Interesting comments Chris. You know, when I joined in May last year I didn't realise that AOS had only been around since February. It already a 'culture' that remains and that sets it apart from other forums. I've only been a member of the team since December, so on one hand feel like a new boy, but on the other feel like I've been around for ages! The existing mod team made me feel very welcome right form the get go. Great stuff.
In terms of what worked and what didn't, the culture / vibe of the forum is very much something that Marco, Rob and Steve wanted and worked on when they started AOS, and the thing that really makes it special.
One thing that didn't work is the Social Groups area. It was good for a while, but fizzled because the V-Bulletin software doesn't make it easy to find, and that was only made worse by the upgrade to the latest version of the software, which made it even harder to find and use!
The Social Groups area is still there but we're focussing our energies as a team on making the main part of the forum better. That said, the Social Groups area exists for members to use, and anyone who wants to is welcome to get stuck in. Check out the Noticeboard post from a whole back about what's there. If anyone is interested in taking over the Tape Group let me know and I'll had over the baton
The best thing?
The vibe...
The worst thing?
It's a shame when once regular posters drift away. You know who you are