I am positive AA does monitor Flyertalk to an extent as there are some ultra-High Value customers - like that poster from NYC who was distraught about his JFK-GRU flight going mechanical a couple times and revealed that he spends well north of $220K a year on AA - or recurring situations that might warrant at least some fact finding and follow up as appropriate.

AA knows who you are and it is too easy to put the puzzles together to pinpoint your name. Heck - the meal thread, all they need to do is find two posts covering two separate flights then look at the historical manifest to find that one individual with identical names that was on both flights. A few minutes tops.

That said, there is some value in monitoring Flyertalk to gauge overall opinion about an issue or topic and I am sure AA does monitor this forum. I wouldn't be surprised if they took note of the current ongoing thread regarding the alleged conduct of the PHL orange jackets for further investigation. This kind of material I do think they rely on Flyertalk for candid feedback.

Blogs have more sway nowadays, but remember quite bit of their content does derive from Flyertalk or Milepoint.

P.S. Someone mentioned AA's Twitter team.. The AA Twitter team has been fantastic for me. I only reach out to them when I am having issues and need some kind of expert (or someone with a better broad knowledge) to save my butt. I know many have mixed experiences with the Twitter team, but they have gone out of their way for me a few times including pushing a complimentary upgrade through. Not sure if it is because of my "customer profile" from AA's perspective or I was just seeking the right help at the right time. I do hope they continue to empower the Twitter team.