I left before the bullshit on DIF went down, so I can only try and empathize with you folks who were wronged. I have to wonder though, are they doing this to keep this community fixated on drama? It would certainly be an effective way at discrediting The Zone's members, and keeping minds occupied so that the forum doesn't reach the potential that it's more than capable of. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit? I don't think I am though. That seemed to be a rather prevalent theme back on DIF when they allowed platforms for racism, hate speech, and fanaticism. As a lot of us have figured out, that created drama which lead to more site clicks and increased pay from ad generation. Occupied minds also don't have the time to work out problems with solutions. If that were allowed, the site and the store goods would have become redundant. The goal appears to be keeping the community running in perpetual circles like a greyhound chasing the mechanical rodent. Once in a while, a few members catch the rodent and see it for what it is, and are subsequently removed. I see that as a revenue protection contingency. The same could be applied here by trying to keep us bogged down with drama and hearsay, so a competitor doesn't rise.
By all means be angry at what happened, it's justified. Talk about it. Stay vigilant too. How-ever, it may not be best to allow this to 'run away' and dominate the majority of discussion. I think the biggest threat isn't so much Sean and the mods being exposed, but rather insightful, comical, and pleasant exchange between Sanctum Staff and forum members. It's a dynamic they don't have, and I think they recognize that. They also do a fairly decent job at exposing themselves. Every time a forumgate happens there, they fall down a little further on that proverbial sword. There's only so much left of that blade before they reach the hilt.