I have been around for quite some time now. I have seen people come and people go. That's the crazy thing about forums. They are open publicly and allow users to interact when they see fit..
Sure iMore used to be big and it still is. But if you or anyone else is looking to why it's not active and crazy drama. Well maybe the troublemakers are ruffling some other sites feathers. Crazy debates and the everyday trolls have moved on. That's a good thing. I guess you can look at iMore being a community of members who love to talk about what they love, Tech!! Other sites fluff the forums with other stuff, that to be quite honest is only a thread count marker, there is no interaction and it drops off the first page on the forums.
Maybe we are not seeing a lot of issue threads, because the users don't have questions because the device they use, is working ok, or they don't have to see help, because they know what they are doing. Remember Apple platforms are simplistic and work. Yes there is a few issues here and there, but in a nut shell, it's pretty low key.
I have heard it mentioned quite a few times on here that iMore is a great place to come and seeks knowledge and feel part of a group, other sites apparently don't treat their members very well? But it's good to hear people enjoy themselves here and keep coming back.
On the moderation side of things, I think my team and I do a good job. The moderators are chosen from a set of long standing members who have contributed a large amount of effort into this online community. They do not get paid for the effort they put in tidying up these forums, keeping them spam free, and ensuring that troublemakers are calmed down or ejected. Be a good forum member... but it's not a walk in the park, mods are people too, they have other lives, they get annoyed with some of you, they need time off, they want this forum to be the best it can be, so anyone who makes work for us isn't making the best start of things. That's about it really. It's not a popularity contest, it's not about who has the most posts... it's about those who want to make a difference.
As for the Admin's and the power that be. I can't speak on their behalf, but I know some changes on the forum layout and back end stuff has been worked on this past year, bugs and more bugs, but they are getting there. Do I wish some things were different absolutely, and I voice my opinion about things to them as well. I want to love coming here just as much as you all do.