Spending time on forums will improve your chess
maybe not greatly improve your tactical game but it does make you a better chess player in the chess community - reading all the posts---- right /left /centre --east/ west 100 player 2500 player -- so over all it does make you better in a rounded sort of way
Bro aint no way we getting spin offs of that thread now lol. Let's try to keep the majority of discussion in that thread
Honestly you can spend time on the forum and get better at chess, you just need that balance of forum surfing and actual chess study. Also the forums can display some very good advice here and there.