I see that it started exactly when Honest John backroom went down temporarily. Then I see a lot very similar usernames (as of HJ site) and then look and feel of this site is also very similar to old HJ site.
If you have a good trawl around the Introduce Yourself section you'll find most of what you want to know. Some of the info is a bit piecemeal, but there's a lot there.
No need to be confused, as I see it - there has been a massive defection by people who felt abandoned (I know I did), who had a loss of confidence in HJ's site and who were not prepared to wait for the revamping of the Back Room. (I hope that puts it fairly.)
I know what happened, but I'm too discreet to tell you. You could push sharpened matchsticks under my nails or poke me in the eye with a sharp stick but my lips would still be sealed.
:-D