i discovered that you’re right (not even very much research needed)
this site pays traffic farms in Bangladesh, Nigeria and/or wherever to generate a weekly quota of new posts and threads: always the same type of trite, repeated, no-value questions/comments, the same slightly off English, the same low post-count members who never interact with others
even this, and paid traffic, can generate some short-term ad revenue, but its long term consequences eventually destroy forums completely; it’s the absolute ultimate in myopic marketing, ill-will generation and entirely self-inflicted disaster
some forums try these services, note the outcome and quickly abandon the experiment; others, perhaps in desperation, persist indefinitely until nothing viable remains, and then they typically blame the industry and its culture and/or external developments for their inevitable closure
it’s a great pity, but the writing’s been on the wall here for years, and the forum’s now not-so-gradually and very noticeably deteriorating, even as some of its competitors thrive and expand
this is my last post here (if it survives “moderation”, lol)
good luck to all, and goodbye
p.s. - download anything you might want to keep, while you still can: it really won’t be here for ever
FP