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Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:07 am
by sgt.null
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.
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:46 am
by MsMary
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!

Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:59 am
by thefirst
MsMary

Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:05 am
by MsMary
To be fair, I'm not the only one keeping this thread going.

Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:41 pm
by aliantha
That's true. Mostly it's the regular GenDisc crew; hardly any lurkers.

Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:33 pm
by MsMary
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.

Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:52 pm
by aliantha
I think we just have lurkers who are extremely determined to *stay* lurkers....
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:14 pm
by thefirst
I've been known to lurk occasionally, so feel free to call me out when I do.

Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:53 am
by sgt.null
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".[
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:03 am
by MsMary
aliantha wrote:I think we just have lurkers who are extremely determined to *stay* lurkers....
Maybe.
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:30 am
by sgt.null
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
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:45 pm
by MsMary
Lurkers are not the same as creepers.

Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:08 pm
by magickmaker17
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...)
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:16 pm
by balon!
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.

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:26 am
by sgt.null
lurker
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:23 pm
by Sorus
Awww.....
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:29 pm
by thefirst
Too cute to be a Lurker sgt.
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 2:03 am
by MsMary
My daughter's lurking again. I think she has intentions of posting in the Last Chronicles Forum.
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:55 am
by sgt.null
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:32 am
by MsMary
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.