The thread about circle etiquette brings to mind last fall's Getaway of the FGSW, which many 'catters attended. There were some fascinating scenes of people who were used to very different etiquettes, differing senses of in-group-vs-out-group, etc. At two points I saw people get up and leave a session, their senses of etiquette offended. But the result of the whole weekend was an outpouring of joy at sharing with a larger, more diverse group.

Re the blue book: I know some of the folks who assembled the book, and the love they have for music and for group singing in particular. I've seen the book give access to singing for a lot of less confident souls, and I've used it myself from time to time. But at one large singing I attended several years ago that was done completely "with the book", the singers were sitting WAY far away from one another. Somehow the books insulated them, let them rely more on the book, and less on hearing--and singing WITH--other singers around them. In that sense, the presence of the books was fighting the development of that wonderfully intimate sense of COMMUNITY that good group singing can achieve.