" I think you need to reconsider. What is the purpose "
Has it a set purpose?
As far as I am concerned, it is an opportunity to exchange ides with others, to sound out your own and to learn from others
That is what all communication is about
I lived in London for thirty years - I had access to literally thousands of people, should I have wish to avail myself of them, I could, and did attend meetings and lectures, I could go to the local pub and strike up conversations with people from hundreds of different walks of life, with different interests and experiences and from different places in the world - I did so regularly.
I now live in a small rural village on the edge of the Atlantic - I can no longer do this
For me, being able to talk to people on this forum is a very limited way to replace something I lost when we moved twenty years ago.
Whatever Mudcat might be to you, that is what it is for me and I am grateful for it
Jim Carroll