Actually, I find modding fun. I've been a mod before, but undoubtedly no one here would accept me as a moderator since I'm so darn... immature. Here, at least, just so I don't have to live up to the older people's expectations (a lot of old geezers play this game). 
and here we hit the nerve (or at least I think it is). Generational gap. You might have not acted this way when you were our age...but to be completely honest, how many of you were on forums when you were in your teens? This "What has Changed" question can certainly be applied to more than just an MMORPG forum, it can be applied to a number of things that have changed from what 'used to be'. Music, celebrities, books, magazines, even forms of communication. Arguably, the change that does happen produces a 'grieving period' ....and some people get stuck on the denial stage. Denial of what? Denial that everything (general term, I'm sorry) must change. Even your impressions of something will change owing to your environmental factors. Leama, your first impressions of this forum may have changed, not necessarily because the people on it have changed, or the attitudes have switch-backed, but you yourself have changed that may infact influence your perspective of what the forum is.
Edit (realized it was somewhat half-baked): In my experience, the first thing that everyone tends to blame for something changing is external, I merely wished to point out that the change is not completely external but also a combination of both. True, new comers to a game will change the group dynamics, but really it's no different than receiving the freshmen in high school or university. Sure, you shake your head and say among your peers that things have changed and you preferred them the way they used to be, but eventually those newcomers will start stepping to the beat (or getting into the swing of the group dynamics) and everything will be okay again. You just have to keep that in mind. Change is good....we lurve change.