I originally came here (and lurked) for information and realized there were some funny people here. I enjoyed it for a few, then everything got bitter.
By the time I decided to join it seemed like everybody lost their joy.
Now everything is don’t change this, play nice, sit down and shut up.
Why is it you think this is the end-all be-all board.
I expect all the old guard to pounce but why are y’all so full of YOU.
Grammer nazis, pedants, and stubborn old people UNITE!
Why do I come here?
For … the … THRILLLLLLLLLLLLLLS!
I’m not sure what you’re asking…are you really asking why I come here or are you saying this place sucks and WHY would anyone come here?
It’s a cross between addiction and entertainment. It allows me to comfortably avoid all the stuff I should be doing instead. It makes me laugh, often.
The SNR is a bit higher here compared to other MBs.
It doesn’t suck, it just seems to have become less fun. Is it the rule changes? Is it because it’s free? Or is it me?
oblivious,
mewl
There’s a reason but it probably isn’t a good one. More often than not I prefer reading people’s responses over writing my own. That has nothing to do with any insecurity about what I do or don’t have to say; rather, I think it’s just that I like to know about conversations more than I necessarily like incorporating my voice into them. Most of the time, that is. I’ll speak when I’m compelled to, like now. I like forums because it means I don’t have to befriend anyone. I don’t believe the internet is a place to make friends–and anyway, I don’t like having too many. But I do like conversation and I do like talking without the expectation of needing to be pals or enemies depending on the response. And forums really are a wealth of information–sometimes.
I think you’re saying a kind of typical thing people say about online communities more generally: this place used to be ______ and now it’s ______ (something not as good as it what it once was). And that’s a thing people say about all kinds of different places and communities. I’m just not sure it matters to say it anymore. I can’t tell what is or isn’t different here anymore because I’ve only just started reading, but I’ll wager it’s different in some way. And I’ll wager some people don’t like it and some people love it. Whatever, that’s a boring conversation.
Do you mean that posting here means people are full of themselves? I don’t know that it’s always the case but it certainly is true for some people here. Probably I’d say social networking is closer to that. Sorry if I misinterpreted your phrasing.
Inertia.
Entertainment, intellectual stimulation…and the love, the love.
I have yet to find another general-interest message board in which people type in complete sentences and isn’t full of fundamentalists of one version or another. I can come here to learn what good RPG games are coming out, what TV shows are worth watching, or what the latest news is. I get intelligent discourse in Great Debates, or some mindless bitching in The Pit that is still clever. I can chat about the mundane in MPSIMS, or read about people’s opinions on a vast array of topics in IMHO.
Basically it’s a one-stop shop of intelligent people talking about stuff.
I have nowhere else to go. 
I’ve been posting here for 10 years, and I don’t see much of a difference. I’m not in the habit of calling people “cunts” (that’s mostly a British thing, anyway), so maybe I just don’t notice. There’s still a lot of good info here, and plenty of good posters if you know how to ignore the noise. I don’t consider this place to be the be all and end all of MBs, and I’ve never bought into the whole Cecil mystique either-- never even once read one of his columns.
I like a lot of the people here, and I try not to let the jerks annoy me too much. The really bad ones gets banned sooner or later. And I still find a great deal of humor, too.
I come here because I’m addicted to internet porn.
It’s not just you - different posters are here now than 10 years ago - so I do think there is a somewhat different feel. But it’s much better than other places and I generally still can find the humor and intelligent discussions I am looking for.
And inertia.
Because I like it.
Usenet being what it is, there’s no point in going to AFCA.
Kicks, man. I do it for the kicks.
Pssst. I know about this other place. It’s really your kind of place.
The variety is amazing, especially compared to other boards I’ve been on. Those other boards have been, admittedly, fairly localized, with people I either already knew or already had a lot in common with. But I think it’s true even outside my own experience, with people world-wide chiming in. I love that you can ask absolutely any question and quite likely get answers, and not just answers you expect, but ones that bring another point of view to the table, which is quite refreshing.
And yeah, the whole ‘using complete sentences’ thing is a HUGE plus.
Plus humour. Lots and lots, all kinds.
And the cookies.
I can’t speak to what the board used to be like, because I’ve only been here a relatively short time. But I do understand feeling grumpy because things change; maybe they haven’t changed as much as you thought, and you just have to be part of it again to appreciate it. 
I like the odds;
Odds are, somebody knows what you should do. Odds are, someone’s been there too. Odds are, a poster works in that field. Odds are, sooner or later, your arcane knowledge base, whatever it’s stripe, will get some exercise. Odds are, on any given day, I’m going to learn something. Something useless perhaps, but still, it counts for me.
I extremely enjoy, and highly value people who can converse, and spell, and use punctuation, etc. I don’t think I’m a Nazi about it, I don’t care for the ‘it’s’ and 'who/whom’s so much. But really do appreciate that people make that effort to communicate effectively and clearly. If anything sets this board above the rest, I think that’s it.
The people on this board seem real. Mostly because they are all a little odd and eccentric, themselves. That reflects both my life and my real world experience, and rings true for me.