I do see a change in the tone of some of the messaging from people here at the Mudcat, as Rick and Kat have just said ... even if we can rise above the sh*t and move away from the idiot posts, you still find yourself being a bit more guarded about what you respond to, and how. That is unfortunate. I like to think we could all be comfortable with responding more naturally.

I am surprised sometimes, by thoughts/subjects that are expressed here in threads that I think would be fascinating - and then they die a quick death! But, that's just the way it goes, I guess. I remember one such thread several months back about Shenendoah. There was some good feedback - but very little, and the thread disappeared quickly - now, I see it brought back to life and it has lasted longer in this iteration then it did originally!

Rick you are a well known and well respected Mudcatter, and I believe that puts you in the sights of the hate mongers, sometimes. Kat you too are a bit of a high profile Mudcatter, with your well spoken perspectives, your strong opinions and your humor. Again, you seem to have attracted more then your share of troll attacks. Spaw has taken a couple of whacks too, as have, I presume others. I don't read all the threads, so I don't always catch the stuff.

The good news though is, most Mudcatters recognize immediately the sh*t as sh*t - and the good threads still out number the bad. I have gone weeks when I have very little to say, and weeks when I post frequently. But even in the quiet weeks, I visit the site almost daily. It's nearly always worth my time.