First off, I don't care for censorship.

I understand that Randy has a need to do things about particularily offensive posts, it is after all his web site.

I too, don't like the idea of limiting posts. Besides, people could have a 2nd or 3rd username to get around this.

All of that said, Flyertalk is not the same place it was 2 years ago. It isnt the same place it was 1 year ago, or 6 months ago. And, it won't be the same place 6 months from now. That's just a fact of loife, especially on the Internet. New people will join, old friends will leave. The cast of characters will change over time.

Has the volume increased? Yes, us old-timers should take that as a compliment, it shows we helped create a vibrant place 2 summers ago.

Has the quality of posts gone down?
This is difficult to quantify. I'll try to do, in my case(you'll all have to do this for yourself).

1) Do I see fewer useful posts then I did 2 years ago? Yes and No. No, I don't think there are fewer post that a useful to a novice FF. However, 2 year later, I'm no longer a novice, my level of knowledge about FF/FG programs is much higher. So I learn less because I now know more. This isn't really a Flyertalk issue, but a Boomer issue.

2) Is there more flamming going on?
Yes(I havent counted, but it just seems to be true). This may simply be a factor of more people. More people lead to more disagreements. Would I like to see a more civil approach by many people here? YES.
Without naming names, I remember back in 1998, a certain someone posting on Flyertalk that most people found a pain in the rear. What did we do, we stopped responding to that person's posts(kind of the silent treatment) Did it work? For the most part, YES. How was this silent treatment boycott organized, a few emails between flyertalkers.
So if you don't like what someone is posting, ignore them. There's enough on flyertalk to read for everyone.

3) Are there more silly/nonsense posts?
Sure, but there are alot more posts, so the silly stuff increases too. Personally, I think the spam forum is full of some of the more stupid info I can imagine. Hey I found a great way to get 5 miles(a dime) big deal.
However, that's my opinion, some of you probably like the spam forum and find it useful, more power to you.

4) Are there some people on Flyertalk I don't like? Sure, and I'm sure there are just as many that don't like me. I've learned in life, that everyone doesn't like everyone else. Flyertalk is not different.
I respect that everyone has the same right as I do, to post here, we are all guests of Randy(customers perhaps would be a better word). I respect your right to speak your mind, its what gives me the right to speak mine.

5)Are there clique's or an "old-boys-network" on Flyertalk. Sure there are. Don't kid yourself. Some people here, for whatever reason, are looked at differently than others. Personally, I think the "cliques" are more by Airline/Hotel than anything. This makes sense to me, the CO/NW/HP folks have something in common they fly the same airlines. The StarAlliance folks likewise have the same bond. This leads to more interaction and those closeness. I couldn't tell you which flyertalkers post in US Airways forum, I don't read that forum. I don't fly them, so my time wouldn't be well spent reading it.
Others groups here are geographic. Here in the NYC area we have a large number of Flyertalkers. We meet fairly regularily as friends, not as flyertalkers. In fact I think the first ever flyertalk meet, might have been NJDavid, Catman and myself back in 1998. Are the oldtimer's treated differently then the new folks? Probably. The oldtimers know more about flyertalk and what has been posted before. That doesn't mean newbies are welcome, we were all new to flyertalk at one point.

6) Do I sometimes get upset that nobody responds to one of my posts? Sure, sometimes I might post something that I'm sure everyone will be interested in, and alas many people aren't. Thats ok. This isn't a posting contest. Catman, who cares how many people comment on one of your trip reports? It doesn't mean it wasnt a good trip report. Maybe people just didnt have anything constructive to say. Catman, I was surprised that only 24 flyertalkers voted in the talkies. Was I disappointed? a little, I really thought people would look forward to having a voice. Most did not, thats fine. It doesn't say anything except they werent interested. Of course, when I was tabulating the votes I was kind of glad, 400 people didnt vote

So, has the quality of Flyertalk gone down?
Yes and No.

Is flyertalk still worth my time?
Yes.

Is flyertalk the central existence of my life?
No, never has been, never will be.

Will I be a flyertalker forever?
Maybe. As long as I get value in excess of my time, I'll be here.

My best suggestion to Catman and everyone else? Treat Flyertalk for what it is, a place to share ideas and comments, no more , no less. We aren't talking about world peace here, we're talking about miles for heaven's sake. This isn't life and death, lets not treat it that way.