Regarding what Mousethief said above, it is also my perception that there is an inner group of "Traditional Music Scholars" present on this forum, and these people have a great deal to offer in terms of shared knowledge. I often read the threads where they discuss such things as the background of Child Ballads, topics with which I have only a passing familiarity. I often find them interesting, sometime just too esoteric for my more contemporary and blues-oriented taste, but I very rarely post to them because, frankly, it feels like an intrusion. And the few posts I have made in those threads have sometimes been treated as off-topic interruptions, accompanied by a reprimand to "search the DT and Forum before posting". Such responses are not conducive to encouraging participation by those who might be considered Novices in the pursuit of Traditional Music topics, but I would suppose that that is the intent.

It occurs to me that a little sympathy and warmth in response to any well intentioned post, no matter how ignorant it may appear, could go a long way in spreading the knowledge that our resident Traditional Scholars possess.