Ah Blackcatter, guests ARE part of Mudcat. And don't forget, membership is used by plenty of posters here too--especially as a means of engaging in their favorite sport of guest flaming. That is why so many of them stay here. They get positive feedback from enough of the membership for a behavior that isn't tolerated in most member only forums.

And as to the cut and paste thing, it is a phenomenon all over the net.

Which means Mudcat isn't quite as unique as most here seem to think it is. It really isn't any different than any other chat forums, email lists, or newsgroups with folk music as the organizing principle.