While I am one of the anti-name-collectors (I have expressed my opinion at least once), occasionally the hints will lead to a document image, that can actually document a relationship, ie image of the marriage license, death certificate, or birth certificate (extremely questionable if it should be online).

Some times a hint will give you a focus for a research thread, ie a familiar name with dates in an unknown tree. A couple of times that familiar name has lead to research that will document a sibling.

Also a hint can lead to someone with family documents that they will share that is the only documentation of that relationship. I personally have several hundred pages of family documents that together documented a couple of early 1800's relationships where official documents probably will never be found.

I can not fault developing a structure using online trees, BUT don't waste your time research a person several generation beyond your last ancestor with documented links.

You should not convict your ancestor to a set of parents on circumstantial evidence. I did that once and wasted 8 years of research on the wrong people.