I definitely agree. In recent days, to suggest someone visit The Tavern has been to recommend a VR drink, a public fight between folk club leaders, a concert, an exclusive club, and an open pub session.

As I stated in another thread, I believe the titles to invitations or notices of online song circles should emphasize that they are in fact live, online, acoustic song circles. Hanging a cute name on them is nice for Mudcat regulars, but a newcomer would not recognize them among the list of threads, as such, by the titles they have had.

Also, if threads that are started about these could include a brief description of what they are and how they work, who is admin for the open room of the moment, as well as the link, it would cut down on some of the karaoke confusion, maybe, as well as orienting people to what to expect. (Each admin can craft a statement that suggests how they "run" the thing-- haven't you been to open mikes that one person runs one way, and another runs some other way? Part of the responsibility of starting the thread, if you are an admin, could include recognition of the fact that there are lots of new people here all the time.)

This would be easier than it sounds-- just draft some boilerplate copy and put it on your clipboard to add each time, or even just a link to a thread that would describe it, as part of the opening post in such threads.

This would go a long way to dispelling the appearance that these are just for "me and my friends" which is a sense some people have unfortunately developed about you wonderful people who do the hard work to inititate and manage this amazing resource.

And please, get this stuff running right, would you???? *G* I am dying to come back to these again, and as soon as I get my new computer I hope to find PalTalk or whatever, humming! (That's how we say "Thanks for all your hard work" here in Tioga County, home of the backwards nicety, where people can hardly bear being appreciated unless you sneak it past them.)

~Susan