Forum policies differ from actual business policies. E and T11 are the ones shelling out the dough for these ones and zeroes we all love; they have the right to say how they are used. Because there are no ads on the forums (aside from posts about new products), neither company makes enough to break even from their forums.
Additionally, E has had their forums for many more years than T11, meaning they have evolved over time. At one time, it was perfectly OK to talk about other company's products on E... Who's to say T11 won't go through similar phases?
ANYWAY... long way of saying simply this: Let's not judge a company based on their forum policies alone. But, if you are going to compare forums, E's is still very active and getting new members all the time. Even with the limitations, people still want to be there.
Your first paragraph is true I guess. You make a good point. As for your 2nd paragraph, I have not witnessed the growth of their forum so I cannot comment. I suppose it is possible that they will go through similar phases, but I can't see that happening. As for your 3rd paragraph, I wasn't judging E at all from their forums.
When did I ever say I hate E because of their forums? I still will buy from E. I look at them pretty much the same way I look at T11. (I just like T11's forum better. That's all.)
Actually, yes they do. They just don't allow reviews of other website's products.
I misread the rules. Your right on that. However, some mods over at E need a new lesson at moderating because I have made posts there in the past about different products other than E's only to have it deleted and have a moderator PM me and tell me to look at the rules. I can't really give you a specific example now because it's been a long time since I've posted there. Also, not being allowed to name other magic websites on E I think is kind of ridiculous. However, that's just my opinion.
Steerpike, we are all entitled to our opinions. Everyone on the forum here understands E's rules. I'm sure most of the people on E's forums understand the way things run at T11. On T11's forum, you are going to find people who like T11's forum better. At E, you will find people who like E's forum better. It is just a preference. So let's please not do this... I'm not going to respond to any off topic post again in this thread because I'm sick of any posts associated with E turning into bashing back and forth about which company is better...
-Doug