Honestly, it rarely occurs to me that anyone notices me or remembers what I say, so no, I’ve never thought of the lurker audience.
turns to lurker audience and bows
Brings to mind one of my “original” witty observations:
“If ‘All the world’s a stage,’ which way is the audience?”
Generally, behind you when you least expect it.
Sure, I’m aware of lurkers. They are the primary audience for most of the nasty threads in Great Debates (given that none of the head-butting members are ever going to concede a point or acknowledge learning something or changing their minds). Most of the savage thrusts and wicked parries are done for the silent audience which most certainly includes lurkers.
I’ve lurked for months, and all I can say, Tom, is that you’re doing yourself a great disservice. Several times I’ve seen you concede a point as well as acknowledging learning things. Changing your mind? Well, we all have to draw the line somewhere. 
Well, I don’t generally include myself among the head-butters or savage thrusters of the nasty threads. There are also posters in GD who are there for rational discussion.
Well, I had an account back before the board became pay to play (just plain “Aleq” then), travelled around to the temporary board, then became a lurker when I no longer had a home computer and went to a job without internet access. I’d check in from the library ever so often to see how the place was doing, then got a laptop but had to rely on public hotspots for WiFi access. As soon as I had a reliable computer and web access I ponied up my buckaroos because this place is just too much fun to just read without retorting… I always assume that everybody in the world is reading everything I post, here, other boards, MySpace blogs, I figure I’m writing for an audience no matter how deluded I might be in that assumption.
So yeah, welcome!
Wow, a lot better response than I expected for my first thread.
To be a nit of a nitpicker … searching is another of the reasons that I signed up, since guests can’t search. I’m just worried that I just might not get any work done ever again!
Aach, I’ve seen you on the LoTR threads before, should have known you’d call me on that one. I know it’s mispelled … I accidentally mispelled it once long ago (didn’t have the books with me at the time) , liked it, and decided that the misspelling made it unique enough to be my web handle. 
As for me, well, I’ve almost a professional lurker. I’ve lurked around dozens of message boards over the last eight years or so. This is actually the first one I’ve posted to more than twice. Even if I never post again, this place has provided me with at least fifteen bucks worth of entertainment, so I’m glad I paid to keep the hamsters running.
I don’t even notice the lurkers. I’m used to performing for a silent audience: I teach! 
Welcome, Mithrander. Jump on in…the water ain’t deep.
Lurkers aren’t bad, just there are better green creatures out there now.
It’s been almost a year since I started a thread to appeal to Lurkers to step forth and at least identify themselves in Lurkers Anonymous: Roll Call. I even gave the thread a bump in Feb/06 to see if others might enjoy the affiliation with other fellow travelers in the wings.
My guess is that (based on some of the replies in that thread) many people who read here consider posting as some sort of competition and that the “better” posters may see their efforts as feeble or weak. What better definition of Silent Majority could there be?
That’s cool. 
Considering the number of threads I read, vs the number of threads I actually post in, I could be counted as a 95% lurker anyway. I guess I’ve never differentiated between non-member lurkers and non-commenting members. It’s the internet, of COURSE there is someone out there watching.
Probably the Feds, these days.
Welcome, Mithrander.
Gimme 5 Bucks.
Another lurker here (and fellow Canuck) who should have been a Charter Member and lurked for a few years before that. Essentially most people here say what I want to say but are much more eloquent (I am an engineer after all). Plus I’m always afraid of neglected a thread once I post. I feel I have an obligation to stick with a thread once I post and usually can’t. Case in point, I’m posting here just before going home for the weekend and it’s highly unlikely I’ll be back to see any more responses.
Yes …
.
I find the misspelling charming…somewhat less - obnoxious - than a properly spelled homage - like you are trying to almost be Gandalf but acknowledge missing.
What do I think of lurkers. Well, I joined in 2000 (I think) after lurking for a few months. My husband had seven posts from the time I joined and he started reading over my shoulder until we went pay to post. When he said “I’m ponying up the bucks, and darn it, I’ll use it.” So no problem with lurkers.
Welcome aboard. Don’t worry about being heard, its kind of like a large cocktail party around here (except we don’t post when we are drunk…yeah…). At the end of the night you might be remembered as “that guy who said something interesting” or maybe not.