I'll agree that things have changed. Yes, there will always be folks who read forums like this one (and the other big ones) just to look for somebody's opinion or historical recollection that "needs to be corrected". The ones who do it with anonymous identities are the best, it seems. Anyway, as a former editor of Flimsies Northwest, we used contributed observations to make an issue. Yes, we were timely enough to often get word out in time, but we more often just reported what happened a few weeks earlier.
As for the way that we "railfan" in the field and how that has changed, the first "change" that has contributed negatively to what we do is what I'll call "Post-Homeland-Security" loss of access and increased suspicion of "what that guy is up to". On the other hand, with the loss of timely periodicals and the civility that they provided, the "gain" in information is the result of the same things that killed the "hot news" magazines. That is the now-instant flow of information. This varies person to person depending on one's contacts and instant information sources. Now that we have wireless technology, many fans carry their laptops with instant access to a reasonable replication of railroad's dispatcher screen. Others can be in almost constant touch with somebody somewhere else on the same piece of track that can instantly relay helpful information.
I see it going both ways as far as change. Overall civility in society at all levels has decreased. Just ask anybody who you share a roadway with if YOU are in THEIR way on THEIR road. As far as "foamer" information sharing goes, sure, there are the people who are in it for themselves (that's the new society). Personally, I am surrounded by information sources that assist me. I only hope that I can return the favor whenever they call me.