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.
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>
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::
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:
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.
