Whatever the problems posters present IMHO Mudcat performs a valuable service not provided elsewhere. The other forums I post to are very specialised and have a relatively small number of members. Here, whatever your views are you will always find someone to contradict you and that must surely be healthy and beneficial. In order to keep my research cutting edge I feel I need to bounce ideas off a wide range of people. I don't get this on the forums where just about everyone is in agreement because we're all singing from the same hymnsheet.

Yes, sometimes the aggression can be wearing, but it can also be quite amusing. There are plenty of witty people here, and I for one am happy to take the rough with the smooth.

I hold my hand up as one who has used sarcasm in the past and I regret that and try nowadays to keep it under control, just posting positive comments.