Calling all Lurkers!

Post by **sgt.null** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:07 am

Godiva (or Godgifu) (fl. 1040-1080) was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in England in order to gain a remission of the oppressive toll imposed by her husband on his tenants. The name "peeping Tom" for a voyeur comes from later versions of this legend in which a man named Tom watched her ride and was struck blind.

Post by **MsMary** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:46 am

matrixman wrote:Wow, MsMary...nine pages into this thread and you're still at it!

You're dedicated like Robocop and relentless like the Terminator.

Indeed!

Post by **thefirst** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:59 am

MsMary

Post by **MsMary** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:05 am

To be fair, I'm not the only one keeping this thread going.

Post by **aliantha** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:41 pm

That's true. Mostly it's the regular GenDisc crew; hardly any lurkers.

Post by **MsMary** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:33 pm

Indeed. It's rather disappointing.

I chalk it up to the theory that the lurkers go to other parts of the board and don't come to General Discussion, as a general rule. On the other hand, when I was lurking, this and announcements were the only places I came to, but that's cause I wanted to keep up with the people I know from KW.

At a couple of other forums where this was tried and actually did lure in the lurkers, there were many fewer forum topics to choose from.

Mostly, this thread has been me noticing lurkers.

Post by **aliantha** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:52 pm

I think we just have lurkers who are extremely determined to *stay* lurkers....

Post by **thefirst** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:14 pm

I've been known to lurk occasionally, so feel free to call me out when I do.

Post by **sgt.null** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:53 am

The term dates back to the mid-1980s. Because BBSs were often accessed by a single phone line (frequently in someone's home), there was an expectation that all who used a bulletin board would contribute to its content by uploading files and posting comments. Lurkers were viewed negatively, and might be barred from access by the sysop, if they did not contribute anything but kept the phone line tied up for extended periods.

By contrast, many modern Internet communities now advise newbies to lurk for some time to get a feel for the specific culture and etiquette of the community, lest they make an inappropriate or redundant comment, ask a Frequently Asked Question, or incite a flame war. This leads to the tongue-in-cheek command to "lurk more". The verb to "de-lurk" means to start contributing actively to a community having been a lurker previously.

There are also some who lurk on a forum habitually, and rarely, if ever, contribute. It is generally difficult to guess how many such lurkers are present, due to their silence. In flame-wars, a participant who is losing an argument will sometimes claim to receive email support from lurkers. This inspired Jo Walton to write a filk on the subject entitled "The Lurkers Support Me in Email".[

Post by **MsMary** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:03 am

aliantha wrote:I think we just have lurkers who are extremely determined to *stay* lurkers....

Maybe.

Post by **sgt.null** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:30 am

1: one that creeps: as a: a creeping plant b: a bird (as of the family Certhiidae) that creeps about on trees or bushes searching for insects c: a creeping insect or reptile
2: any of various devices used for creeping: as a: a fixture with iron points worn on the shoe to prevent slipping b: a low wheeled platform for supporting the body when working under an automobile
3: a usually one-piece garment for a child at the crawling age

Post by **MsMary** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:45 pm

Lurkers are not the same as creepers.

Post by **magickmaker17** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:08 pm

aliantha wrote:I think we just have lurkers who are extremely determined to *stay* lurkers....

sometimes I lurk because I'm too lazy to post a reply, or I don't care enough about the subject to want to insert my opinion (which I suppose is also laziness, in a way...)

Post by **balon!** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:16 pm

magickmaker17 wrote:
aliantha wrote:I think we just have lurkers who are extremely determined to *stay* lurkers....
sometimes I lurk because I'm too lazy to post a reply, or I don't care enough about the subject to want to insert my opinion (which I suppose is also laziness, in a way...)

Haha. That's EXACTALLY why I've been here since '02 but I only have four grand in posts.

Post by **sgt.null** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:26 am

lurker

Post by **Sorus** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:23 pm

Awww.....

Post by **thefirst** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:29 pm

Too cute to be a Lurker sgt.

Post by **MsMary** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 2:03 am

My daughter's lurking again. I think she has intentions of posting in the Last Chronicles Forum.

Post by **sgt.null** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:55 am

Post by **MsMary** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:32 am

I don't think that website like you linking to it, sarge.

Edit, that's funny, I just saw a hotlinking forbidden type icon, now I see a cute little puppy.

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

Calling all Lurkers!