What happens on StackExchange
An intensive discussion is going on here: https://tex.meta.stackexchange.com. Let me summarize, what I read:
- TeX.SE got a new design
- There was a design discussion before, but no TeX user suggestion has been considered
- There are a lot of opinion and suggestions
- Some very active users call for boycott, some simply leave
- People in the TeX community feel ignored and lost trust in StackExchange
- The option of hosting an independent site is being discussed
When I read about the removal of the custom design the first time, about streamlining to be more effective, it reminded me of similar activities when a company goes to the stock market, tries becoming more effective for investors or buyers, outsources its IT department, or simply tries saving money. Speaking of that, I doubt the classical ways of a social network to earn money from the users works with TeX friends (selling advertising of stuff or jobs, working with user profiling data).
In the TeX.SE chat it was discussed as well. My last suggestion, a few minutes ago, was, to nicely ask SE if they would allow the TeX community to go free as an independent (TUG supported) site like it was with our blog tex.blogoverflow.com, when they decided to not support the site blogs any more. With the content that TeX uses created and with thanks to SE as the company with the technology that raised it.
I would happily support technically, as I already run three non-English TeX Q&A sites. Just a design should be done by somebody else. 
