# 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:** 3
**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, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/41 "2015-04-23T04:48:05Z")
> [@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! 🙂 > [@Phedre\_no\_Delaunay](#): > > Heee! Not me, sorry. LOL Oh I never for a moment suspected that it was you. But I figure she’ll see this thread, and I thought I’d give her a shout out. ---
**Author:** ![D-bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@D-bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D-bear)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/42 "2015-04-23T05:06:32Z")
I think it’s just fine. ---
**Author:** ![slightly\_askew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@slightly\_askew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slightly_askew)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/43 "2015-04-23T14:09:45Z")
I joined in the fall of 2009 and only have about 300 posts and I read for years prior to joining. I feel like I should post more, but often someone has already said what I want to say and I don’t feel like being the “Yeah! Me too!” Or I want to post and I don’t have time (pesky job) and never get back to it. So, I’m a mostly lurker. I think there are a fair number of us. ---
**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 23, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/44 "2015-04-23T15:02:18Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > It’s not. Merely curiosity inducing. What motivates people is far more interesting outside of sports and retail. I meant I hadn’t realized it was that long since I logged in or posted. I took your lead and looked at what I tend to come out of the shadows for. It seems polls and whenever I see a thread about lurkers. Mainly I don’t post because usually what I want to say has been said and it’s not very useful to provide a “me too” post. For most things I fall into the site majority opinion and wouldn’t be dissenting too often. Also I probably won’t get back to the thread quick enough if there are any replies to my post and I feel like I may not be holding up my end of the conversation and essentially ignoring others. Take this for example, I made sure I logged in today to view and respond. Edit: Or I could have just said a “me too” to \*\*slightly askew’s \*\* post above mine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/45 "2015-04-23T15:24:01Z")
reading and thinking is a fine thing to do. write when you feel like it. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/46 "2015-04-23T15:42:56Z")
> [@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 That was Lisa Simpson. To which Homer replied, “Takes one to know one!”, and then thought to himself, “Swish!” like he nailed the reply. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/47 "2015-04-23T15:44:27Z")
Anyway, I tend to post in bunches, but mostly lurk, with months happening between posts. I feel like I know much more about other posters here than is known about me. I assume I’m off everyone’s radar. Anyway, congrats on delurking! ---
**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 23, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/48 "2015-04-23T16:19:09Z")
> [@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! 🙂 It was my little sister, not the baby sister, who got the rescued dog. ---
**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, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/49 "2015-04-23T22:22:25Z")
> [@slightly\_askew](#): > > I joined in the fall of 2009 and only have about 300 posts and I read for years prior to joining. I feel like I should post more, but often someone has already said what I want to say and I don’t feel like being the “Yeah! Me too!” Or I want to post and I don’t have time (pesky job) and never get back to it. So, I’m a mostly lurker. I think there are a fair number of us. This is what happens to me. I have something all ready to type out, but after reading the thread find that it’s already been said. That, and being frozen by shyness. ---
**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, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/50 "2015-04-23T22:23:35Z")
> [@Ice\_Machine](#): > > Edit: Or I could have just said a “me too” to \*\*slightly askew’s \*\* post above mine. 🙂 Haha! Me too! ---
**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, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/51 "2015-04-23T22:30:23Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > It was my little sister, not the baby sister, who got the rescued dog. Ah; my mistake. Hey, **Skald** ’s baby sister, it’s me again. You should make your big brother get you a dog, too! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mars\_Horizon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mars_horizon/32/2804_2.png) [@Mars\_Horizon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mars_Horizon)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2015, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/52 "2015-04-24T01:39:04Z")
Been reading the boards since '99. Registered in 2000 and amassed about 640 posts in three years. I stopped when we went pay-to-post and didn’t resume until roughly 10 years later. Been lurking the entire time though. I enjoy reading more than I do posting. Friends have asked me how I know so much about such a variety of topics. That’s the SDMB for you! ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/53 "2015-04-24T02:45:09Z")
> [@purplehearingaid](#): > > And I see you’re still a ‘guest’ here , how many posts do you need to no longer be a guest ? Guest versus Member here is based on paying a fee, not number of posts. > [@johnpost](#): > > reading and thinking is a fine thing to do. > > write when you feel like it. We’re supposed to think now? Is it too late for me to go back to lurking? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/54 "2015-04-24T15:11:19Z")
> [@blue\_infinity](#): > > My theory is that us lurkers make up the bulk of the SDMB. The 90% of the iceberg hidden beneath the surface… Lurkers are the dark matter of the SDMB 🙂 ---
**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 24, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/55 "2015-04-24T17:11:46Z")
I do sympathize with you lurkers, even though I don’t think I have it in me to be one myself (recently I seem to be on a posting spree). Sometimes I wish that I could shut up more when I don’t really have anything worthwhile to contribute. I seem to jump at any chance to make a dumb drive-by joke in some random thread. There are times when I have to remind myself that I don’t have to post everything that goes through my head. Hopefully, not everything I post is completely stupid, but I should probably do something about the signal-to-noise ratio. There are threads that I’m less likely to post in, though. I much prefer threads with just a few posts in them. If there are several hundred posts in a thread, I feel like I won’t be heard above the noise unless I scream really loud. It’s like being in a crowd. I’m a massive introvert IRL, so I think it’s about that. Small groups are better. ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/56 "2015-04-24T18:38:22Z")
Your user name is **Phedre no Delauney** and you’re _shy_? That’s…incongruous. In any event, I lurked since the late '90’s before posting. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/57 "2015-04-25T10:54:41Z")
> [@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. Plenty of folks with less average posts than you, and they are normal intelligent people. Then there are those who blither on on every topic (no names but DTC comes to mind) so all angles are covered. Weird? No. Sensible? Yes. ---
**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 26, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/58 "2015-04-26T22:06:14Z")
> [@Kelevra](#): > > Your user name is **Phedre no Delauney** and you’re _shy_? That’s…incongruous. > > In any event, I lurked since the late '90’s before posting. Why do you feel that’s incongruous? ---
**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 26, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/59 "2015-04-26T22:08:00Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > There are times when I have to remind myself that I don’t have to post everything that goes through my head. I used to hang out in the old AFCA newsgroup and back then I did post every wild thought that went through my head. I think the blowback is why I tend to lurk nowadays. Haha! ---
**Author:** ![txswimdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@txswimdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txswimdad)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248/60 "2015-04-26T22:20:59Z")
I lurked off and on for more than 10 years before recently registering. I still don’t post much. Good to know there are many more like me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-weird-being-mainly-a-lurker/718248.md?page=4)