I have scouted around many other groups over the years, some similar to this, and it is true (a) that some of the specialized groups certainly meet and build friendships; and (b) that other groups think they have a special kind of community. But I have often recommended this site to professional sociologists (one or two who work on Internet communities) because it does have some unique features.

One of the unique features is the ease of communication, which is entirely attributable to Max's design. I keep saying this, and it remains true.

Another unique feature is that the ethos of community is built up on the ethos of folk music, and has its own style of camaraderies, allowance for novices, spectators, and experts. It is that mix that is unique, as far as I know. Other sites are either open, or expert. This one has a kind of "semi-selective" quality which is fascinating.

Which brings me to the fact (as pointed out as if it were a criticism above) that there are indeed rules here, and regulars, and so on. The rules are rules of what one could call "open manners". Every site that works, just like every community that works, has some customs to keep it from flying apart or descending into bloodshed. I see no reason to apologise for the fact that over 5 years this site has evolved implicit manners. Because this is a virtual community, it needs more manners, not less, because the only thing we have to work with are words at a distance. The fact is that they have been tested and bitched about, and whenever people go too far past them, everyone goes "Oh, that's why we avoided doing that!" They are not arbitrary, they are the results of experience: how far off the chart can you go without wrecking what is both a resilient and a fragile sense of community. As a result, it is easy to vandalise this place temporarily; not so easy to crash it permanently when there are people to pick up the litter and mend the fences, and so on.

This is an old debate -- how much order do you need before you stifle vibrant originality and turn regulars into repressors? If you aren't a vandal, I haven't seen any evidence that anyone has been shut out. People get bored, disappointed, and leave, maybe. On balance, this place seems to have it about o.k. for the moment: it is easy to forget that anybody in the world can walk in here any time, shit, and leave. It is a quasipublic place, like chessplaying in the park. If the game or games don't interest you, or not much, you walk on. It is only selective in that sense. The space creates its own boundaries of interest and committment.

yours, Peter T.