When the original Xbox launched, Microsoft was really into it. They built a strong and supportive COMMUNITY for Xbox users, and keeping that communiyt strong and involved was forefront on their minds. They even had a whole staff at MS devoted to the development of the Xbox COMMUNITY. No longer. Remember Trixie? LONG gone, along with the majority of those who ran the COMMUNITY in days past. Sad.
Now... things have really, really changed. MS no longer seems to listen to it's users. The visionaries who put Xbox on the map in the first palce have moved on to new jobs, new places, and their lack of involvement with the Xbox brand CLEARLY shows. Xbox has become nothing more than a consumer product to MS. They no longer seem to care about or are very involved in the community (unless/except when a VERY public photo-op or potential for a widespread media article presents itself).
Over the past couple of years, I have watched in horror as the strong and supportive Xbox community I used to Love crumbled before my eyes. MS no longer lends virtually any support to fan/blog sites (they used to offer a LOT of support to these types of sites & even have occasional 'community days' at MS, where people who ran fan sites/blog could come to MS - no longer), they no longer seem to really care about the user. We're just a number to them now and they'll do what they want regardless of how the COMMUNITY feels about it (these HORRIBLE forums are a good example!)
The Mods/VIPS used to be very involved with the community - virtual ambassadors for the Xbox brand - now, for the most part (there are a very few exceptions), it's beome nothing more than mods who do nothing but STRICTLY enforce (or rather over-enforce) the rules and VIP's who are nothing more than an 'elitists' club - where they constantly brag about what extras and benefits being a VIP affords them.
All the fun here is gone. And the forum redesign no longer even makes it a good place to search for/find helpful information/users. You can't keep track of what you post/reply to nearly as easily as before - and many won't make the extra effort it takes (understandable - everything on the forums that used to take ONE step now takes THREE or more! Worst redesign in history!)
RIP MS' care about Xbox & it's loyal Xbox fans/customers. 
