OP, you need to understand that if your threads are getting ten pages of engagement, that's not an indication that your thread is interesting, but simply that it's very easy to respond to even without any basic knowledge, which often falls under rule number 1. This will attract people who are fulfilling their company signature quota, repeating the same thing over and over again, only slightly rephrasing it. Your first successes were achieved in your local section, and I think you'll find like-minded people there.