I first joined a long time ago (in 2010 I think) under a previous account. It took me a few more years to finally take getting sober seriously. All the information about everything recovery, plus seeing a great variety of experiences, were the most useful parts of SR in the first few years. I also made connections with a few interesting and inspiring people during my first sober year and all the interactions (on the boards and privately) were often good distractions from the intense and frequent cravings I had in early sobriety...even from engaging with people excessively in my real life, where it does not belong. After a while, that also became too much and a not-so-positive distraction, so I took a break. But it is always great to be around people who understand addiction from the inside out, in any recovery community.
I don't come here and engage nearly as often now, but still very much like the diversity of people, experiences, opinions and types of support. It opens my eyes up to things that don't come naturally to me, including interaction styles... I can pick things up and use them in my own life, for a richer experience. Another main reason I still use SR is that my professional life includes working on aspects of addiction, and seeing the reality of it at any time can make my work more attuned to the practicalities.
I think focusing on problems vs. things that run perfectly is just natural for people. I see that curiosity not only here but in pretty much every area of life, even with my best friends. People tend to be drawn to vulnerability, in part because it can be so challenging to be open about it ourselves... so engaging with it vicariously can be an attractive alternative. I think it also gives people a sense of satisfaction and self-esteem to be in the role of the advisor vs. the one who needs help. And, for those motivated to help - there is much more room for that with folks who struggle than those that are in a good place. I've also been told and seen directly that many people bond with others via ongoing, acute hardship... this was not so easy to wrap my mind around initially as it's not my own style and general interest much, but common regardless.
I think it is better not to focus much on who and what type of posts get the most attention vs. less of it, because it can generate a motive to seek attention via trouble and even become self-destructive for the sake of it. I've personally never felt ignored or dismissed whatever I posted, but I do like better getting noticed everywhere for my successes rather than struggles. That can also sometimes be dangerous as I don't always seek help when I really need it. But this is something I've learned to do differently in the past 10 years or so, in part based on experiencing how recovery communities like SR operate. In terms of what SR contributed to my sobriety the most, for me, again, it was probably the information about methods and the variety of experiences. Interacting with others who had the direct experiences. There is so much on here that people in more one-dimensional recovery communities don't even know about, including professionals.