GAF's greatest strength to me is that it is a fantastic aggregator. I don't have the time to read dozens of blogs and feeds to get news. If it is remotely newsworthy, someone is posting it on GAF. Which is why I really disliked EviLore disabling the search function. It's probably the best feature GAF has.
GAF is so large that any group can find a niche there. The downside of course is that these niches will evangelize, shitting up legitimate threads because damn it, they want you to know that My Little Pony is the bestest show in the world! Although I think a lot of it is contrarianism, where people will defend people doing stupid shit only because the majority might excoriate people doing stupid shit. The downside is that these people are all insufferable pricks and/or holier than thou like krypt0nian, Shanadeus, and Devolution.
I think GAF has a few good things going for it. Enough for me to keep posting there it seems. Although I have taken long breaks from that board, often when dumbfuckery and psuedointellectualism becomes the norm and not the exception. It's come close recently.