I am coming the opposite way of most folk here I would guess. I frequent rec.music.folk, and just learned about Mudcat through the so-called "Duffers" thread. Someone named Helen (there is also a Mudcat "member" listed simply as Helen) started another thread about the reaction to Abby Sale's post here on Mudcat.

Someone in that second thread then came in mocking some people who are apparently Mudcat regulars, and of course, some people who appear also to be Mudcat regulars have entered the fray.

Without wanting to start a crossposted cyberspace flame war, may I ask just what is going on? Is there some competition between the two forums or something? I admit to only lurking here yesterday, to see if I could get a sense of things. It is true there seems to be a lot of enmity between your members and your guests, and that this is not an on-topic for music sort of place. And that there is some disagreement among Mudcat posters about the quality of the forum and the accuracy and usefulness of the DT. But I don't see any sort of discussion of rec.music.folk going on.

So, rather than post in what clearly has a potential to going to a flame war, I thought I would stick a toe in the water and ask here instead. Is there some competition between Mudcat and rec.music.folk?