just as a thank you, since I know I won't get flamed/laughed at/ect.
And the official forum is an unorganized mess where it's really hard to find what you're looking for, with a whole lot of 'lets bash EA' threads.
*sigh*
Add to that, this place definitely, hands down, has the best information and guides. I don't have to go anywhere else for my information, unless it's something absurdly obscure.
So thank you very much from one of your newer members, with her rambling, hunger-induced post (dinner's cooking and it smells good). It's nice to actually have a Sims community.