"Ruth, the 'scene' may be vivid and lively around you, but not everybody has access and/or knowledge of a slice of Scene near them."

It's hardly a hotbed of activity where I live, believe me.

Mudcat is one view of what's going on; it's not the be all and end all. Many people here, for instance, tend to be interested in the more traditional end of folk. There are a number of websites out there covering a much broader range of folk music. I would suggest that many of the younger people with a more casual interest in folk may find their way more easily to those, and find themselves in rather more like-minded company. There are a number of Facebook groups, for example, dedicated to folk music and dance, and which boast a substantially younger membership than Mudcat.