Site is a graveyard - How can boards save itself? [Threadbanned users in 1st post]

Yep. I know I'm repeating myself to an extent - but there's loads of sub-forums in here where moderation has always been light touch, discussions are and were always civil - and yet the traffic in all of those sub-forums has died a death as well. Moderation can't be the root cause in those cases - which make up the majority of subs on the site - to explain why traffic and posting has gradually declined over the years site wide.

You'd be forgiven for thinking reading through this thread that you have to consistently walk on eggshells to post on boards. I've been here since 2008 and I have never received a warning, a card, a ban: nothing. And I don't think I'm unusual - most posters never come to mod attention.

The only time that I can recall when I felt like questioning a mod decision was on a regional sub-forum, years ago, when I started a thread and it was locked by the relevant mod because they felt there was already another thread that was similar etc, etc. I PM'd the mod, explained my reasoning for opening the thread that I did and how it was a thread worthy subject in its own right. The mod said fair enough and re-opened it. So mods can change their minds.

Obviously, a proportion of people are going to fall foul of mods etc and, rightly or wrongly, will feel aggrevievd, stifled etc - but that's not the experience of the vast majority of users. Most posters don't have any interaction with mods.

Rewind the clock back to 2008/09/10 when the site was hopping. There were even more mods than now. There was even more warnings than now. There were even more bannings than now. More threads being locked than now - but yet the site was still booming.

The site is in decline because time has moved on. Fifteen years ago the age profile of the site was people in their twenties and thirties. Now people in their twenties wouldn't bother using a message board like this and a lot of the other boardsies have moved on in their lives.

Message boards across the internet are dying out because people increasingly don't use them anymore. Boards is a message board - its fate is no different than any other message board on planet earth. Boards is slowly dying because ALL message boards are slowly dying. Moderation, whether the lack of or the perceived over zealous application of, is not going to change this fundamental fact.

The OP must be having a great laugh at what they stirred up. No further contribution from them after post #1. Perhaps the all powerful Mods have disappeared them?? They started this thread in After Hours, worried about the future of Boards. But judging by their previous efforts, I don't think they have a genuine interest in that subject.