I haven't been there, but from what I've read here, it's the other way around. It isn't that a board member owns the bar, it's that the bar owner started this forum.
You're probably correct that none of the bars in Patong are "really special"; visit them at noon, and you'll see how dreary they look. It's the people that make a place "special", and I'm guessing that for people who chat on line, it can be a nice place to meet the people you're chatting with.
It would probably be the same "scene" if the owner of the bar had been a restaurant owner, or whatever - people would then be meeting there to chat in person.