I'm pretty sure I've said this before and I'm pretty sure I'll say this again - hubski is an insular community. Any small community is insular because you get to know people. You notice when a new, active person comes in and you notice when an old, active person goes out because at this scale screen names do not provide anonymity - they provide a fresh start. As time goes on, who you are becomes associated with your new name and you lose your sense of anonymity and gain a sense of vulnerability. It seems like the people who publicly leave hubski do so as a result of some crushing vulnerability. I think that's the nature of the site at this size. As long as it remains a small community where you know every active contributor, it won't feel like a place you can escape to and the social obligation will become overwhelming to a few - as it does in all small communities.