Boyo Jim,
In all of my lurking, I have very much enjoyed your posts. I note that we are in the same neck o’the woods (enjoying the almost-record-making snowfall this year?).
Any tips, hints for what NOT to post? Searching for past posts? I don’t have a lot of protracted time on here due to sharing one computer with two teenagers and can’t be online at work, so I have a hard time researching.
Actually, I have no problem with commitments. But although I’ve logged onto this board perhaps twice a day for nearly 8 years, I rarely have the time to start and maintain a dialog. In particular, starting a new thread and then going away for a day or two just sems like bad form to me. Although I’ve done it. 
And I think I have a really low postcount for a '99er, until I see Raza pop in.
Well, I’ve been lurking here for a couple of years and I really enjoy reading the posts and all (although I don’t often go into GD these days). But I’m still only 19, with hardly any specialist knowledge or experience in anything so I often don’t feel qualified to say much. But it’s been fun and the SDMB makes good reading when I’m bored :).
This is true. And if you’re worried about people not responding to your posts, just do what I do when that happens: pretend you’ve made such a perfect post that no-one can add to nor argue against it. 
Most of my reasons for lurking instead of posting have been covered---- my thoughts already have been expressed more eloquently by others, not wanting to commit to an interaction, lazy, late to the thread, et. al.
However, there is one reason that I am ashamed to admit. I, the liberal, socialist leaning lefty that I am can’t help but think “Shouldn’t I be saving my best stuff for my up and coming bestseller???” —No, I am not writing a book —probably never will----but ----errr ----I don’t know----- one can always fantasize.
And I fully recognize that there are real jewels being posted on this board —freely given by some amazing minds. Scylla’s blimp story comes to mind; though there are many others. These people freely give insight and anecdote while I daydream about making a buck.
So there it is. False vanity is one reason I don’t post.
I am flattered, and no I am not enjoying the weather. I had high hopes for global warming to mellow out WI winters. I figured WI to be among the winners in the global warming sweepstakes.
What NOT to post…? Well, I stay almost completely out of the Great Debates forum, because the people in there seem to believe they are actually dispensing truth against lies, rather than opinions against opinions. I don’t really like the heat, and GD is SDMB’s fire. Sometimes the Pit is too, but there’s more sense of fun there in general. And I tend to stay out of GQ, though I didn’t at first, but having been here a few years I’ve gotten a much better sense of just how little I know.
So I tend to hang mostly in MPSIMS and IMHO, as the discussions aren’t as fierce and the humiliation isn’t as bad. Personally, I’m here for fun, not to explain or defend my philosophy or life choices. Once in a while I get whiney and depressed, and this is also a good place to vent. Some people will post supporting things, some people will tell you you’re a depressing jackass – which is all ok. They’re not like family who will throw your crap back in your face for the rest of your life – they’re more like relative strangers that you might see pretty often on a subway commute to work.
There is a search page here where you can search for keywords in posts, or user names. I don’t think guests can use that funtion, IIRC you have to pony up the bucks and be a member.
It’s certainly been worth it to me, whether or not I won a contest. I enjoy writing, and spinning out a good phrase. My job deasn’t really allow me anything but standard business communication.
Right now I’m polishing another entry for next year’s Bulwer Lytton contest. It still needs some work, but the gist of it is:
Just because you post un-assailably doesn’t mean you won’t be assailed. I’d like to hear more from the Islamic POV.
You’re not the only one.
Regards,
Shodan
And what’s keeping you from starting the thread yourself? I’ve been a fan of all three, and might want to participate.
But only if someone else starts it first.
Thanks. I’ll have a look.
I guess I’m also a newbie. (started paying in Dec.) So about that nibb … ahhhhh nevermind…
Welcome, anyone who joins as a result of this thread!
I agree with Boyo Jim: it is good to have new minds, new viewpoints, new souls here.
This place can be addictive. And the level of knowledge is astonishing; there are things discussed here that I don’t even begin to understand. (That mathematics thread a while ago is a good example: I came to the conclusion that I’d have to go to university for three years just to start understanding it.) I’ve learned more about religion here than anywhere else in my life, including churches. I’ve read threads about my favourite books that were better than reading the books.
But there are also touching and sometimes searing stories. Here, I learned for the first time what a miscarriage actually means to a family. Here, I saw people work through grave family problems and come out the stronger. Here, I celebrated with many others at personal triumphs. Here, I have made friends.
I just tune out the thread-shitting. It’s not worthy of my attention.
Bother.
Like so many others have said, oftentimes whatever comment I was going to make has already been stated.
That was unintentionally ironic.
I’m more comfortable reading than participating, not to mention I don’t feel I have much to offer. My viewpoints are oftentimes polar opposite to the general consensus and I’m not here to argue or defend my position. This is relaxing entertainment for me and to be put on the defensive would take the enjoyment away.
Then there’s the possibility of getting tagged by the ever-present Grammar Police. Nothing like having your typos and mistakes pointed out. I graduated from high school over 20 years ago so I was a bit surprised to learn that I hadn’t left behind the Red Pen of Correction. I can understand wanting to comment on a poster’s habit of never capitalizing (as an example) but to point out the simple, silly mistakes most of us make is just incredibly anal and certainly doesn’t make one inclined to participate.
But the biggest reason I seldom post is I have a poor memory so I’m always concerned I’ll either be repeating myself or I’ll forget where I’ve posted and might miss someone’s comment to me.
Monday Morning Post. Just a general catch-all for various things. I spent my 10,000 post there, since we’re not allowed to have post parties.
[Glinda from The Wizard of Oz]Come out, come out, wherever you are![GFTWOO]
It’s odd, but I recognize lots of the names of the lurkers in this thread. Some of you might not post much, but you do post well when you do.
I also bet that there are a bunch of folks out there reading this who don’t want to ruin their virginal post counts by even coming in here.
Foiled again!
(Nelson Muntz voice)
HA-HA
When I die I want to be the charter member with the lowest posts/day ratio.
The OP asks a good question, and many of the answers would be my response…that’s part of why my post count is so low: most of the time when I read a thread, someone will already give a response which would have been mine…and redundancy is something the SDMB doesn’t need…so I feel no need to respond.
I’m a lifelong learner and a voracious reader (history, theology, non-fiction), and I learn a lot by simply lurking. That’s the fun part of the Dope.
Many times I’d like to post something, especially about my faith…I struggle a lot (I’m an Episcopal minister)…but the level of intolerance among those who have no religious beliefs on this board is as high as the level I encounter from Christofacsists in the real world. So, I pick my battles and, having been around this world for almost a half century…heck, there aren’t many ditches worth dying in anymore.
OTOH, my wife and I picked up my step-niece in Iowa yesterday so she could spend the new year with us. Her father has a HUCKABEE bumpersticker on his car. In the dirt next to it I wrote SUCKS. Just doing my part to fight ignorance…
Just adding my “me, too” to this thread. Generally a lurker because either I’m not passionate enough about the subject, or if I am, my thoughts have already been expressed by others. I can’t see posting something that’s redundant. The time thing factors in to an extent to.
Oh, and I’m half-Scottish, so I’m tighter than bark to a tree when it comes to money and only recently decided to pony up the $15!
Generally I find that someone has already answered the OP before I get around to it, and usually so well that I can find nothing to add …
… much like this thread, too.
However, I figure I read around 65% of the total threads.
Aside from the above reasons, I’m kind of a documentary and car-crashes person. I love reading GQ and GD but feel I have little to offer that would actually add to the debates. I also love reading a good argument. I do enjoy it when posters go off the deep end and love to sit back and watch, I wouldn’t want to get involved though.
I don’t have much time for inanity and tend to avoid MPSIMS. I do post in the occasional CS thread when I feel I actually have something to offer, usually pertaining to PC gaming.
I’m just not much of a talker… I much prefer to sit in the corner and listen to everybody else’s conversations.
You know, if there was ever good reason to make a sock, nibbles from **HazelNutCoffee **would certainly be it!
Note: Don’t make a sock.