I've been a member of this board since its inception. I've checked it daily since the twin towers stood. I've seen this website handed over to new staff's with no notification that I was aware of twice. Each time that happened it caused a fallout. I had thought the OG site was owned by the proprietor, only one day to log in and find the staff gone, creating their own new site, and a whole new staff of writers and moderators in place. It felt like I had walked into my corner bar for my regular happy hour, and found it was now a Starbucks. Yeah John at the end of the bar was always kind of a prick, but you knew were you stood with him. Who are all of these new people?
Then it happened again.
I think the problem is corporations who own these things don't know what they have. They seem to think of these "franchises" like they're McDonald's. If you went through the drive thru at the local McDonald's and their was a whole new staff would you notice? Probably not, foods the same, service is the same. What these sites are is more than that. There's a whole social aspect they're overlooking to their own detriment. They're more like a good old fashioned barber shop.
You go to the shop you go to because you know what you're going to get. You know the guys there, you know how they're going to cut your hair, you know the magazines they have out, you know what's going to be on the tv, you know the conversations, and the local gossip, and the ribbing that's going to happen while you're there.
If you walk in on morning and it's been remodeled and there's a whole new staff you might get that one haircut, then you're going to ask around. When you find out your old barber and crew just opened up a new shop a couple blocks away, you're going to head over there next time.
This is a long winded way of saying to the new staff, don't take it personally that you're left with disgruntled patrons, and have to build up our trust and confidence in you. You're doing your best, keep at it, make it your own. If you're doing it right it will catch on. Get your names out there so when they inevitably dump you for a new crew we can find you if this is your passion.
Best of luck