People have asked what the damages are, or could possibly be, given that it is the internet--The damages are that people stop being involved, and they leave.

If you look at the activity level in this group, you will note that the roster is long only because there are many old threads that have been refreshed, and there are many threads that hang on because they pick up one or two new posts over the period of a few days. Not like it used to be, where a new thread often had twenty posts attached in an hour, and you could sign on several times a day and still not catch all the discussions.

There are also certain kinds of threads that are disappearing, the kind where people open up and talk about personal issues--people won't do that after they see someone get flamed by someone who thinks that the death of a family member or a divorce, or disabilities and chronic medical problems are a great target for crude humor--

If you think that those threads aren't important, remember that many of the members are geographically isolated, and there are not a few others who are shut-ins, for one reason or another--this is a welcome link to the outside for them--

Mostly though, this is only the on-line face of a larger music community, and that when people are alienated here, they are likely to withdraw a bit from the live music scene as well--and it isn't just that they stop going to concerts and group participation events, they stop their own efforts to make those events happen.