I personally think that the GA is doing well.
What has to be put into consideration is that it is a two way street with factions and members. Yes, having a presence and activity does bring the thought to the forefront of the mind that, "hey, why isn't this guy promoted? I could have sworn he was a knight / master."
However, sometimes people get busy -- so having active thread trackers posted in the forum that are updated helps faction staff and other members be aware of the progression of any character. If there isn't any, then it makes it really hard to go -- oh wow, he's been here for a while and look at all that roleplay! let's promote him!
"But I have my tracker in my bio!" Great! That does help out -- but rarely do people actually go diving into someones' bio to review their threads.
Keeping up to date from both sides of the coin - members and faction staff - is what can keep a healthy promotion balance.