Hello all. I've been thinking a lot about the amount of information and wisdom that has been accumulated at the Mudcat Cafe. When I think about doing research here, often the aspect of digging up old questions and answers outweighs the aspect of new questions.

So how could the archived threads be made more user-friendly? I think one possibility would be to do something we might call "index threads".

For example: right now I'm interested in threads about busking and about amplification. Suppose I made a thread called "Threads about busking" that contained 10 links to other threads (and little or no discussion), and another thread called "Threads about amplification" that just contained 12 links to relevant threads. Then in the "Permathread Index and Site Map" (second teal frosted thread) I would just post links to the two index threads that are my pet projects.

Alice has two threads already, about the Meaning of Folk and the Singing Voice, that would fit into what I'm imagining. Then anybody who was willing could start an index thread or three about their favourite topics - grouping together the song challenges, or discussions of specific Child ballads, or threads about string brands, or whatever. And there would be nothing stopping other people from adding links to other threads that were overlooked or to relevant articles elsewhere on the net.

An index thread as I propose it would be different from a Permathread in that it wouldn't be moderated, and that you wouldn't need to clear it with Max or Joe in order to start one - thus sparing our esteemed management the bother of having to authorize/train a bunch of people to start/moderate them.

It has been proposed that we put links to favourite threads in the Permathread Index and Site Map permathread, but I have reservations about this; I think that could get long and random. My intuition is that it would be better for me to post one thing "Threads about Busking" in that Permathread than 10 threads about busking.

Also, many people are already doing this to some extent, and making lists of links to other threads in the middle of discussions. This is great when it happens, but I have a feeling that it could be done more thoroughly and usefully if we had a deliberate system of making and listing index threads.

What do you think?

Marion