I was meaning to post this earlier but my ISP is playing up, so ,Not wishing to add fuel to a fire but I think it still needs saying
On this subject there seems to be a lot of " sound and fury "and sniping but it is simply the old Folk club question.. in a different context. Some times we want the familiar and to go and meet friends and hear familiar songs and singers where we are welcomed and supported, (and this is a real feeling and feature of the Snug for me) other times we want to hear someone new or different..
It is about Choice and if we can have choice, and I believe in this instance we can, then lets have it, divisive? NO , any more than the existence of 2 clubs in a town on the same night is, and NO ONE I hope would say shut one down so we all have to go to the remaining one..
Having said that, I and several others prefer, mostly, to sing with and to people we mostly know …and have felt intimidated from singing in the open room for what ever reason , and also from trying new material as well. Some of us are amateurs and may not be as comfortable with semi-public performance yet
I hear you Dave, but to some this Mudcat is a community, and when we meet (either in e-space or 3D) it is as friends, and we enjoy getting to know them over time. Some of the purpose of Paltalk, for me is just that, getting to know better some folks I already know, it is NOT excluding others, as the only criteria for admission are that you find the info on the Mudcat, you don't even have to be a member..
So I am in favour of having BOTH rooms running and people just have to choose… which is more their style… no conflict, Choice, between "HotnWet*MoaningPlayboysnplaygirlsSexorga*sm" and "Mudcat Tavern" or "Mudcat Snug", it is easy choose the one that fits your mood…The rest is baloney, "Divisive" , "cliquey"…only if YOU think so. I, for one, am glad that our community" can support 3 such interesting venues to cater for the diverse tastes of ALL the Folkies out there and it's up to all of us to support them.