It's not a monopoly, but it is a very different type of forum. It is very popular - pretty much any time of the day, you'll see over 200 members and 1000+ guests - with lots of diversity - and some great in-depth threads. I see many of their members here and on other forums. Some of the trolling there goes over the top, but it's still a well moderated forum.
“Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood” - William Shakespeare