Thoughtful post, Will. I am one of the Old Guard &, for the past several years, have only dropped in, once in a while. The beginning of Mudcat seemed, to me, to exemplify the best of the Internet, enabling like-minded people, around the planet, to get to know each other. We shared our lives, online, & many of us have even met in person. It was a joy! As time passed, new folks came in & the tone of the forum changed--in my opinion--for the worse. It truly grieved me & I dropped out. Even so, I hated to give up the wonderful friendships I'd made. I find it interesting to see so many of the "old" names on the catspaw-related threads. It seems that, though many of us have become, largely, silent partners, we're still checking on the community. The thought heartens me.

Best,

Barbara