Lani, I think a lot of it has to do with the following two factors;
First, the economic downturn has forced a lot of guys to cut back, or in some cases, stop their purchases of new watches. Its really hard to write or contribute anything new when you don't have anything new to write about.
Second, and I think this is a major issue, is that rep manufacturers have come such a long way in the past few years in providing watches that are really 99% in comparison to the gen. We have become spoiled, and I have seen an attitude form amongst newer members in where they wont even consider a watch that has anything more that the slightest flaw. When I started in this hobby the best watch you could get was probably about 80% in comparison to the gen, and a lot of dialogue was generated in pointing out exactly what the flaws were, and coming up with methods as to how they could be modded. The UPO was a perfect example. I've seen countless threads about substituting genuine parts, all very interesting stuff. The watches today are almost perfect right out of the box. You don't need an expert to point out that the only flaw on a graham diver is that the seconds needle is orange instead of red. The fix to that issue is equally as mundane. When the Skyland was released there were literally dozens of posts from early buyers, and the one or two minor flaws were easily picked out. When I eventually picked up my Skyland, I wrote a very comprehensive review, but I've yet to post it, simply because I've got nothing new to add to what has already been said a thousand times.
It seems to me that we have seen a shift in purpose. From being a site that provided useful information that aided members both before and after a purchase, to being a site that simply aids members in their purchasing decisions.