I enjoy discussions on the threads because of the lack of necessity for immediate response. I need to mull over a point for awhile before I comment. And then, I like the opportunity to mull over the comment before I actually submit it. You just can't do that effectively in normal conversation.

It is just one more reason why I try to avoid arguments. I can never think of what to say until much too late. Clever repartee is not something I am normally capable of in the immediacy of the moment. So I often back away without comment and am misconstrued as having either nothing to say or that I actually agree with what has been said. Quite frustrating, actually.

Here, I can quietly lurk around and privately decide whether to comment and what to say. And if I don't comment, usually no one is aware. I like that.

As to song circles, I have never been in one. I would LOVE the opportunity! But there doesn't seem to be one around these parts. Being a university town, many of the "folkies" are somewhat transient. I rarely get to know many of them. I envy those who have regular Thursday-night sessions, etc. You learn so very much from one another.