Given the number of members and GUESTs who use Mudcat, it's simplicity is a huge advantage. I run a little forum - just 63 members at the moment,but growing - which uses free Ning technology, and even with that small number of members, reading the latest interactions can be be hugely complex and time intensive. (You can see Ning in action at the Acoustic Guitar Community site).

The ability to post videos, music, pics, profiles, blogs, forum comments, etc., is great - for a small site - but it doesn't make for the immediacy and intimacy of Mudcat.

And let's face it, we all want to be intimate with 'Spaw, don't we?