An interesting thread, Will. Thanks. I see posts from people I haven't heard from in a long time.

I started lurking in '97, I think, but probably didn't post until '98. Does that make me "old guard?" I've always felt like a newcomer. I have one or two friends here that I knew before there was a World Wide Web or even an Internet. I found Mudcat because it had become the home for The Digital Tradition which started on floppy disks and was then hosted by Xerox, if I recall correctly. I was delighted to find old friends and happy to make new ones. These were people with whom I could discuss the music, the traditions, and our experiences as carriers and performers.

Since those early days, Mudcat has become a priceless resource for learning about all aspects of "folk" music. It contains lyrics, history, influences, instrumental instruction, and many wonderful anecdotes from both performers and scholars. While the information here isn't cataloged (catalogued) or indexed, it still may be the best starting point on the planet for researching a song. That is the result of twenty odd years of effort by a great many people who've cared enough to document what information they have. If Mudcat were a building, it would be designated a national historical treasure and given special status and support. There would be steps taken to ensure it's survival for generations to come.

I'm another person who doesn't post here much anymore. We mostly stopped talking about things that interested me and fewer people seemed to have any respect, either for musical traditions or for each other. Like some others, I got tired of putting a great deal of time into a music post only to have someone tell me I didn't know what I was talking about. I think I was a member at WillsPorch. If so, my membership has lapsed. That seems a better place for musicians to share what they do. Some of the members at WillsPorch are also active on another forum I use.

I think it's natural for Mudcat to have evolved over time. Max began The Mudcat Café as a blues forum and it's certainly strayed from what he originally had in mind. There's no reason it shouldn't also stray from what I had in mind. I only wish it was still the place for scholarship that it once was.

      - Mark