Jon, that experience you had was a very sad story.

Midchuck, as a newbie I have had a welcoming experience into the Toronto folk groups and song circles. They were thrilled to see a little neophyte join in the gang and contribute anything new. Especially when I placed a tray of cheese & crackers on the song circle potluck snack table. That was a real hit!

When Rick Fielding told me about the Mudcat he spoke of what goes on here with much enthusiasm. At every lesson he would tell me about interesting threads and all the wonderful things I would find here. I even sat with him at his computer while he created a thread for me looking for banjo players into medieval melodic tunes.
I did take a look at the posts responding to that thread but after that I never went back to the Mudcat for months.
One day it just dawned on me I wanted to start getting involved here.
It kind of follows the same rules as setting an example. Just 'do your thing' and share what gives you joy with others. Some people will be inspired by your enthusiasm and want to follow your path and others may not.
Some might take their time like I did.
Thats okay, you never know what kind of impact you have made on someone else.

Little Neo