What I have seen (of the Catters who we knew first as local jam pals) is this-- they get to wondering where I get all my material and gear lore. They head over here after I have mentioned the site a few times. I think then they appreciate (not "need") the community they encounter here, which I see as a series of stewards of the resources lodged here over time....

What our music community has gained, due to several of us having been Mudcatters first, is a certain shared value... a generosity of spirit and willingness to share resources, a particular kind of confident helpfulness, that comes from helping people find resources via the Mudcat threads, after one has been helped by the people here.

The friends I am moved to share Mudcat with are folks whose instinct is to be postive, helpful, and musically inquisitive, who can take responsibility for finding material and gear lore, here for themselves. Speaking just for me, I don't urge my needier IRL friends to move in. As some people here know, I'm in the ministry life-- the last thing I desire is more folks depending on me to meet their needs. I value the self-reliance people here have.

What I hope to see is more cross-fertilization of music and ideas from far places, back into our IRL music community, such as I have experienced in my own music-- multiplied by however many music pals join and find their own friendships here.   I am not particularly interested in, nor likely to support, huddling together as some kind of "Susan's Pals" group making a lot of inside jokes or obscure references. Too much work, and too little time and energy left over for music!

~Susan