I've been here for more than a year, since the board was a lot smaller. I was one of the first moderators. Insert generic brags here.
1. My cunning play-down of The Problem
To be honest, I don't feel that the community has really changed. I remember thecounter and more recently blipped4 causing problems. I remember Kandor as well. With a larger community, you will get more trolls and lamers, more regulars getting annoyed, and more grumbling. This could be the old Simpsons problem - everyone says each series is crap compared to the older ones, but they've been saying that since series 3. We only remember the good episodes of the older series, not the average ones. Perhaps our memories of past times are viewed through rose-tinted glasses.
This degradation: it has happened to countless scenes before ours. And, like Zion's destruction, how are we supposed to stop it happening this one time?
2. My controversial explanation for The Problem
I feel that the primary catalyst is that, and I'm prepared for flamebacks here: the GP32 community has ran out of stuff to talk about. Less releases, less buzz about new emulators, seemingly doomed Europe launch with less momentum now than before, less reviews, less activity. People post more and more in off-topic, or branch out to other topics like the Zodiac. This creates more spam, less focus on the GP32, and less incentive for the regulars to stay around the GP32 and remember all those question answers they were so used to repeating before.
3. My actual explanation for The Problem
Also, over time, anything can get old (except, perhaps, sex). I remember regulars in competition to be the first to answer long lists of newbie questions, half of which were in our FAQ (check my sig). Now people are growing tired of it. There are tons of new newbies but less new regulars. People leave the scene for the Zodiac or out of boredom, and this departure rate is steady. But more and more people are coming in. Therefore newbies outnumber regulars by a much larger rate.
There is hope, though. If these newbies stick around and the rate of new guys joining up levels out, we will have an equilibrium much like the older days, but larger. And joy and love and unhibited sexual passion will reign free throughout the land.
Wishing somebody would quote this to validate my ridiculous views,
Rico