I'm not actually sure it's that simple though. A lot of stuff that is first posted on FT gets picked up by the blogs, then the travel media, then sometimes even the mainstream media. I've seen tips/tricks articles in T&L, etc. that reference stuff that only FTers were talking about a couple years ago, generally by quoting blogger "experts" who themselves pick their info up off of FT. So I do think that there is a magnification of some of the discussion to the point where it can in fact make an impact.

I'm not trying to inflate our sense of purpose here - personally I just enjoy talking about travel and learning more to help me with my work and hobbies - but I do think that there might be more to it than you suggest.