Perhaps I am too "old school" but having been in the photography BUSINESS for a very long time, I am a dedicated believer in "word of mouth" in any kind of public relations endeavor. In terms of the Internet, word of mouth is no longer a protracted long-term phenomenon, rather it travels at warp-speed, good bad, or indifferent.
Therefore, if this site, forum, online magazine, publication, or whatever you wantot to call it becomes known for some really hot topics, great tutorials by knowledgeable folks, good practical how-tos and problem-solving, sincere conversations, and friendly yet strong moderation it will stand out for the rest of the unwashed masses and become successful. If, sadly it becose just another place for chaos, and a bunch of grumpy folks to air their disgruntlement and negativity- it will meet its untimely demise before it gets started.
NOW is the time to leave the nut and bolts of the physicality of the site up to the ownership and management. Look what those good folks have done in a short time- they are tech-savvy and know how to build an effective and efficient website with all the necessary bells and whistles. Give them time to refine things. Meanwhile- like now! START thinking about content, and subjects, some traditional and some different.
As for the old DPR forum- as my grandmother used to say- "shall they live and be well"! Why clone or knock it? Use waht you know about it that is good and eliminate or entirely negate what you perceive as negative. Most importantly, include what it does not offer!
The structure already exists, now, fill it with good stuff and start contributing to the sections with some down-to-earth helpful material and good questions and answers. Photograhers are supposed to be creative- so, start to create. If you are not the best technical writer- who cares? This is a PHOTOGRAPHY site- post your images explain how you did them, and why you like them or are disappointed and need help. Shoot a DIY project. Wahtever but get cracking and stop arguing! Things are stagnating!