Greetings all,  My opinion on the proposal for MMD to host a so-called
forum or 'chat room' is negative.  If one looks at the subscribers to
MMDigest, a limited number of 2000 folks or so, they are either in the
restoration business or a serious collector, or someone that has enough
interest in getting an old instrument working to Google the subject.

My guess is that an individual's occasional request for help are not
coming from paid members; but that is neither here nor there.  Those
requests are always answered from someone who knows the answer or where
to look for it.  That is great -- they have a place to come for help,
information, and education, and everyone that gets this kind of support
is a potential enthusiast and member of one or more of the collector
groups that we belong to.

This being said, any question I've had concerning my small collection
of nickelodeons, Marshall and Wendell Ampico A/B, or Wurlitzer B
orchestrion have been readily answered by professionals in the business
of restoration, or someone that had a similar instrument or issue to
be solved.  A lot of this expert advice came via MMD.

Two of my instruments have MIDI interfaces, thanks to postings from
pioneers over the years (which are still in the Archives), and contacts
worldwide with those pioneers.   You won't get that kind of help from
a chat room.

Most of us have 'cut our teeth' on an old player piano of some sort.
This should be encouraged to enthusiasts that have the interest in
the mostly 'free' instruments available nowadays.  The MMD Archives has
a wealth of material on the subject.  Direct the interest there, not
to hearsay by someone that found old raincoats and Elmer's glue to work
to get the old machine going.  We have all been there, done that!

Don't promote a chat room; keep it with our very generous professionals
and collectors that really do have information to always help the rest
of us out.  Join one or more of the great enthusiast societies like
AMICA, MBSI, PPG, MBSGB, COAA, etc., and don't forget to support MMD --
there is nowhere else to get global support on mechanical music issues.

Thanks Robbie, Matthew and Jody, and everyone that contributes to this
great resource.

Regards,
Larry Emmons