I agree that GN has changed quite a bit since I joined many moons ago. It's a more fearful place than it used to be in some ways; the "guidelines" seem to be more fluid than they used to be and it seems to easier to fall foul of them now, without knowing how you've transgressed until you see your post, or thread, has been deleted. For example, it used to be a regular thing to see a thread asking where so and so was, because their absence had been noticed and people were wondering if they were ok. That's not allowed anymore. Apparently.
It also seems to be less welcoming to men now than it used to be. Recent male posters have been given very short shrift and, rightly enough, vanish never to be seen again.