I don't think for me it makes much difference what label you put on a thread. I tend to a pattern of Mudcatting, in which I open up threads which mention a song I'm fond of, or interested in (not necessarily the same thing), while they are young. And if any thread hangs around long enough to accumulate a good number of posts, that's a sign it might be worth investigating.

I get a bit fed up with the threads which just ask for a song that's in the DT. I think if you are asking for the words of a song, you ought to be trying to find out a bit more about it as well. But more significantly, these one off instant response threads can push potentially more interesting threads off the page before you get to see them.

And I think the "dry and scholarly" threads are often the best thing about the mudcat and I'd like to see more of that. (See Roger, I said I'd find something to disagree with you about before long.)

But I don't think there is any simple technical fix for all these difficulties - I think if more of us use the Mudcat in ways that encourage what we value in it, that is the best approach. (As opposed to trying to interfere with what other people may value in it.)And one of the most helpful ways is to use blue clicky things the way Shambles has been in this thread, to direct people's attemtion to relevant stuff in other threads and other sites.