Not to mention the customisation and level of commitment that went into your forum persona. There were signatures, user bars, and yes ranks that rewarded commit

Not to mention the customisation and level of commitment that went into your forum persona. There were signatures, user bars, and yes ranks that rewarded commitment with the number of posts rather than magical internet points. Compare that with the sparse stylings of reddit, this site, or social media profiles. There were certainly conflicts and power-tripping moderators on those boards, but on balance I don't think the downsides outweighed the upsides. If anything, the conflict just made the sense of community more real. Being a regular carried with it a sense of obligation. I have revisited the surviving boards from my past, most are limping on, but none of the regulars I remembered were to be found. I still hold a vague hope that the old threaded bulletin boards might be revived some day.