This forum is at least 10 years old, maybe more. It has changed many times over its existence by undergoing rule revamps, being passed to new owners, etc. Internet communities come and go. They ebb and flow. You may hang with the same people online, but where you hang can often change. That may change with the advent of sites like Facebook, but we will only know that in the future.
Basically, many people have left over the years because they find they have no reason to be here anymore, or they get banned, or others they know have left. Larger groups have also split away due to more dramatic events over the years as well.
The re-creation of this place as foru.ms apparently had a large backlash from the conservative members. Following that, changing back to CF had a large backlash from the liberal members. In more recent times, events like the CF Teens closure and the drama surrounding it led to a large segment of the forum breaking away. Funnily enough they splintered after they splintered and settled on a completely secular forum.
Then there are the groups of people who think there is a conspiracy on part of CF to actively silence them or otherwise ruin their e-life. This conspiracy is headed up by the liberal, conservative, gay-loving, gay-hating, tolerant, non-tolerant, too traditional, heretical CF administration. These groups pop up every so often on both sides of the liberal-conservative spectrum, and after getting themselves banned for actual rule violations they justify it via conspiracy theory and start their own forum. Sometimes those last, but not always.
Finally, there are the groups that has actively been run off these forums due to either unfair/inconsistent/slow moderation, being constantly harassed by other members, or an otherwise toxic online experience. This place is not perfect. It has problems. But at the same time, it is often not anywhere near as bad as some people make it out to be.
