First impressions of Mudcat

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: gnu
Date: 14 Jan 11 - 02:02 PM

You can type it in a word processor, copy and post it.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: gnu
Date: 14 Jan 11 - 02:21 PM

I was looking for a recording of an old Irish song and found Mudcat. I posted. In little time, I had many answers... even one that named a movie with detailed info as to what time it was sung in the movie. I was stunned and, as I read more threads, I was amazed at the knowledge, the diversity, the friendlieness, the caring... and I enjoyed the humourous banter the most.

To comment on one "problem" encountered by some newbies - over the years, there have been some very unfriendly people here but they fell by the wayside, one way or another. Of course, I am guilty of being "very unfriendly" in return but that's because I don't know any better yet. >;-) Although, I must say I am far more tame than I used to be. Perhaps some don't notice this because I don't get involved in adversity as much... unless it involves myself or my friends. (Seroiusly, and you know who youse are, I have written a number of "testy replies" and not hit submit. What are you laughing for?)

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: Ebbie
Date: 14 Jan 11 - 02:38 PM

"I considered just walking away. I'm glad I didn't for two reasons; first, I am not one to walk away, and the second is, the one who jumped on me for asking an old question is now one of my favorite catter" Kendall

And had you walked away, Kendall, you may never have met Jacqui. :)

I have very few reservations about the 'Cat; I'm just glad it is here. And now that it is reliably here, I live without fear. :)

FWIW, the last few years whenever I quote something I found here to music friends, I always say: It was on 'mudcat.org', on the assumption that some will check it out. We should all be so lucky as to know about the Mudcat.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 14 Jan 11 - 04:15 PM

The large majority of people on here are 'Folkies' from divers parts of the world.. and it is such a wonderful place for researching Folk songs/tunes.... along the way we may venture into BS and have a heated or wrangling discussion but I have found most people are friendly and open minded. I did have an early problem with a certain M....n G....n from Chicago but even found that in PM'sthat he and I had some things in common. This has to be the BEST place for finding what you want to find re Folk related stuff... so compliments to the Management (Max/Joe etc etc)... who make this a site worthy of attention. Thanks Folks!!!

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: kendall
Date: 14 Jan 11 - 04:51 PM

Right clicking on the squiggly works for me. Hmmm, curious.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 14 Jan 11 - 04:55 PM

But do you get the squiggly in the mudcat reply box Kendall?
It works for me in a Word document but not here, though the 'Preview' is useful as you are more likely to spot typos if you use that before hitting 'Submit Message'.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Jan 11 - 06:59 PM

"I believe we shouldn't rely on first impressions."—Georgiansilver.

I believe we have to rely on first impressions most of the time. There simply isn't enough time to do otherwise. You go into a bookshop or a library and you see thousands of books. What do you do? Do you open up the first book you see, and start reading it? I'll bet you don't, and I don't either. If I see a book with a title like Chicken Soup for the Babysitter's Soul, I'm pretty sure it's a book I don't want to read. I hate to break it to people who believe in proverbs, but I have just judged a book by its cover.

And there are probably more worthless web sites than there are worthless books.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: John J
Date: 14 Jan 11 - 07:38 PM

I was a little apprehensive for my first few months on the Mudcat, preferring to watch rather than take part at first. But now you can't shut me up - I think the Mudcat and the good people on it are the dog's danglers.

I spend more time on the Mudcat than any other website - it's very friendly, incredibly informative....and just downright good!

And if it wasn't for Max it wouldn't be here - so three cheers for Max!!

JJ

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: GUEST,Morgana
Date: 14 Jan 11 - 09:44 PM

I first came across mudcat a year ago by googling lyrics for a song, but I didn't start posting until a couple of months ago. The first time I saw this site, I didn't realize it was a forum, but once I followed a link to the home page I was able to navigate it easily. In my personal opinion, posting, making links, etc. have been pretty self-explanatory here. I would not change anything.

I think this is a helpful site, and a genius idea. I don't post a lot online, but I have tried to check back here once in awhile and add to threads if I think there is something I can genuinely contribute to somebody's question. It's my way of trying to pay you all back for answering my questions.

Thank you.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: katlaughing
Date: 15 Jan 11 - 02:45 AM

As someone who has been here for over twelve years, it's been fun and interesting to follow this thread. Thanks to everyone for sharing.

As for the spelling thing, as far as I know, you have to have a small program added, which BillD recommends and/or , if you use Firefox, they have a small app you can download from their main page at Mozilla which has little red squiggly lines that show up for your transgressions.:-)

Welcome, welcome, welcome as Max used to say on Mudcat Radio. And, please don't hesitate to holler if you have any questions or need help.

kat, also a mod

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 15 Jan 11 - 05:33 AM

Mudcat's been great fun & a fine resource besides - worth it for the archived posts of the late Malcolm Douglas alone I shouldn't wonder. I don't like the PM thing at all (which is why I rarely sign in) nor do I like Joe Offer's Papal Infallibility or else the secret policing that goes on by way of moderation. More worrying is that most people here seem to think this in some way justified and comply accordingly even to the point of apologising! Free speech is a wondrous thing, folks - frank exchange likewise, all the more so when rooted in genuine passion for the subject - but it's not the once one has wandered in the realms of the Unmutual (or been named Troll) simply for expressing an opinion. Sad really, as we've have some great threads here - amongst my personal favourites was The re-Imagined Village, a general discussion on the nature of English Culture, Music & Folklife which was bounced down below the line by Pope Joe without a word of explanation after nigh on 900 posts.

Is it true that Mudcat is some social experiment along the lines of The Prisoner / Wicker Man? An online virtual religious community / personality cult that also serves as a fine resource for people genuinely interested in Folk Music? Here's a tale - I once unknowingly met a Mudcatter in the flesh at a festival / folk club / singaround and we got on like a house on fire, exchanging pints, songs and stories like we'd known each other all our lives. After a few hours the talk turned to Mudcat, my new friend asking me if I'd heard of it, and me telling him I had and what name I posted under. At this point his demeanour changed completely and he wandered off never to be seen again. Even last year I was openly talking Mudcat with fellow festival punters & performers, but this year I've resolved to rely on good old human contact; seems we folkies are weird enough anyway without the Mudcat factor getting in the way.

Times I've vowed never to post here again, and for very good reason (more free speech / PM issues!) but there's always something to come back for - and some fine & erudite people posting here who are a pleasure to read. People drift in and out, as people do, but at its best - and most human - it's a very good place to drift in & out of.

The people, Lord, thy people... etc.

S O'P

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: Mo the caller
Date: 15 Jan 11 - 06:53 AM

When I first had a computer linked to the internet and asked my daughter what to do with it she signed me up to Mudcat (hence the daft username).
One of my first questions was about easy music for another daughter learning the fife and I was staggered when someone offered to post me a booklet all the way from America.
So my first impression was helpfulness.
I've since learnt to be wary of threads once they get long since they often get argumentative and repetitive.

One thing would be helpful, the top of the page looks almost the same if you are a member or logged out (so I've recently been posting as 'guest' without realising it). If the top were different for guests it might be easier to signpost the essential info for novices. Even when I did realise I had to search around to find where to log in - as it's not something I often need.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: MartinRyan
Date: 15 Jan 11 - 07:12 AM

One thing would be helpful, the top of the page looks almost the same if you are a member or logged out (so I've recently been posting as 'guest' without realising it)

I think that's a very fair point. My own workaround has been to always leave one PM unarchived. That way, if I'm logged in when I arrive, I see the "You have 1 Message" highlight at the top of the page and it reminds me!

Regards

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 16 Jan 11 - 06:57 AM

One thing I've noticed is those that complain about a subject having already been discussed still want to get their ten-pennerth in. Simple solution, if an individual is fed up with a discussion subject, then don't participate in the thread.

This one is only an idea thrown in the pot. Could there be a third 'section'. One section on folk & blues related discussion, the BS section, and a third section for information requests on the understanding that it doesn't matter if questions have been asked/answered before?

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: framus
Date: 16 Jan 11 - 02:58 PM

For Jim - sorry for the delay.
My bing-bong might not have been my most profound analogy ever, but I just meant an audible indication, or even visual I suppose, that someone elsewhere is trying to contact you.
FB does it when I am tabbed between there and here, for example.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: Taconicus
Date: 16 Jan 11 - 03:11 PM

It's not at all obvious how to find one's way around in the Mudcat forums. It took me quite a while to figure out that (and how) I could locate something called "Mudcat Site Map and PermaThread Index" which would (if I scrolled down) take me to an area called "Finding Your Way around" with links to different form areas.

Most people are used to the type of online forum where there is a main forum page that lists all the different forum areas, right off the bat.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 Jan 11 - 08:48 PM

A lot of sites that have a log-in function also have a prominent message on every page saying either "You are logged in as [username]" or "You are not logged in."

Advice to Max: If you're serious about having a policy that people should not be "unnamed" then you should make it impossible to post without putting something in the "from" box. It's silly to have Joe go around nagging people to do this when you could easily force them to do it.

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Jan 11 - 04:07 PM

Some people do sort of miss the point of what Mudcat is all about. [I will provide examples in a separate message.]

Maybe we need some kind of mission statement.

Don't laugh. When a search engine takes me to an unfamiliar web site, if the site looks interesting, if I think I might want to bookmark it and come back someday, I usually want to know: What is this site all about? Especially, what is its scope and purpose?

I will usually click on the "home" page of the web site. Most sites will have the word "home" somewhere in the upper left corner of every page. (Mudcat doesn't)

Once I'm on the home page, I look for a link that says "about us." (There is no such link at Mudcat.) That usually takes me to a page that tells me things like (1) who owns the site (2) what its purpose and scope is (3) whether they allow users to contribute, and if so, what kind of submissions do they want (or not want)?

Here are some things I like to see in an "about us" page (although not every site provides it):

(4) Some information about the history of the web site. Who founded it, when, and for what purpose? (5) How big is it? (Not how many gigabytes, but how many songs does it have?) (6) How was the information collected? (7) How can I contact the owners/administrators of the web site?


Here are some examples from web sites I like and use a lot:

The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music:

The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music consists of over 29,000 pieces of American popular music. The collection spans the years 1780 to 1980, but its strength is its throrough documentation of nineteenth-century America through popular music. The collection is especially strong in music spawned by military conflicts from the War of 1812 through World War I, and minstrel music is also well-represented....

IN Harmony (at Indiana University):

IN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana is a search and discovery system for accessing sheet music from the Indiana University Lilly Library, the Indiana State Library, the Indiana State Museum, and the Indiana Historical Society. Funded through a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), IN Harmony features Indiana-related sheet music - sheet music by Indiana composers, arrangers, lyricists or publishers as well as sheet music about the state....

Bodeian Library Broadside Ballads:

The Bodleian Library has unparalleled holdings of over 30,000 ballads in several major collections. The original printed materials range from the 16th- to the 20th-Century. The Broadside Ballads project makes the digitised copies of the sheets and ballads available to the research community.
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford

The Irish Music & Dance Association:

The Irish Music and Dance Association is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit cultural and educational organization established to support, coordinate, encourage and promote high quality activities and programs in Irish music and dance in the Twin Cities community. We hope to foster greater awareness, understanding, appreciation of and participation in the traditional arts of Ireland and related cultural traditions.

CD Baby:

Who are we?
The Short Answer:
CD Baby is the largest online distributor of independent music. CDBaby.com (the site you're on right now!) is our quaint little record store where we hope you will discover your next favorite artist.
[In•de•pen•dent: (adj.) Not having sold one's life, career, and creative works over to a corporation.]
The Long Answer:
From our humble beginnings more than a decade ago....

honkingduck 78s:

78s on honkingduck
Audio
Listen to over 700 recordings of Old Time Music from the original 78 rpm records....
Discography
View lots and lots of discographical data on 78s....

Subject: RE: First impressions of Mudcat
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Jan 11 - 05:22 PM

I was not terrifically internet literate when I chose to find mudcat at someone's suggestion, less than two years ago. I was at sea and drowning so I asked someone for HELP! My frustration was so great this person kindly suggested this might not be the best place for me. Because I knew it was important to someone who is important to me, I persevered.

I find it interesting, helpful and oft times enjoyable. I used to be most annoyed at "silly" posts, argumentative posts, "how can they go on and on like that?" threads, etc. Recently, I realized that I need to "trace" when I post so I can go back and see what happens next! Terrific! And I do not have to read that which is, to me, ..... And I can respect that some people are actually enjoying those.... having fun with them.

But most importantly, I have found this a basically caring community to the point that I mentioned it at Quaker meeting a few weeks ago. No matter what someone says or how annoyed people get with some posters, when the chips are down, people CARE how that person is doing. This may not always be true but it is more true than not. And that makes it a very special "place" to be.

I am still not ready to try a blue clicky. Maybe next week.