Yes, please do not prune (dun dun dun!) the database. Our lovely forums database is this place. By rebrand I just meant as a marketing tool to get people to come here. Branch out into other areas in the interest of driving them to the site. Forums can still be popular (I have seen some that are still as active as, say, EoFF circa 2008), but the topics need to stay relevant.

It is challenging to do it this way because you really do need a hook. FF was our hook for so long and it still occasionally works but clearly not as well as it used to. Honestly, you just need to get people here. Once they see this little corner is actually something special they will have drunk the kool aid. For example, we just had a new member who was shocked at how little we hate each other! The (relative) lack of jerks in an interweb full of jerks is the best thing EoFF has going.