Sure. I think there are still some negative aspects to the automated grouping process, but I believe the cross-server aspect to be the most damning. I’d rather see how their new LFG-tool is going to work. I think it has potential.
Yes, and so was Nicolay’s long post. Most stories that are being shared on these forums are of personal experiences. If you want facts they exist and I’ve linked to them in other posts (example). But when you link research you get arguments such as “professors pay to get their research published” which, while actually likely true in most cases, is not an indication of a poor article. Point is: people will use any argument to shoot down things they don’t want to hear.