I think that it really comes down to the folowing: What do you want from TMF?
I post in several threads and my post totals ar steadily climbing. I have a lot of fluff in my posts but I do not post solely for the pleasures of gaining feathers. I post because I feel like I am part of the community. I post because it gives me a chance to interact with several different people who share the love of tickling. I post because it builds friendships.
I believe that you can learn a lot about a person by reading their posts. In some cases, the person will give you direct information about thier likes, dislikes, beliefs... In other cases you can determine if the person has a great sense of humor, is a wonderful flirt, is too serious or not serious at all, if the person likes to rile fellow TMF'ers, etc.
As for the quest for feathers, I admit that I look forward to advancement because I view it as a game. I am not "Addicted" to posting and I could walk away from it if I chose to. (I choose to stay and post because I am looking for more friendships and, hopefully, a few tickling encounters as well.
I think that the feathers add some fun and interest to the posting and build a common thread.
I will now step down from my soap box and yield to the next post.