Greetings,  At the risk of defending the status quo, I would like to
point out what I see as three important advantages of the present
format of the MMD.  First, it arrives effortlessly and automatically
in our inboxes virtually every day (thanks to a lot of work by Robbie
and Jody).   I don't have to go look for it and log in.  That may seem
trivial, but I know from experience with other forums that I only
bother to check them about once a month.

Second, MMD covers _all_ aspects of mechanical music.   Although my
interest is in mechanical organs and reproducing pianos, I've learned
a lot about musical boxes and even whistling figures in the past couple
years.  More focused forums do not serve those with eclectic interests,
or facilitate the kind of cross-pollination of ideas that makes this
hobby so interesting.

Finally, the searchable MMD Archive is a wonderful resource.

Best regards,
John Wolbach