One BIG reason to NOT take Mudcat into the MySpace/Facebook realm is that will impair its accessibility in many situations.
Right now, I can get to Mudcat from work. Any link to MySpace or Facebook is blocked: "Personal relationships: access forbidden." In going whole-hog "social networking," the end result is that people with any sort of netnanny restrictions - students in highschools and some colleges, and possibly libraries - will be blocked. Not a good thing.

I like the way Mudcat functions. I don't want all the tricky stuff. I came to Mudcat through using Digitrad, and I still use the forums mostly to get information about songs and events.

I have to be persuaded with gifts, flattery, and significant bribes to look at Facebook, even for friends.

I avoid MySpace like the plague, after having a stranger set up a page using my email address, I found myself wading through @100 unwanted emails/day from that source.

I've been a long time member of AOL (one of the first million suckers...) but since they turned their profiles over to the BEBO networking site, I've deleted all of mine and don't/won't/can't access profiles of others I talk with there. The giving away of my profile and info to this sort of entity pissed me off ENTIRE.
One "social networking" aspect I DO like on AOL is having a "buddy list" that lets you know if your friends are online. Combine that with instant messaging that can be limited to ONLY that buddy list, and I'm all for it. I don't want to give up privacy or be deluged with emails/IMs to have that benefit, however.

I succumbed to the lure of having a blog though I'm bad at keeping up with it, and I can't see any need for Twitter or the like: anyone who wants my blather can get it on my blog.

I, too, would like the option of being able to edit my messages after they've posted.

Joanne in Cleveland