I value CD because of the intense level of discussion which can appear out of nowhere. For example, check one of my favorites about drilling through a magnet:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=79272
I enjoy the level of introspection that goes on here. Some post will set off a deep philosophical discussion on life.
Where else can you have instantaneous access to some of the smartest people in many industries. Ask a question about the cRIO and you will have experts from National Instruments answering questions, in moments... on a Saturday... out of love for the community.
And in addition to all that, you can go to the Web Hug at championship, meet a lot of these awesome people in person, and walk away with a cool tshirt.
I don't know if that was the intent of CD when it first started, but that is definitely what it is now.