I'm a comparative newcomer to the 'Cat - my first post was in August 2008 - but I've been a regular reader and irregular contributor to it since then, and it's interesting to see how it has changed in just the last 6 years.

One of the interesting things that struck me as a newbie in '08, and still strikes me today, is the subconscious, but very definite, division of the membership into what I might call the "Old Guard" and the rest. And I hope that term is acceptable. There are many Old Guard members here who were here at the start of Mudcat, who recall its early days and the things it represented - some of them are even Mods - and who have common bonds and relationships both musical and personal. This can be a daunting start for a new member of any forum, not just Mudcat, but it's something one has to live with. This is not to cast aspersions on the Old Guard by any means, and I've rarely had a problem with being a new-ish member of Mudcat, but it's a fact.

One of the other interesting things is that the average age of the membership is quite high. I did a trawl about a couple of years ago (I think) and, by the age info from those who replied, the average turned out to be around 70 or 71 years of age. That's pretty high by many forum standards. What we're seeing at the moment is increasing reports of illness and - very sadly indeed - the deaths of much-loved and long-standing members. I'm 70 myself this year, and still feel as frisky as a flea for most of the time - and there are good ol' guys and gals here much older than me. But what will we all look like and where will we all be in, say, ten years time? What of the 'Cat then?

There's also been a significant change in the type of posts and contributions to posts, mainly "below the line" in the B.S. section. I've rarely contributed much to this, preferring personally to discuss music rather than, say, religion and politics. It's obvious from the current crop of postings that many members have stopped posting down there, or even altogether, because of the nature of the discussions. I look at them myself from time to time and consider many of them to be a waste of space, what with personal insults and the endless circuitous arguments coupled with the seeming impossibility of anyone ever changing their minds or engaging in any kind of agreement. It seems to me that many members, including particularly those I've called the Old Guard have got fed up with the same feuding few accusing endlessly accusing each other of ignorance, lying, blah, blah and blah. It's a sad comment that one of Spaw's last comments in a thread was how "pissed off" he was with the Cat. Who could have blamed him?

So where will we all be in ten years' time - assuming we're still here - and what will Mudcat look like as the membership subtly changes? Was it all very "cosy" ten years ago - cosier and friendlier and more of a community than now - and, that's the case, will it be even less friendly and cosier in the future?