I reached out to Ian last week to see if I could help in any way. Didn't hear back. I like fRoots, always have. Not sure why this conversation gets so tense or why anyone would care to be better than another in any sense. I think it's very important to have as much diversity as possible and that the collective output of all folk music fan sites and forums is what is the most accurate account of things as they are.

If mudcat has gotten too big or dominates the conversation, that's due to everyone else's failures, and not my fault but rather a validation of my decisions. I contend that the very things people complain about are the very reason we are so successful.

And for the record, my "refusal to moderate in even quite extreme cases" is called freedom of expression. And I am quite happy for my belief in this to be seen by the wider world.

I understand how some are offended by this, as it forces a higher standard of accountability than some are capable of. Plus, it requires the bravery and humility to hear other peoples opinions without a filter, and it demands prudence to remain civil while disagreeing with those opinions and defending your positions.

The vast majority of moderation request are what I call censorship. A few times per month, a message or a thread pops up that contains an opinion of an individual who saw a band or had a meal or attended a performance or purchased a product that they were not satisfied with. Invariably, a member of the band, owner of the pub, the festival organizer, a fan, or a friend, will contact me outraged that such a post is allowed to stay published and how dare I, often adding that I am an awful human being and that I should be sued or charged with a crime. I have even had my family threatened with physical violence from a person who went to the trouble and had the ability to find my actual home address. I am undeterred, my beliefs unwavering. I leave the posts because 1) they serve the members of this site who a spending their money on these products and services and that 2) I am a rational human being and know they are just opinions and 3) the threads are open and free for anyone and everyone to present a counter-opinion.

It's called freedom.

And frankly this is the very foundations of folk music. "The Man" censored it out or wouldn't write it down in the first place as news or history, so mothers sang it to their daughters and they sang it theirs. My service is to folk music, not you, and certainly -YES- the wider world should be aware of that before they come to visit my site.

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. ~Abraham Lincoln