It's time for the Unknown Posters thread.

[Exgineer]

You know the folks I'm talking about.

I'll be reading a thread, and I'll see a sharp, concise, thoughtful post, look at the username and think "I've never seen that guy before."

Then I look closer and see that the person has been registered here for two years and has about 75 posts.

The habitual lurkers, that's who I'm talking about.

They have their reasons, and I'm not going to call for all such members to come out and post because that would be rude. They want to lurk, let them lurk. Not everybody is a shameless attention whore like me.

I would like for the rest of you to nominate candidates for the "Our Favorite Lurker" award, which won't amount to much, because I could probably finance a cheese sandwich and a beer. If and only if you can get your own butt to Albany. I ain't paying airfare.

I'd like to nominate Bippy the Beardless, but he doesn't really count since he's been posting lately.

Who's your nominee?

[SirLurksalot]

ME?

[Earthworm Jim]

The problem with a thread like this is the posters in question fade back into the shadows in which they lurk.

I know I've seen a few, but of course can't think of a single name.

Until some lurker steps forth, I nominate handy in honor of all those lurkers. He can spare a few posts :)

[Cleanup]

I just registered today and I'm already posting too much.

I know. I'm invading your thread. You shall wither and die.

Do it now! Mmfghbk!

[Lobsang]

I post often and am still not recognisable.

I agree with your first statement Cleanup

[SRB]

Well, ok, me then! I fit the bill exactly!!!!!!!! I"ve been here off and on again for ...what? A year or so? I very rarely post, but everyone here has always been very gracious to me. I am STILL looking for the answer to the Great Question of Mankind; what was the song the Three Stooges finger-snapped? I maintain it was Beethoven's Fifth In D Minor.

<twiddling thumbs here,waiting for confirmation...jeeeeeeez, I was sure someone here would KNOW>

[beegirl13]

I'm unknown. But I post more than a lurker, and lurk more than most posters. I am also not particularly sharp, concise, or thoughtful. I suppose that's exactly why I'm unknown.

::fades back into the shadows, but not the deepest, darkest ones::

[Exgineer]

Whoo boy.

Evidently this was a bad idea. I did consider the point Beelzebubba raised, but I thought with the thousands of active posters we gould get some sort of synergy going. Apparently not.

I hope I didn't discourage anyone, because I really didn't want to see things like this:
::fades back into the shadows, but not the deepest, darkest ones::Sorry.

[DirkGntly]

beegirl13 and I have a lot in common...and she said it better than I could.

[SRB]

Ok, ok...I vote for Beezalbub or whomever....as long as they don't fade into the shadows......

[JonScribe]

Originally posted by beegirl13
I'm unknown. But I post more than a lurker, and lurk more than most posters. I am also not particularly sharp, concise, or thoughtful. I suppose that's exactly why I'm unknown.

::fades back into the shadows, but not the deepest, darkest ones::

Haven't we met?

[generica]

I don't know that I've ever made a "sharp, concise, thoughtful post" on this board, but I have been lurking around for a few years now.

Y'all are intimidating, and there are so many people on the board that apparently think the way I do - someone has generally already posted what I was going to say before I can get around to it. So mostly I lurk instead.

[Lute Skywatcher]

Originally posted by Lobsang
I post often and am still not recognisable. I post often and am recognizable, at least I think I am. My problem is that I have a somewhat unconventional posting style here which tends to be on the facetious side. I'd say the only time anyone can be sure I'm being completely serious here is when I come right out and say so or when I'm providing a cite for somthing. Sure, this can cause problems when someone not familiar with my style happens along one of my more eccentric posts but that's usually cleared up in short order. Then there's times when keeping the other guy off balance is more fun, like in a certain current pit thread.

[SRB]

are we venturing into existenlialism here? lurking more than posting...posting more than lurking? :)

[Lute Skywatcher]

:)
In my case, I thought I should explain myself to the lurkers to avoid any future problems.

[Exgineer]

beegirl13 and DirkGntly are exactly the sort of people I'm talking about.

Whatever she may think, beegirl13's post illustrated the exact point I was trying to make. It was, in fact, concise, direct, well thought out, and directly to the point. DirkGntly also doen't post often, but now that I see his name I can recall reading his posts and thinking highly of the guy.

I'm really not trying to make people uncomfortable, or cajole them into posting more.

I was just trying to point out that we have a lot of members who don't read the boards top-to-bottom every day and thus don't post often, but still have a lot to contribute.

When they feel like it.

I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this thread. Should I e-mail a mod and ask for it to be closed, or am I just getting the vapors?

[Lute Skywatcher]

Don't worry, Exgineer. AFIK, all the other lurker-centric threads turned out fine and I don't see why this one should be any different. I'm just here by a twist of fate; besides, doesn't the law of averages say there will always be at least one black sheep in a herd?
:D

[SRB]

Nah....its just the vapors, hon!!!!!! :)

[sunstone]

I read the forums for about 18 months before I registered in July of 2002. Since that time I've posted about 150 times.

I only post if I have something that I think is relevant and unique...and I don't have anything to add to what the other posters are writing. This doesn't mean I'm not interested; I spend part of nearly day reading the forums.

Also, it seems that sometimes I kill threads, especially those with scientific questions. So that is a concern of mine...I don't like to see the thread die after I post.

I wouldn't call myself a lurker. Think of the fairly quiet guy who only speaks on occasion.

[irkenDoom]

originally posted by beegirl13

::fades back into the shadows, but not the deepest, darkest ones::

OW! Hey, look where you're stepping, you almost tripped over me... It's kinda crowded in here, y'know.

::doesn't really bother to fade into the shadows, never really steps out of them in the first place::

[SRB]

hmmmmmmm...from the look of things, there is more black sheep in the herd than we heard about. LOL Do we need a Black Sheep Thread?

[lel]

Exgineer, I think this thread is a great idea. While I prefer not to list names for fear that I'll miss somebody there's a number of lurkers here that have posted insightful things, been kindly lurkers, and contributed to the boards in great ways. Can I just say yay lurkers?

PS: For the longest time, I thought my location was unique. :smack: I shall now defer to generica.

[Slip Mahoney]

Who are you guys?

[Exgineer]

Okay, have another nominee.

sunstone

That's exactly the way I felt for the longest time. I didn't even register for a considerable period. When WallyM7 passed away I thought about it, but I figured that no one would know who I was, and dismiss my commisseration out of hand.

I was afraid I'd be "hollered at" or "lectured" because I wasn't a resident member of the community, so to speak.

I finally made myself register in February of 2002, and then the board crashed for a month or so, and I had to do it again.

Then I started posting. Nobody knew who I was, nobody had ever heard of me before, and yet, every single last poster on this board was nice to me. In fact, there are a few I would like to meet in person just so I can shake their hands and say "thank you."

I'm naturally shy. I'm the guy who sits in the corner at parties and doesn't talk to anybody. I'm the guy who's afraid to talk to strangers. I'm the pathetic little lump over there that can be safely ignored.

Not here.

On these boards I can talk to other prople about things that interest me, because I'm typing instead of talking.

Sheesh. That looks like a rant.

And maybe I did actually mean to draw some lurkers out.

We misanthropes need friends to.

[d_redguy]

Hi.

Habitual luker here. I have been posting more often lately.

I usually work b/c I am reading this at work normally. I work 3rd shift. Conversation in here is usually low in the wee hours...so I just read.

But I've been coming outta my shell more and more. Which may or may not be a good thing. :p

[SRB]

Well, I'm very pleased to meetcha all! <shaking hands all around>

[DreadCthulhu]

Hello, I lurked here for about 18 months before I registered.

[Siddhartha Vicious]

I've certainly lurk a lot more than I post. I do read the boards almost everyday, but find that I have little to say. Most of the time, when I happen on a thread, it seems like other people have made the same points I would've made. Or I'm at work, and don't want to get caught writing a long response to a thread about oral sex.

[Siddhartha Vicious]

Eep. Make that "happen upon a thread I would like to contribute to."

[auntnut]

Originally posted by JonScribe
Haven't we met?



I am about 5 miles north of you..............mayhaps we have?

[Qwisp]

I guess you could say I lurk more than post. I go in spurts, this is my forth or fifth post today. Usually What I want to say has already been said, or I'm being lazy and figure if I wait long enough someone will pipe in with what I was going to say anyhow. What tends to mildly bug me is that I feel I as if I know everyone here as well as our more prolific posters, but because they don't know me, my posts tend to be blown off and very seldom replied to *pout, pout*:(

[Nurobath]

I've been lurking for a long time. I'll read at least a little bit here every day (almost). I rarely post because I usually feel like I don't have much to offer in the way of insightful commentary or that I've come up with the perfect response only to see that someone else has gone and stolen it right out of my head and posted before me.

I also seem to be pretty adept a killing threads but I figure it's just because no one can top my post so you all just give up on the thread. ;) (I'm trying to stay positive)

Actually, I haven't really posted anything useful or interesting on the boards yet but I'm having fun (and not causing trouble) so I guess that's what matters. :)

[ghostrider]

I just discovered these boards a couple of weeks ago. Something had led me to one of Cecil's pieces last year, I bookmarked the site, totally forgot it, noticed it recently, noted that there were boards, lurked a bit....

Someone posted a question about sinus problems, one of the few things on which I am a lay expert! So I registered & answered.

I also know a fair amount about tea, & a little about a lot of other things.

As someone noted above, in the short time I've been bouncing around here, I usually find that what I want to say on subjects that interest me has already been said. Frequently better than I would. If it's particularly well said, I try to post something to acknowledge that. Otherwise I go lurk on another thread.

And it's darned hard to keep track of everything here, since I'm already pretty heavily involved with 2 other boards. But it's a fascinating place!

[Wysiwig]

If everybody who came to the Board every day posted (1.3 million???( we would get nothing done...

Also I cannot answer all the questions, the one on the meaning of life still has me baffled.

[Latino Yoshi]

Like others have said before, I spent over a year reading these boards without registering, including all throughout the board shutdown. I had spent another few months before that entertained with Cecil's columns before I ventured to the boards to see what they were all about.

I read the boards almost everyday, but it wasn't until this thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=145459) that I felt absolutely compelled to post.

[lokij]

/me peeks out...

Umm... I guess this thread would apply to me. I've been here for awhile, reading longer than I'm actually registered.

Don't know that I could be accused of being concise however.

I have been posting quite a bit more lately.

[Violet]

Originally posted by Exgineer
Not everybody is a shameless attention whore like me. :eek:
~ former lurker....

[Cicero]

I don't post. Even this post can be discounted.

[Marlitharn]

lurks in to say...

I like it in the shadows and dark. I work nights. If I go out in the daylight I'll burst into flames.

lurks back out, tripping over beegirl13

[Amazingrace]

I'd say I fit the bill. I'm full of excuses. Every time I try to post a response, I discover that I'm not logged in. Then I forget my password. Then I have to find the thread again. Then I give up. Quitters never win, I know...

[Why A Duck]

What about us old-timers who used to post like maniacs, but now can only manage about once a week (if we're lucky).

[SRB]

I'm pleased to see all of you and promise to be more vigilant here; often by the time I see a notification, there are other replies, so mine is sooooooooo far below the one I wanted to respond to, it destroys the flow of the conversation, so I hesistate a lot.

I do wish there were a way to reply to a specific post....but there doesn't seem to be a way to do that unless I get there the second it's posted, so I can choose "reply to" and its not out of order. EEEEEEEEPS!!!

[roadrunner70]

Originally posted by sunstone
I only post if I have something that I think is relevant and unique...

me too! :D

[SRB]

HEYA, Superbee!!! Nice to meet you!

[lel]

Originally posted by Qwisp
What tends to mildly bug me is that I feel I as if I know everyone here as well as our more prolific posters, but because they don't know me, my posts tend to be blown off and very seldom replied to *pout, pout*:(

Actually, I recall that I specifically like to read your posts.

Originally posted by SRB
I'm pleased to see all of you and promise to be more vigilant here; often by the time I see a notification, there are other replies, so mine is sooooooooo far below the one I wanted to respond to, it destroys the flow of the conversation, so I hesistate a lot.

That happens to me quite a bit too. I should probably be more conscious of it and post less when my post would disrupt the flow of the conversation.

[SRB]

Oh, I don't know...maybe if we disrupted more, we'd get to know each other better! LOL

[jlzania]

Waves and then slinks back into the corner

[Exgineer]

Hey, everybody.

Thanks for coming out to play with us blabbermouths. Y'all look like really nice people.

Posting a lot carries a risk of revealing my true ignoramousness,* but I figure it's worth it.

Like I said, I'm an attention whore, and even having people says stuff like "geeze, Exgineer, you're a complete dumbass" is better than being ignored.

Lord, I'm pathetic. If I had any real self respect I'd just lurk too.







*See?

[odd-socks]

*peers around*

Greetings.

[Toffe]

OK, since you seem to be wanting to draw out the habitual lurkers anyway - hello!

Before I post I:
-check if someone has already said what I was planning to say
-check if I might actually be making a somewhat useful, relevant, and interesting contribution
-check if I'm going to say something very controversial that might draw me into a massive argument that I can't be bothered to have
-make sure I'm not going to offend anybody.

Naturally that means I very rarely post. Of course, note that this post goes against points one and two above. :dubious:

[leafrog]

Does it seem to some of you other long term lurkers out there that a majority of your posts are in threads like this one?

[SRB]

Are we that anal here that we can't understand a casual response? Now I'm scared.

[Stephi]

Originally posted by leafrog
Does it seem to some of you other long term lurkers out there that a majority of your posts are in threads like this one?

Yeah. I tend to hang around in the BBQ Pit, MPSIMS, and IMHO. I like easy, friendly conversation.

I avoid GD like the plague, mostly because I don't like debating, and I'm not very good at it. :)

I'm another one of those "I won't bother posting if someone's already said what I was thinking" posters. But every once in a while, I'll come up with something thoughtful or insightful. Or so I hope. :)

[Kantalooppi]

I... well... have a quite low post count compared to the time I've spent here registered (and I lurked for some time before that). Do I count?

[SlightDistrurbance]

I want to post more often, really. But like others have said, someone, or two, or more, have come in and already stated what I was going to say. And not wanting to be remembered as the "Me Too" poster, I just wade through and post when I have something unique to say.
I've never posted something that anyone would remember, I'm sure. And I don't lurk in the total darkness, I'm in that half gray area before you hit the darkness. I can see them coming and going that way.

[Qwisp]

Thanks lel Now that I've finally had some recognition I can die happy(or at least lurk for a week or two before I post again):D

[generica]

originally posted by lel
PS: For the longest time, I thought my location was unique. I shall now defer to generica

Y'know, I thought I was so clever when I thought up this username years ago (I've been using it since about 1995, on a non-internet BBS). Imagine my chagrin when I did some vanity searches and found out that a lot of other people used it too. Hasn't stopped me from using it, though. :)

[Exgineer]

Originally posted by Toffe
OK, since you seem to be wanting to draw out the habitual lurkers anyway - hello! Not my intention at all.

I obviously can't force people to post against their will. I want to thank the "lurkers" who posted in this thread because I like interacting people on this board, and now I have a bunch more to wave "hello" to in passing.

I shouldn't have used the term "lurkers" in the first place, though. The folks I was addressing are registered and are valued members of our little community. Maybe "occational and selective posters" would have been better.

As many people have said here, sometimes you don't post in a thread because someone else already stated your point. Heck, that's why most of my posts are in MPSIMS instead of GD or GQ.

I would, however, like to encourage those who are reluctant to post to realize that there is no penalty for doing so. No one is judging you.

You don't have to be six feet tall, you don't have to be a hypergenius, and you don't have to be head-turningly beautiful.

All you have to do is not be a jerk, and I haven't see a glimmer of one in this thread.

Sheesh, just wait until Monday, open the RueDeDay thread, and stick something in there. Whatever you put out there can't be any worse than what the rest of us do.

Or don't. My opinion ain't worth spit, and no body is required to listen to me.

[Exgineer]

Oh, yeah.

At me to the list of people who recognize Qwisp username and value his posts.

[Exgineer]

Or "add me to the list."

That makes a tad more sense.

[vl_mungo]

(0.21 posts per day)
Seems as though Amazingrace, leafrog and generica have the records, though

[Anita Vacation]

I'd post more often, but I usually make the mistake of visiting the pit first and get scared off.

[Johnny Pebs]

Originally posted by generica
I don't know that I've ever made a "sharp, concise, thoughtful post" on this board, but I have been lurking around for a few years now.

Y'all are intimidating, and there are so many people on the board that apparently think the way I do - someone has generally already posted what I was going to say before I can get around to it. So mostly I lurk instead.
What s/he said... except for the intimidating part.

Pebs

[lel]

*disrupts the flow of this conversation to greet SRB* :)

Exgineer, I like reading your opinions and listening to you, and please don't you think of going back to lurking!

SlightDistrurbance, your username looks really familiar. Although I don't yet remember your posts, I'll try to do so in the future.

Qwisp, get back out here too! I've read entirely too few Qwisp posts lately!

generica, I shall change my location in honor of you. :D

[SRB]

Dang...just what I love...I good disruption!!!! LOL HI, lel!!!!!

[Shirley Ujest]

Before I post I:
-check if someone has already said what I was planning to say
-check if I might actually be making a somewhat useful, relevant, and interesting contribution
-check if I'm going to say something very controversial that might draw me into a massive argument that I can't be bothered to have
-make sure I'm not going to offend anybody.



BAH! That hasn't stopped 99% of us in MPSIMS and IMHO where the unoffical motto is Validating Our Low Self Worth 2.3 posts a day. :) ButThose people in GD are a bunch o'einsteins and they know their poop.

[ladybug]

I think my mom, Sapphyre Rose, qualifies as an unknown poster. She's been registered since November 2002, and she has five posts. She rarely posts here because:

a) she's still fairly new to message boards, and
b) she thinks everyone will think it's weird that she only has five posts even though she's been a member for more than two years. (I tell her that's not true, but it doesn't help.)

I figure if nothing else, she'll show up in this thread to yell at me. :D

[ladybug]

Originally posted by ladybug
She's been registered since November 2002.

Make that November 2000. :smack:

::grumble:: And I previewed, too.

[Qwisp]

Qwisp, get back out here too! I've read entirely too few Qwisp posts lately!

I don't know what's going on with my posting habits, but at this rate I'll double my count by the end of the year :D After this thread I promise I'll never complain again about being unnoticed!It's great to see everyone posting here, and I hope to see a lot more of all of you!!(I do recognize most of your user names though,I spend waaay to much time reading this board)

[boomvark]

What is the difference, if any, between an unknown poster and a known un-poster?

I usually don't post unless there's something I can contribute that hasn't already been said. Like a number of other people, I've also avoided sticking my neck out in GD, for reasons that might be GD material in themselves.

The previous sentence probably doesn't even make sense to anyone but me.

[lel]

Hi, SRB! Good to see you here again! :D

Qwisp, you can follow in my footsteps -- I mainly lurked until about 6 months ago. :p Oh yeah, I also noticed your location, as I lived in that area for many years.

boomvark, your sentence appears to make sense, and welcome to more happy posting!

[headchecked]

Kind of weird in that from the views:replies ratio so far is pretty high. This thread has had 8-900 views to 70 replies giving it a 'lurker ratio" of about 12 viewers to one poster.

[Exgineer]

Had to start in with the math, didn't you?

Welcome back to the bright light of the boards, headchecked.

[New & Improved Scott]

I'm an in and out poster. 2 years here though.

I don't realy lurk, so much as listen to my gal LaurAnge tell me what's going on around the boards.

If I'm posting, it's usually in CS.

[D-bear]

Originally posted by sunstone
I read the forums for about 18 months before I registered in July of 2002. Since that time I've posted about 150 times.

I only post if I have something that I think is relevant and unique...and I don't have anything to add to what the other posters are writing. This doesn't mean I'm not interested; I spend part of nearly day reading the forums.

Also, it seems that sometimes I kill threads, especially those with scientific questions. So that is a concern of mine...I don't like to see the thread die after I post.

I wouldn't call myself a lurker. Think of the fairly quiet guy who only speaks on occasion.

Yeah, me too!

[D-bear]

Originally posted by vl_mungo
(0.21 posts per day)
Seems as though Amazingrace, leafrog and generica have the records, though

I could beg to differ!:p

[Toffe]

Originally posted by Shirley Ujest
BAH! That hasn't stopped 99% of us in MPSIMS and IMHO where the unoffical motto is Validating Our Low Self Worth 2.3 posts a day. :) ButThose people in GD are a bunch o'einsteins and they know their poop.

Make it the official motto and I might post more often. :)

[SRB]

Great idea, Toffe! I think we're all doing better here, though!

Shirley Ujest , thank you! You make me feel a lot more comfortable here!

[cards]

I read the boards 2 to 3 times a week and will post if I have something meaningful to add. Oh wait, I just blew my MO with this meaningless post.

[dahempfaerie]

okay, i've been lurking here for quite a while and just recently registered...........like most here have already mentioned, i usually don't post unless i have something new or meaningful to add to the thread........i just don't want to be redundant..........although i am being just that with this response............uh...........yeah......:smack:

[Minor Irritant]

I lurk far more than I post. GD scares the bejeezus out of me, so I mostly stick to nice, safe, non-judgemental CS. GD's a good read, however.

[SRB]

Dahempfaerie...It's great to meet you! SEEEEEE?? A response! LOL Stick around, it's good to have you here!

Minor Irritant, love that name!!!!!! LOL

[MissGypsy]

I've been lurking since (gasp) 1999... but I didn't even register until this past summer. I just didn't have anything to say until then. Now, I'm a sporadic poster, at best, but I'm starting to come out of my shell.

[Watcher of the Skies]

I intended only to lurk and enjoy the various threads, but I have become totally addicted to posting on the "a" thread on MPSIMS. It takes mundane and pointless to its ultimate extreme. Plus it's lots of fun.

[Pelleas]

Originally posted by gypsygirl31
I've been lurking since (gasp) 1999... but I didn't even register until this past summer. I just didn't have anything to say until then. Now, I'm a sporadic poster, at best, but I'm starting to come out of my shell.
Wow! Somebody that lurked longer than I did before registering.
Like so many others have said, whenever I think I have something to contribute to a discussion somebody else beats me to it.

[Salem]

Oh, what the heck. I've lurked here for hundreds of years, maybe even thousands. Why, back when I was first lurking there wasn't even an internet, there wasn't even an Al Gore; it was all done with smoke signals...That's right, it was the Straight Dope Smoke Board. It was tough on the eyes, too, I tell ya. I didn't have a big fire like some of the others, so it was tough to join in so that's how I got into the habit of lurking only and here I am today, many years and a handful of posts later...

Seriously, though, I've been lurking for a couple of years, sometime around summer 2000, I think. I don't remember what prompted me to finally register and post the first time. I do know that the thousands of posts I'd amassed(or at least 10), were wiped out in the winter of our missed content. I've been posting a bit more lately, but for various reasons, similar to all those already mentioned, I think I probably won't be hitting that 1000 post mark anytime soon. But as someone already said (see, just like that, someone's already said it!) I lurk every day and I feel like I'm a part of the community, but then when I post something, I realize no one else would feel that way. I've done it myself, over here on the sidelines. Someone with a low post count says something as if they've been around for ages, and I immediately think to myself, "What the heck..." and then I slap myself and say, "They could have been lurking for ages just like you, dummy." Sometimes I really like the part when I slap myself.

So there you have it. The [Merv Griffin voice] fascinating [/Merv Griffin voice] story of my low post count. Are you happy now Exgineer? You've drawn me out of my self-imposed exile and I'll probably get laughed at and maybe even spit upon. And I'll never post again and it will be all your fault. Are you Catholic, by any chance? That last part only works really well on Catholics.

[Emperor Penguin]

Well, I've been here for 2 or so years and I have over 750 posts, but I seriously doubt many know who I am. Mostly because I tend to stick to IMHO and MPSIMS. I make good background noise, apparently.


I am the ultimate lurker. Fear me. :)

[lonelocust]

I've been reading the board for several years now. I only really registered so that I could do searches. I could have put myself through med school with the time I put aside to read these threads.

I've made a few furtive efforts to get involved but it's been a daunting process. Some interesting thread appears and before I can post it's already grown to several pages. All I can really do is second or third or tenth an opinion or factoid posted before me.

I guess that would include this post as well.

Sigh.

[manx]

I lurk, agaist my will. I'll read a thread and think 'aha! I have something witty and insightful to add!'
I'll formulate a response while I'm reading, get to the shiny grey 'Your Reply' box and then....
either my mind goes blank, or I'll type my response, preview and realise that I have, in fact, written gibberish that has no point...

...so I hit delete and go back to the (aparently crowded) shadows...

[CreaseMunky]

Count me as a member of the "I rarely post because anything I have to say has already been said and much more eloquently" group. Which is actually kind of amusing because I'm fairly witty and outgoing in my everyday life.

I may be on a bit of a tear, though... I think this is my 4th post this month!!

[KinSaba]

Well, I certainly qualify as a lurker.
And here I am with my 2 cent answer to SRB

STILL looking for the answer to the Great Question of Mankind; what was the song the Three Stooges finger-snapped? I maintain it was Beethoven's Fifth In D Minor.

I am not a Three Stooges fan as I lack a Y chromosome, but my brothers were and they taught me a finger snap song that was the William Tell Overture - you know - the Lone Ranger song.

There. That is all I had to add to the conversation. :)

[Exgineer]

Originally posted by Salem
Are you happy now Exgineer? You've drawn me out of my self-imposed exile and I'll probably get laughed at and maybe even spit upon. And I'll never post again and it will be all your fault. Are you Catholic, by any chance? That last part only works really well on Catholics. I'm freakin' ecstatic.

Bwahahahahahahahahaha!

And I'm Episcopalian. Is that close enough?

[Tinkertoy]

Why I don't post more:

lonelocust
I've been reading the board for several years now. I only really registered so that I could do searches. I could have put myself through med school with the time I put aside to read these threads.

Someone always beats me to it.

[The Witch]

Lonelocust made the point I would have made--who has time for lurking, let alone posting--especially when it takes five minutes for your computer to even bring up a page you want to look at . . .

[Shirley Ujest]

Originally posted by lonelocust
I've been reading the board for several years now. I only really registered so that I could do searches. I could have put myself through med school with the time I put aside to read these threads.



Yes, but then you'd be a doctor. Like that means anything anymore. Being a Doper ™ you are the life of the party with less collegiate loans and liability insurance to deal with.


SRB Welcome aboard. (And everyone else too!)

Here is the schedule, in case you didn't get the memo:

MPSIMS: Brainfarts all day long trickling over to IMHO where they cohere better.

Eventually wander into Cafe Society and realize that it is still a Trekkie/LOTR/Comic Book love fest/bash going on.

Get yelled at by your boss about something that wasn't your fault and decide to take it out on her/him/it in the Pit where everyone either joins in with their tale of Bosses from Hell or tell you you are wronger and more evil than a baby seal clubber.

Bruised, battered and scarred, you drag yourself unknowingly into Great Debates where God either exists ( according to Polycarp) or Does not ( according to David B) and no matter whose posts you read on the subject, you change your belief system more than J.Lo changes husbands.

Deciding to wander elsewhere, the only place left is General Questions where the questions are good, the answers are snappy and informed and you wish you had thought of the question because - dammit - you were contemplating that very same subject the other day.

Defeated that you have contributed zero to this time waster, waste expanding place, you go to the home page and find, through threadspotting one of the funniest threads to come along in eons. And you put in your two bits and then go back to work for awhile to actually try to keep your job. Then, when avoiding work, vainly go back to that hilarious thread to see if anyone has responded to what you felt was a brilliant shot. ( Or worse, it was ignored. No one gets your inner genius.) A silly smile crosses your face as you discover that it made one person blow coffee out of their nose that morning all over their keyboard because of it. Your job is done.

You realize, it isn't about what you can do for this place, it is about what the place does for you. And how you can blow any beverage - hot or cold - out of your nose whilst perusing this board.

And then you go to lunch and do the whole thing over again after lunch...

[SRB]

KinSaba, THANK YOU! I believe "the Lone Ranger Song" and Beethoven's 5th are one and the same! You have no idea how happy I am to hear that someone else noticed that!!!! OMG...is this a "validation" moment? LOL

Shirley Ujest, that was great! Thanks for all the insight; how very thoughtful of you to clue us in a bit! It is deeply appreciate! Not only are you nice; you're downright prescient and funny as all get-out!

[Bishamon]

I've lurked here for a couple of years before I registered. Long enough to recognize most of the names and their posting styles. I primarily lurk because I'm so intimidated by how smart/witty/clever everyone is. I like to think that I can turn a word or two, but here is where I learn that lots of people are intelligent and can write. Rather than get discouraged though, I sit back and bask in all the lively conversation going on around me. I deal with lots of dumb things in the course of a day, and this place just gives me hope that the world isn't going someplace unpleasant in a handbasket. I lurk because it's a relief from the rest of the world and I know that there are other intelligent people and they too have problems and they can get over them so I can too. So thank you unofficial support group.

*meekly waves hello*

[Salem]

Originally posted by Exgineer
I'm freakin' ecstatic.

Bwahahahahahahahahaha!

And I'm Episcopalian. Is that close enough?


Well, Lutheran would be closer, but as long as you're feeling the guilt (and clearly you are from your response...), it will do for now. But I do hear they're having some super specials on Catholic conversions these days.

[Fang]

I've been registered for a year and a half, over 200 posts, hang around mostly GD (but a handful of everything else except ATMB and the comments fora, even once successfully pitted someone). I still don't feel like anybody knows me. I could be wrong, but I certainly don't feel like I could be casually referred to as an example ("This is like something Fang would post").

[Fugazi]

Originally posted by Exgineer
I obviously can't force people to post against their will.


Well, I was just going to read this thread and move on, like the lurker I am. Then Exgineer forced me, against my will, to post this :D .

Most of the time I'm content to just read the threads. Every now and then I get a wild hair & post 10 or 15 times in a week. Then I go back to lurking for a few months.

[El Gui]

Well, I was the subject of praise in a recent MPSIMS thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=164951) by astro, a long-term, well-respected, wise, and, may I add, all-around stud of a Doper.

Though he did call me a "newbie".

That bastard!

:D

[sc913]

Originally posted by Exgineer
Then I look closer and see that the person has been registered here for two years and has about 75 posts.

The habitual lurkers, that's who I'm talking about.

You've described me! Except for the part about the sharp, concise and thoughtful post, of course, never made one of those. Still, 2 out of 3, and I don't have a beard either, so I'm going to assume you were talking about me. Thank you. :)

My reasons for not posting? I dunno.. I guess it's usually because by the time I get to a thread, there's always someone who's said what I would've said better than I ever could've said it. Or I never have anything to say in the first place.

This is a great board for lurking.

[KinSaba]

SRB wrote:
KinSaba, THANK YOU! I believe "the Lone Ranger Song" and Beethoven's 5th are one and the same! You have no idea how happy I am to hear that someone else noticed that!!!! OMG...is this a "validation" moment? LOL

SRB I am happy to help, but this being the straightdope and all I am compelled to point out that the Lone Ranger Song and Beethoven's 5th Symphony are not one and the same. The Lone Ranger Song and the William Tell Overture are one and the same.

Always pleased to validate.

[Biba]

I'm pretty much up there with the majority, I spend too much time reading and don't consider myself to be as witty/clever as what's already been said in a thread. So, I don't post. Although I did go mad last week, and created my first thread.

I also echo the sentiment that it's a great board for lurking.

[Improbability]

I’m definitely more a lurker than a poster, but I haven’t really got into SDMB because I don’t even lurk all that much. I was also hit with so many rules and regulations (well, here’s how the board works/ doesn’t work sort of thing) in my introduction thread that I’m not altogether tempted anyway. Maybe I’ll get into my stride eventually.

xx

[SRB]

Bishamon, its great to meet you! <waving> Post more, I like your style!

Howdy, Salem! Fang, I can't wait for your next one...!!! Hey, Fugazzi! Nice to see you all!!!

[Einmon]

:: sticks out her head ::

I'm just afraid of rejection....don't hurt me, please :)

That, and what everybody else has already mentioned (aka The Fate of the Late Poster is to Remain Silent). Actually, this post is quite cryptic, as it alludes to the fact that I never post because everything has been said already and everything HAS been said already and I STILL posted...it's not? Rambling, you say? Pointless waste of valuable bandwidth, anyone?

Heap rejection onto yourself before others do it is my motto!

:: withdraws head ::

[SRB]

NOOOOOOOOOO, Emmon! Check this out:

{{{{{{{{Emmon}}}}}}}}}

hugs...do you call that rejection? LOL Nice to meet you!!!

[beegirl13]

::steps carefully around other people in the shadows in order to emerge into the light once more::

Hi, everybody. I came back! There's another reason why I don't post so often- I always forget to come back and check the threads that I do post in. :o Usually there's no need to because I either kill the thread or post a "me too" post, so I'm not used to actually having people notice that I said something. :p This thread is coming along nicely, and I'd like to congratulate all my fellow shadow-dwellers for their bravery.

I really do like to post when I find something to say, and maybe I'll try to post more often, even if it's a post without substance. I now have reassurance that this practice is totally acceptable. :D

::stands near the shadows to lend moral support to those who dwell there and contemplate coming out::

:: previews 5 times and hits submit::

[1ofthegulls]

I never really lurked....started posting the day I found this place. It just took me a long time to find it.

[Max Carnage]

This kinda reminds me of the Monty Python sketch about learning how not to be seen.

I keep expecting the poor brave lurkers to explode when they pop up to say "hello."

[Convict]

Yea, I rarely post here. Usually because someone has already posted what I was going to contribute and I hate it when the same point is repeated again and again and again. I thought that my getting laid off (posted in another thread--too lazy to find it) would get me to post more, but I was wrong.

[RenMan]

Big-time lurker here. Hardly post, but I'm hooked on these forums all the same.

[whitetho]

Originally posted by SRB
NOOOOOOOOOO, Emmon! Check this out:

{{{{{{{{Emmon}}}}}}}}}

hugs...do you call that rejection? LOL Nice to meet you!!! I know your intentions were good, but the username of the poster in question is actually Einmon. Which in itself is also a fine name, of course.

[/\/\etalhea|)]

You'll either have to accept my self-nomination for this award or admit that I'm more well-known here than I think I am.

Either one will suit me.

[The Great Unwashed]

Originally posted by SRB
what was the song the Three Stooges finger-snapped? I maintain it was Beethoven's Fifth In D Minor.

Beethoven's Fifth what? Persumably you mean his Fifth Symphony? Well, that was in C# minor. Why is it left to me to mention it? Were you being ironic?

I hate irony.

[tarfu]

:: pokes head out of shell ::

Hey there!

:: hides in shell again ::

[brindlescruff]

Well, I am no lurker, but some of the message boards I'm involved in think that way.

I am involved in many of these things online, and often I just don't have the time to visit all of them, so I have a lot of memberships with like 75 posts.

I am most often at RottenTomatoes.com

I have well over 4,000 posts there, so that one takes up most of my time. I came here for the FIRST time today because someone posted a link there about Reverenc Myrikou, or however you say his name. He used to troll over there, and so a lot of us Tomatoes are flocking over here to visit his flaming thread.

So, to sum up; HI! My name is brindlecruff, and you'll probably never see me again!

~brin

[Bishamon]

*blush*

*I* have a style.

That's a good thing right?

Nevertheless, many hardy hellos to one and all, lurker and non-lurker alike. Or "howdys," "konichiwas," "G'days," "Cheerios," or "How ya' doin's." depending on locale.

*tips hat*

[masafer]

Originally posted by D-bear
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by vl_mungo
(0.21 posts per day)
Seems as though Amazingrace, leafrog and generica have the records, though
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I could beg to differ!:p


amateurs...

[TJay]

Well, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Exgineer, because after lurking for over a year, you have finally encouraged me to register!

Like everyone else said, I've found the prospect of trying to find my place on this board pretty daunting - everything moves so fast, and so many people have really strong characters, that you wonder if you're going to "fit in" with everyone else.

This thread is really reassuring, I now know that there are many others out there in the same position! So yay! My first post - I can't promise to post that often, but at least I can now!

Look forward to speaking to you guys more often!

BTW, this post took me about 10 minutes to write - for some reason, I'm really nervous! :)

[Exgineer]

Whoo hoo!

We've drawn another one to the dark side, folks. Welcome to the boards, TJay, you're gonna' have a swell time. There's no need to be nervous, just go ahead and post. If you ever post something and end up regretting it, just recite your new mantra:

"Exgineer probably did something worse. I'm still better than him."

Repeat until you feel better.

Follow beegirl13 into the light.

[FauxPass]

I ain't lurked no time. Pretty much, I've come on to the boards to take over the world and make you all my personal slaves. Or taxpayers... or whatever the popular PC term is these days.

Feel free to mingle. :p

[lonelocust]

All I know is that when I hit twenty-five posts I'll have to quit and register again under a new identity. Lurkman, QuitePeeper, QuiterThanAnAntPissingOnCotton, ThePosterWhoWasn'tThere, @, +-=, or some such nonsense.

[Salem]

Originally posted by Max Carnage
This kinda reminds me of the Monty Python sketch about learning how not to be seen.

I keep expecting the poor brave lurkers to explode when they pop up to say "hello."

But it would work better if we were penguins. Hmmm...Lurking Penguins...


Ooh, a Monty Python reference and a band name all in the same breath. Damn, I'm getting good at this.

[Innanna]

I post rarely because:
A. the aforementioned "well, damn, he just said that 8 times better than I ever could, so there's no need to say 'me, too'" and annoy the hamsters.

B. My ridiculously low post count, which marks me as the greenest of newbies, even though I'd lurked for months before registering.

C. The whole kill-the-thread thing--I hate causing pain and suffering to innocent threads.

D. The fact that both my typing and spelling suck.

And E. The dread fear that I will say something incredibly dumb and disgrace m'self forever in front of the least ignorant people on the planet. :D

[Exgineer]

Hi, Innanna.

A. Don't worry about the "me too" posts. Look back through this thread. Lots of people said the same thing, but they all said it in different ways. Get it?

B. The only way to get over it is to post. Kind of a Catch-22, but if I did it, so can you.

C. How many do you think I fell guilty about killing. It happens. No big problem.

D. Wlecome, partner. See that?

E. Look up a few posts and find TJay's new mantra. You're welcome to use it to.

It's all fun around here.

[Innanna]

Hi back, Exgineer. or pardner as the case may be

I shall, following in your example, go boadly forward and worry not about the threads I injure, and I promise to eat everything that I kill :D

And thanks so much for the wlecome--I shall treasure it always.

Well, my night is made. How 'bout the rest of y'all?:)

[Mona Lott]

Here is another lurker reporting in. Although I've been here since October,2001, I have a small post count. I'd like for people to look forward to my uninspired posts. However, I doubt that there are even five members who know who I am. My proudest moment here was the time CrankyAsAnOldMan seconded my pitiful thought concerning Michael Bolton.

Even though I'll have a hard time breaking 100 posts, I still visit the Boards every day. The SDMB is an intregal part of my life. A good 90% of my internet time is spent here.

Some day I hope to learn to do things like proper coding. Perhaps if I ever master that, more posts will be forthcoming.

You people are the greatest. I love this place.


Mona Lott

I see that I've spelled "integral" wrong. I don't know how to go back to fix it.

[SRB]

Einmon, my apologies!

Whitetho, thanks for pointing that out.

The Great Unwashed, where were you when I originally posted that?

[ginkgeng]

I've been reading this amazing board since 1998 or 99. When did SDMB begin?
I have posted twice before with a different username shortly before the board crashed, so this isn't really my first. Does anyone know if there is any way to know how many registered users have yet to post?

[Einmon]

Originally posted by whitetho
I know your intentions were good, but the username of the poster in question is actually Einmon. Which in itself is also a fine name, of course.

I appreciate the effort :)

SRB No offense taken, though, we should all stick together...one day we'll take over the SDMB...muahahaha
Plus, I like hugs...

[lel]

Ooh, a lurker takeover! I'll bring the beer and potato chips and reminisce for the good old days (about 6-8 months ago) when I was still a lurker. :D

Mona Lott, I remember you, but how could your username be forgotten?

Innanna, let me count how many times I've said something dumb and disgraced myself in front of the boards. Let's see...one...two...three...*takes off socks*....nineteen...twenty...ah, forget it!

TJay, I write most of my posts like thus:

Compose post. Preview. Change a bit of the wording. Preview again. Change more wording. Preview again. Sit on it for 30 minutes. Sigh deeply, shut eyes and click submit reply. Cringe, expecting to be skewered in the BBQ Pit.

Just wait, you'll be as nervous with your 10,000th post (not like I'd know about that, though) as with your first. :p

[SRB]

{{{{{{{Einmon}}}}}}} You're a sweetie! Thanks!

When does the takeover start? And this requires beer, lel? Okkkkkkkkkkk.

[lel]

Didn't say it required beer...just providing some options. :)

[Einmon]

Beer and chips sound good to me. We'll just sit back in the shadows, relax and wait until everybody else has fallen into the Pit. Then we strike. Sort of a passive takeover deal. I'm thinking of changing my middle name to "Gandhi".

[The Great Unwashed]

Originally posted by SRB
The Great Unwashed, where were you when I originally posted that?
Your post is dated Saturday night/Sunday morning at 1:52 AM GMT. So I can confidently say that I was in a State of Inebriation, just outside Oblivion, laughing, like an idiot.

Of course, if I'd known you were posting, I would have dropped everything.

[vertigo]

I don't consider myself a lurker, and I have been around for a while, but I don't think that I am very "recognizable" on the boards. I guess the benefit is that likely no one has many preconceived ideas about me or my posts. Other than that of "who the heck is this guy?" :)

[The Great Unwashed]

Originally posted by The Great Unwashed
Beethoven's Fifth what? Persumably you mean his Fifth Symphony? Well, that was in C# minor. Why is it left to me to mention it? Were you being ironic?

I hate irony.

GAH! Where did that sharpy thing come from. C minor, regular, common-or-garden, C minor with nothing sharp about it.

If you want an excuse, I post elsewhere where emphasis is added #thus#, and I'd half forgotten where I was and failed to preview (like a good poster should).

Why is it left to me to correct myself? This is ruining my low-post count.

Did I mention, I hate irony.

[FauxPass]

A lurker takeover? Hell, since someone has already grabbed the beer, I'll bring the chips and dip!

[SRB]

lel, I rather liked the offered option! LOL

Einmon/Ghandi, what a great idea. Does this mean I have to get "pitted" first? Will I at least get a blindfold and a last smoke?

Vertigo, nice to meet you!

Great UnWashed, I had originally asked that question months ago; no doubt I put it in the wrong thread. Now there's some irony for you! Thank you so much for your correction, though, I do appreciate that.

FauxPass, what a delicious name! I'm pleased to meet you!

[beegirl13]

Hmm, here on the edge of the shadows I'm caught between the Great Lurker Takeover, and the Known Poster World. I guess I'll just have to wait and see who wins, then join that side. :D

Or hang out with the group that has the best refreshments...

[Salem]

I make really, really good brownies and I'm willing to share...

So who's going to post a new topic on the board, now that you're out and about??? (I've done it twice and it didn't hurt, really. Not too badly. I mean, no worse than the 48 hours of labor I endured giving birth to my oldest daughter without drugs until the very, very end....) Whoever does(post a new topic, that is), I promise to post a supportive and positive reply. Maybe even engaging and witty. But no promises for that last part.

[Young Mr. Grace]

Hi everybody. I lurked for around 3 years before I registered.

I think the main reason that I rarely post is that I just can't get down "The Art of the Smiley"TM. After reading many fine posts, I know that a well-placed smiley can make all the difference in how a post is read, and how others perceive the personality of the poster. I'm always afraid that what I write will get taken out of context or misread somehow.

Anyway, glad to meet all of you, also glad to see that I'm not the only introvert out there.

[Tom P.]

Another lurker chiming in here. I have been lurking since 1999 (I think). I don’t post very often, for a number of reasons, most of which are already mentioned. Add to those that I’m not a very vocal person in real life either, and that English is my second language, and you’ve got a post per day of under 0.1 :) .

:: Sneaking back into the shadows, careful not to trip over anyone or stepping on other’s toes. ::

[Exgineer]

Originally posted by Salem
I make really, really good brownies and I'm willing to share...

So who's going to post a new topic on the board, now that you're out and about??? (I've done it twice and it didn't hurt, really. Not too badly. I mean, no worse than the 48 hours of labor I endured giving birth to my oldest daughter without drugs until the very, very end....) Whoever does(post a new topic, that is), I promise to post a supportive and positive reply. Maybe even engaging and witty. But no promises for that last part. That's the spirit.

Get on out here and post, people. We want to know you, and we can't bite your through your computer.

Look around and kick some tires. If you see something you like, try it out. Got a question? There are a lot of smart people in GD. Upset about something? Post it in the Pit, and a bunch of us will commiserate with you. Want to complain about the lousy, stinking, Nazi moderators...

Well, I've said too much. I mean, this is your thread, why should I muck it up.

May I have some brownies?

[Exgineer]

Originally posted by me:
Got a question? There are a lot of smart people in GD.There are a lot of smart people in GQ too.

:rolleyes:

Not that my original statement was incorrect, but you actually have to debate in GD.

:shudder:

I never said I was smart.

[vix]

I'm a quasi-lurker. I don't post here very often and I generally don't think of myself as being a "well-known" poster. I'm guessing that most of you in this thread don't recognize my name.

On the other hand, there's a specific group of Dopers who know me very well. I hang out with the New York gang all the time, I've been to five or six big Dopefests in NYC and Chicago, and I have a LiveJournal, so the Dopers who post there know me.

[SRB]

beegirl 3, I do believe...we have the most beer AND chips an dip, and now...brownies!!!!! Yahooooooooo!!

Thank you, Salem, and I will do the same for you!

Nice to meet you, Young Mr. Grace , Tom P and vix!

Thanks, Exgineer...I'm working up the courage!

[Tommyturtle]

I have a weird situation...I WAS darren but I noticed there already was a DarrenS here so the VERY humble TubaDiva was kind enough to change my name when I asked.

Now I am the new and improved(?) Tommyturtle....I still mostly lurk though

[Salem]

Exgineer, You most certainly may have some brownies, will that be with or without the nuts? Anyone else?
SRB (who shares two of my three initials), thank you for your thank you and for your offer to do the same. And "you're welcome" fits in there somewhere, as well.

You know what's funny, you can tell there are a lot of long time lurkers, as opposed to new-to-these-boards posters because there are, as far as I can tell, no real posting "errors". Coding is done well, in the appropriate places, people are using the quote function correctly, inserting smilies, posting in a style that's perfectly "normal" for this place. If it weren't for the numbers (of posts) under your names, I wouldn't have a clue that any of you haven't posted frequently. All of the posts I've seen so far here fit right in with the style of the whole board, at least in my (low post count, long-time lurker) opinion.
I really hope to see more posts in other threads from people that are posting in this one. I think you'd all add a lot to the board.
Ok, enough with the mushiness, have some brownies! I've also got some leftover homemade lasagna in the fridge if anyone's really hungry. Eat, eat, you're all too skinny!

[catdog]

One more lurker checking in...

[shell]

What -- Me Post?

[Samui]

:peek:
:wave:
:flee:

[Einmon]

Originally posted by Salem
Eat, eat, you're all too skinny!

That's the spirit!

The Great Lurker TakeoverTM is off to a good start. If this continues, we will have to beat the regular posters off our refreshments with a stick. :D

Since we have beer 'n chips 'n dips 'n lasagna already I'll splurge on dessert and bring ice cream to have with Salem's brownies. That, and chocolate. There can't be enough chocolate at an event like this.

[The Surb]

Hey it's me, coming to the party fashionably late as usual.

I brought some Boone's Farm. It's supposed to go good with leftover lasagna.

Hey, I also brought some salsa for the chips but watch it, it's a little hot.

Now do you have a corner I can go hide in? I need to go back to lurking. Bright lights scare me. You won't even know I'm here, really.

[Searching For Truth]

I'm with Vertigo, myself. Not a lurker, been around for a while, but not one of the big names. Works for me, though.

All you silly lurkers should just do what I did- post up a storm. Embarrass yourself if you have to, but post like crazy. Then leave for a few months, let your embarrassment settle, and work your way back in. Dip your toes in. Then wade out to your ankles...your shins...your knees....and back into the warm, welcoming water of MPSIMS. No one will remember the fact that you started stupid threads six months ago. If they do, they won't care. They might good-naturedly harrass you about it, but that's a sign that they like you.

::doggypaddles idly in own weird analogy::

[Lilacs]

Another lurker here. :)

There are so many of us!!

[brainfizz]

Which poem suits you best:

Haiku:
I lurk on SDMB,
As it cheers me up
When I'm feeling a bit down.

or
Lymerick:
On the SDMB I lurk,
When I really should be at work,
MPSIMS and IMHO,
Are the only way to go,
Coz in GQ I feel like a jerk.

[Spoons]

"Hi, Spoons here; first-time caller, long-time listener...."

No, not really. But--and I think this has been covered by others--I find that I avoid posting if I can't contribute something new or interesting to the thread.

In fact, I've started many replies, referred to sources (both printed and online), composed what I think is a beautiful post answering a question or furthering a debate point--only to find on preview that somebody has beaten me to it, and usually in a more concise manner. So since my points have already been covered, I delete my reply and go back to work.

Which is what I should be doing now, actually.

[SRB]

<Coding is done well, in the appropriate places, people are using the quote function correctly, inserting smilies, posting in a style that's perfectly "normal" for this place. If it weren't for the numbers (of posts) under your names, I wouldn't have a clue that any of you haven't posted frequently.>

Haven't a clue about how the quote function works...but I can cut and past! OY

Hello to Catdog, shell, Samui, Desdenova, Searching for Truth, Lilacs, brainfizz, Spoons....its great to see you all!!!

Need more chocolate. LOL

[Exgineer]

I just noticed something about the post and view counts for this thread.

Posts: 160
Views: 2322

I take this as a fair indication that people are lurking in the lurker thread, and that I am a complete failure.

Carry on.

[Pelleas]

Originally posted by Exgineer
I just noticed something about the post and view counts for this thread.

Posts: 160
Views: 2322

I take this as a fair indication that people are lurking in the lurker thread, and that I am a complete failure.

Carry on.
Not to worry. I just listed you in the latest who's your favorite poster thread, based largely on this thread.

[NE Texan]

Well, at 160ish posts, the total sum of my posts would only make a medium sized thread, yet I don't count myself so much of a lurker as simply an infrequent poster.

There are various reasons I don't post more. I don't have a lot of free time to read the SDMB (which is not to be confused with actually having a life). When I do, I tend to try to post only if I have something constructive to add, and it hasn't been said before. (Even so, probably half my posts don't fit this criteria). So I just don't end up posting a lot.

Nevertheless, this is a great place to read, think about, and occasionally post to.

[AndLuna]

I've been reading the boards most every day for the past year or so, but only post once in a blue moon. I'm not really sure why, except that it's not often I feel like I have any great contributions to make.

Most of my posts, such as they are, have been in IMHO, with maybe two in CS (yes, in THAT LotR thread).

[*intelligent*potgoddess]

Hi... I have lurked for a while and then finally signed up. I have only been a part of one other board and on that board I jumped right in and realized too late that was the wrong thing to do. I tend to say exactly what I am thinking and feeling without thinking how it may come across... I also did not take the time to really get to know the people on the board and so I took a lot of things the wrong way. I guess I just trust what a person says and how they present themselves because I am very real with who I am... I ended up going through a lot of hurt before developing a thick skin and finding confidence within myself and not looking for others to build my confidence for me. I have learned a lot from the experience and just don't want to make the same mistakes again. I find people are quick to put you in a box and not allow you to change... What I find surprising (especially since this is the internet and it seems so silly) is a lot of people hold grudges and then when you ask forgiveness or try to talk it through they criticize you for that... sometimes it just is a no win situation...

So I am just reading and learning a little about you all before I jump in this time... :)

[SRB]

Relax, *intelligent potgoddess*. You seem like a straightforward, honest person, and I'd love to hear more from you! Sorry you have had bad experiences, but please don't let that make you think ALL people are like that. They aren't. It's great to hear from you!

Hello to AndLuna!!! Nice to meet you!

NE Texan, you're doing a lot better than I am...so there.

Way to GO, Pelleas!!!

Exgineer, NEVAH!!! I'm always pleased to see a post from you!

[*intelligent*potgoddess]

Thanks SRB for the welcome! :) And relaxing is my favorite thing to do so I will certainly take you up on your advice!!! ;)

[beegirl13]

Originally posted by Exgineer
I just noticed something about the post and view counts for this thread.

Posts: 160
Views: 2322

I take this as a fair indication that people are lurking in the lurker thread, and that I am a complete failure.

Carry on.

Nope. I just actually keep remembering to check back in here now that I have posted a whopping 3 times in this thread! Yes, the difference in numbers is all my doing. No, I don't think too highly of myself, why do you ask? :p

brainfizz : The limerick suits me better.

The lurkers are definitely winning in terms of refreshments. I especially like the chocolate. Mmmmmm....

[SRB]

Oh, yeah...beer, chocolate, chips, dips and salsa too! How can it get any better than all this and good company, too?

Welllllllllllllllll, I wish I would have thought of a snazzier, more clever name than PlainJane SRB. Jeeeeez. You all have such intriguing interesting names!

[Elza B]

I don't even remember how long I've been registered. And I think I JUST broke 100 posts. I'm more of a reader than a poster, although occassionally, I'll add my eleven cents (obscure Homicide reference). I don't think I ever post anything particularly mindblowing or groundbreaking, however, and I tend to get a little intimidated by the intelligence around here - I don't have the patience to think out my arguments the way that most do.

Ava

[Mona Lott]

So now we're having refreshments? I'd be happy to bring some ice cream that I've made. My family is having a get-together on Saturday, so we can meet my great-nephew. He was born Feb.1. It will be his first time out of Texas. Anyway, I have vanilla, german chocolate and chocolate chip. Let me know--it is easy to make more.

[Exgineer]

Do NOT get intimidated, avabeth. I have never, ever posted anything mindblowing or groundbreaking, and I get along fine.

I think.

I suppose it's possible that I've irritated people here and there, but nobody's Pitted me yet.

As for the intelligence thing, I'm dumb as a wall. Don't worry about it.

New mantra for everybody:

"I can post whenever I feel like it, because I'm a member and I'm not being a jerk, and everbody will like me so I should stop worrying about it, and I'm still better than Exgineer."

Repeat until you feel better about posting.

Actually, that might be a tad long, but you get the idea.

[Rabid_Squirrel]

Lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk

[Comes up to surface]

GASP!!!

[Submerges]

Lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk...

Errr.... ummm.... hi guys.

[Elza B]

Originally posted by Exgineer
Do NOT get intimidated, avabeth. I have never, ever posted anything mindblowing or groundbreaking, and I get along fine.

I think.

I suppose it's possible that I've irritated people here and there, but nobody's Pitted me yet.


*sob*. No one's Pitted me either.

See? I'm an underachiever.

Ava

[toofargone]

(sigh)

I've lurked on and off for a year. By the time I come to the end of all the postings; I've usually laughed my brains out thru my nose and have no idea how to talk much less type.

[Salem]

Originally posted by toofargone
(sigh)

I've lurked on and off for a year. By the time I come to the end of all the postings; I've usually laughed my brains out thru my nose and have no idea how to talk much less type.

I hate when that happens. Makes such a mess on the keyboard. Hmmm...Can't seem to find the brain-coming-out-of-your-nose smilie.


I'm amazed at all the clever, funny people coming out! This is great! And, like SRB said, there are some really cool nicknames.

But I think the important issue here, the question that begs to be asked, is "Can there ever be too much chocolate?"

[Tinkertoy]

Mona Lott
Member

Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Osburn, Idaho
Posts: 73


Great! Someone else from Idaho. I think there are about 7 of us now.

[big alex]

Hi

[ravage2]

hi

[SRB]

avabeth, it's great to see you, and you are doing over twice as well as me here, so.....!!

Mona Lott, we always need more, count on it! LOL Nice to meet you!!

Exgineer, you are a genuine sweetheart!

HIYA, rabid squirrel!

toofargone, stick around!

Salem, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, there is never enough chocolate! LOL And....I'll look for that smiley for you!

Tinkertoy, big alex and ravage 2, hello!!!!!!

[pestie]

I think I fall into the category of poster described in the OP. I always wanted to be one of the cool kids, but...

[lel]

*fishes one of the "cool kids" beanies out of the closet*

Here you go, pestie!

[SumLurker]

Hi everyone! Carry on, don't let me interrupt...

:: hurries past the refreshment table, filling his pockets ::

:: disappears into the distance with a sign on his back saying "Double digit post count by dawn, or BUST!" ::

[Exgineer]

I want to second lel's welcome to pestie. You are now, officially, one of the "cool kids."

Now you can post without fear. Post about your hobbies, your love interest, your favorite foods, and anything else you'd like to discuss. Just keep it in the appropriate forum. One of the best ways to go from "lurker" to "regular", (and I am in no way the arbiter of who falls into which category, nobody is) is to lurk in GQ until you find a question you know the answer to.* Bingo! Instant "genius, and respected poster."

By the way, you didn't have to drag this thread out of it's grave, because SumLurker already has a perfectly good one on the front page.** Post to that one. We're equal-opportunity posters around here.

*Of course, I messed this up the first time I tried it. I thought I knew what I was talking about, but didn't. Just be sure of yourself before you post in that place. Nitpickers.

**How in heck did you find this in the first place?

[Linty Fresh]

I love SDMB, and I've learned a lot from reading the posts. I don't post, because I usually don't have anything new to add to the convo, and I don't want to sound like a total nimrod.
The Great Debates forum is the most interesting, but there are some truly excellent minds in there, and I guess I'd just be overwhelmed the first time I posted a major opinion. I still love reading the arguments.

I love you guys!!

The thing is that I'm not really shy or misanthropic in real life. I have a job working with people and finding answers for them while making them feel comfortable approaching us. I love my work, do it well, and get along with coworkers and customers alike. I joke around sometimes, but I don't think it becomes weird or excessive.

It just doesn't translate into the written word, I guess. Oh well . . .

[jazzmine]

I think I qualify as unrecognizable, if not for my concise, thoughtful posts.

[SRB]

Pestie, of course you're a cool kid!! :) I'd love to see more of your posts here!! Get goin' !

[Exgineer]

No, no, no, no, no.

Do I have to spell it out? We now have two identical threads on the front page of MPSIMS. This one died a natural death over a month ago. The other one is brand new, and was started by one of your fellow lurkers.

It’s this one, over here (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=174415).

Stop posting in this one, and give your fellow lurker, who had the guts to start that thread, some affirmation. That’s the point of these things.

Sheesh. Some peoples’ children.

I’m gonna’ e-mail a mod and ask for this to be closed.

fixed coding

[Exgineer]

Plus, I messed up the coding, so the link doesn't work.

:wally

And I'm sick of wrestling with my crappy internet connection trying to fix it.

[Cajun Man]

Closed at the request of the OP.

__________________

Cajun Man ~ SDMB Moderator