I'm not being glib when I say be careful for what you wish for. Well intentioned changes have a way of backfiring. Take r/frugal as an example, some people complained that posting local finds was pointless since it wasn't useful to the user base, and that was only mostly true. What it was useful for is generating content. That is now a relatively quiet, albeit massive sub. There's only so many new tips for frugality. And they did that so a few lazy fucks didn't have to scroll past something they didn't want to see.

what would help keep people on the website

Going through the old reports I see a lot of familiar names. Keep in mind those people, me, are here because we like Saidit. I'm not here because I can't go on reddit, I am here because I vastly prefer Saidit. Compared to reddit people here are fucking awesome. The hatred on Reddit is insane.

I don't think we could compete as another reddit anyways, why would people choose something exactly like reddit but much smaller when the only decent thing about reddit is its size.

mainly filled with right-wing propaganda

That right wing propaganda has a funny way of ending up true. The vaccine is a disappointment, ivermectin probably does work, there were election irregularities, boys can't decide to become girls... What has the left been right about recently? Their big defense of CRT was "you don't really understand what CRT is," which is nonsense because it's pretty clear what it's about. BLM riots that didn't accomplish anything. Spreading hate of white people, which I guess I'm not technically white, but I look that way so it affects me.

If however Saiditor's want something that meets the needs of a broader audience

You ever see a small sub with a lot of regulars get "found" on reddit? It's like gentrification, people move into areas for the culture only to destroy that culture because they don't fit in.

general hatred

Your experience and mine are totally opposite. Reddit is the evil hateful place and here it's practically Utopian in comparison. I have a "fan club" on Reddit that goes around trash talking me and making up shit -- and people believe them! Now on one hand I adore that some people are obsessed with me there and spend their lives talking about what I write, but on the other its unpleasant to constantly be fighting.