I think the main reason why most of us more "higher-hour" pilots post on these forums is not as a chest beating exercise; it is done to help out others.
I think in the main most answers to questions simply reflect the poster's experiences and who could ask for more. What I got from SNS3Guppy was a depth of experience which allowed him to step into the mind of the poster asking the question and give appropriate tailored advice.
The 'right' and 'wrong' of it can be extremely contextual.
Who's best suited to answer questions about a CAA exam? Probably the 12hr pilot who sat it yesterday and scored 100%. The debate from high hour pilots on what it means, meant to mean or whether it is relevant though interesting probably doesn't help to answer the original question. Mr Gups seemed to cut through most of that.
Compare it to somebody asking for advice on improving landing. How often does a tailwheel pilot jump in with 'advice' which is subtly different and simply reflects their own experiences rather than the information required?
I didn't think it was too difficult to find out SNS3Guppy's post actually do pan out with a little internet searching, I did that more from interest as I had faith in what he was saying and it has helped me in the past. Like many I found his posting style abrasive at times, I rather think he doesn't suffer fools gladly and is rather 'old school' but his knowledge was useful.
In all I treat PPRuNe as an extension of the flying club bar. It's a little easier there to figure out who talks the talk and who walks the walk, but for me 'real' flying isn't about spending a fortune to have the mission capability of a scheduled flight. It has rather more to do with stick and rudder skills and planes that belch oil and have 'interesting' handling characteristics - GPS strictly optional
