Its after work and I should be doing some housework/gardening/ironing/cooking BUT the whole family is away and I've been glued to MUDCAT for hours for the first time since I ever found it. It's great. I've even posted a couple of comments today. (Oh no, could they be one of the "thread killers" I just read about? I'm only just getting the hang of this and I know I tend to be rather formal.)

I've read all kinds of threads - some helpful, some amusing, some not so - but every one of them allows Mudcatters and guests to express their opinions - and others to respond. I am not any kind of a musician - I just love singing - and I cannot contribute (or even understand) some of the real music issues that are under discussion at times.

So ... why is this cafe so compelling to a non-musician?

Because - (1) There is a great sense of community from so many different nations and such a wide range of subjects are up for discussion - this isn't only a folk/blues site.

(2) The sense of humour (British spelling - a bit of a give-away?)is equally good. The BS threads made me laugh out loud at times - a bit embarassing while I'm sitting here all on my own (for one night only . . .HURRAH!!) and relating only to a computer screen. But there you go. Sad or happy - guess!?

(3) The help: did I need that when I first found Mudcat (it seems ages ago now, but it was only in March). I posted a "help" message and within no time at all I had replies (thanks to Jon Freeman especially).

(4) I've read quite a lot of threads that seems to upset people and cause them to make quite aggressive responses - in a lot of cases, the first posting seems to be either a "tongue in cheek" message (which seems then taken far too seriously by some but with great hilarity by others) or a topic which was intended to generate polarised views - and why not? My only comment would be that the nasty replies, which often are personal in nature, should not be posted for "public consumption" when there are personal pages for suchlike.

These threads will not diminish the enjoyment of Mudcat by such as myself.

One can choose which threads to read after all.

Susie