# Is it weird being mainly a lurker? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 22, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248 "2015-04-22T02:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/21 "2015-04-22T17:05:25Z")
It’s nice to see you de-lurkers! 🙂 I hope some of you more shy folks will join in. As you can tell from my posts, you don’t necessarily have to be scintillating. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Machine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Ice\_Machine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Machine)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/22 "2015-04-22T17:34:16Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > A friend of mine here on this board is fascinated by guys/gals like you. Whenever you ‘crop’ up he’ll look to see what kind of topics cause you to post and often even share the info with us in emails. You may not be quite as unnoticed as you think… 😉 This would be a partial reason I don’t post. I don’t want to look back on my post and say “You came out of the shadows for that!” Of course I just logged in and looked at my stats now (2 years since last logging in and 5 years since posting) and I came out of hiding for this!!! Never realized it was that bad. Like others I usually don’t post as whatever I’d like to say has already been said and doesn’t add to the discussion. As well I’d hate to be an absent participant, I’m not on here continuously and may be a while before I respond to a post. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/23 "2015-04-22T18:25:49Z")
If less than a post per day is considered lurking (Kopek), I will always be a lurker. Who has time to post daily? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/24 "2015-04-22T18:27:56Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > If you don’t have anything to say, why say anything? Why did you say that? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/25 "2015-04-22T18:35:13Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Who was it said, “_Better to be silent and be thought an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt_” – advice I routinely ignore, I guess because I do not mind so much being thought a fool Ben Franklin, I thought. Or Twain. Some dead white dude, anyway. My baby sister reads the Dope regularly and has tons to contribute to GQ (all chemistry & math & business related) but never does. And it’s not for lack of ideas. She plotted a hypothetical once and sent it to me to post, and the thread lasted 3 or 4 pages as I recall. She just doesn’t care to post here. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/26 "2015-04-22T18:45:29Z")
Because there are usually smarter people in the post, saying things much more succinctly and intelligently than I can. I only post when I have something of value to say, to increase the understanding in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phedre_no_Delaunay)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/27 "2015-04-22T19:24:17Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > A friend of mine here on this board is fascinated by guys/gals like you. Whenever you ‘crop’ up he’ll look to see what kind of topics cause you to post and often even share the info with us in emails. You may not be quite as unnoticed as you think… 😉 That is a good point. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/28 "2015-04-22T19:29:41Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > If there’s only 5,000 active users, why do some threads have over 50,000 views? Are there that many guests who lurk without even registering? > [@eschereal](#): > > I think every time you open a thread, its view count increases. Some of the more active threads have posters opening them repeatedly to look at new posts, so the view count goes up. This, and also there are plenty of search engine bots that crawl the page, raising those counts as well. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/29 "2015-04-22T19:46:17Z")
What’s really weird is when lurkers decide to out themselves. Why do they do that? If you are a lurker and you answer, your Honorary Cretan White Cane is available upon presentation of your post. ---
**Author:** ![Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phedre_no_Delaunay)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/30 "2015-04-22T19:46:52Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > so you’re probably an introverted person. Nothing wrong with that. This is true, I am quite the introvert. I am trying to force myself out of my shell though. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/31 "2015-04-22T20:41:57Z")
> [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](#): > > I feel almost as if I know you all, but of course, most of you don’t even know I’m here. Cripes!! Who said that?!?! Nearly gave me a heart attack. Next time knock first, would ya. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/32 "2015-04-22T21:31:54Z")
> [@Noelq](#): > > I only post when I have something of value to say, to increase the understanding in the thread. Now you’re just needlessly limiting yourself. How are you on puns, snarky comments and dick jokes? ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/33 "2015-04-22T23:04:21Z")
Everyone here is much smarter than me (mostly) so I come here to learn. ---
**Author:** ![Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phedre_no_Delaunay)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/34 "2015-04-23T01:44:50Z")
> [@tonyfop](#): > > …Then there was the wonderful “Pay to Post” era, where I lurked continuously. Now, I post kinda regularly, but it took getting my feet wet to actually try to engage in conversations… You know I actually bought a membership in those days. I just lurked, but paid my money. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/35 "2015-04-23T01:49:25Z")
> [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](#): > > I’ve been reading here since 2002 and registered since 2003 and yet have only a couple hundred posts. I mainly lurk around and just read (and laugh! Gosh, y’all can tell some funny stories!). Is that really weird? I feel almost as if I know you all, but of course, most of you don’t even know I’m here. I wonder how many lurker types hang out here? It’s kind of weird to me to know so much about you guys when it’s not reciprocated, but that’s my own fault for not posting much. And I see you’re still a ‘guest’ here , how many posts do you need to no longer be a guest ? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/36 "2015-04-23T02:23:56Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Ben Franklin, I thought. Or Twain. Some dead white dude, anyway. > > My baby sister reads the Dope regularly and has tons to contribute to GQ (all chemistry & math & business related) but never does. And it’s not for lack of ideas. She plotted a hypothetical once and sent it to me to post, and the thread lasted 3 or 4 pages as I recall. She just doesn’t care to post here. Hi, **Skald** ’s baby sister! Just in case you’re wondering, your big brother is just as loved around here as he’s always telling you! Oh, and feared. Hope the doggie is doing well! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dioptre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@Dioptre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dioptre)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/37 "2015-04-23T02:54:15Z")
I lurk. The few times I’ve posted it seems like the thread has ended or my post just gets bypassed. I don’t mind, but I guess there’s no prompt to keep posting. Things with instant gratification are more addictive ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/38 "2015-04-23T02:55:20Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > … > > How are you on puns, snarky comments and dick jokes? I know this wasn’t directed at me, and I don’t know if I qualify as a lurker (I average less than a post a day) but I’d like to go for two out of three here: Dick Nixon before he dicks you. Yeah it’s an old joke but so am I. ---
**Author:** ![Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phedre_no_Delaunay)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/39 "2015-04-23T03:09:07Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Hi, **Skald** ’s baby sister! > > Just in case you’re wondering, your big brother is just as loved around here as he’s always telling you! > > Oh, and feared. > > Hope the doggie is doing well! 🙂 Heee! Not me, sorry. LOL ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/40 "2015-04-23T03:33:36Z")
> [@Ice\_Machine](#): > > This would be a partial reason I don’t post. I don’t want to look back on my post and say “You came out of the shadows for that!” Of course I just logged in and looked at my stats now (2 years since last logging in and 5 years since posting) and I came out of hiding for this!!! Never realized it was bad. It’s not. Merely curiosity inducing. What motivates people is far more interesting outside of sports and retail. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248.md?page=3)