John, I follow what you're saying. When all is said and done, "folk" and "traditional" are simply not very precise terms. I'm happy with that, because I don't rely on these terms to convey anything too specific. I think that those who would try to make these terms precise after-the-fact are being unnecessarily exclusionary. This can cause a certain amount of chagrin on the part of those of us who feel that we should be recognized as participants in a folk tradition -- because of our status as singer-songwriters, not in spite of it.