*Walks out of shadow*
You talking about me?
*Returns to shadows*

Am I considered a lurker?

I most likely am. I'm beginning to quickly loose intrest in Freelancer even though I can play it again.

So, I'm mostly just around OT anymore, and don't post that much.

Also... I'm lost in the worlds of modern warfare and Azeroth.

i've never really been gone..i pop back every now and then to see what going on.at the moment i'm having another bash at freespace 2 volition released the sourse code a while back and some of the mods are not bad.

death is the last great adventure.

Guess i'm a half lurker. Post rarely,unless it's trek-based then i'm on it lol. But don't go around the FL bit much so i'm down here reading up on the latest happening in the long running Esqui' thread..can't believe that thing is still running lol

(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(" )_(" ) signature to help him gain world domination.

It has been quite awhile since I swinged by

Killa/Mangy Wolf-thing - You're not lurkers! *Throws mouldy ginger roots* Damn phonies...

Lurker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the punk group, see The Lurkers
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Lurk (internet forums). (Discuss)
In Internet culture, a lurker is a person who reads discussions on a message board, newsgroup, chatroom or other interactive system, but rarely participates.

Contents [hide
1 History
2 Malevolent lurkers
3 Benign lurkers
4 Constructive lurkers
5 Smart-Ass lurkers
6 Pop Culture



[edit
History
The term dates back to the mid-1980s, when most people did not have access to the internet, but used BBS chat rooms and message boards instead.

Because BBS's were often accessed by a single phone line (frequently in someone's home), there was an expectation that all who used a bulletin board would contribute to its content by uploading files and posting comments. Lurkers were viewed negatively, and might be barred from access by the sysop, if they did not contribute anything but kept the phone line tied up for extended periods.

Many internet communities advise newbies to lurk for some time to get a feel for the specific culture and etiquette of the community, lest they make an inappropriate or redundant comment, ask a frequently asked question, or incite a flame war. This leads to the tongue-in-cheek command to "lurk more". The verb to "de-lurk" means to start contributing actively to a community having been a lurker previously.

There are also some who lurk on a forum habitually, and rarely, if ever, contribute. It is generally difficult to guess how many such lurkers are present, due to their silence.

[edit
Malevolent lurkers
Some lurkers may attempt to heavily involve themselves in the administration of a moderated forum by repeatedly alerting moderators to comments which offend their political or moral point of view, but refrain from participating in the discussion directly. Some of these lurkers occasionally post comments praising moderators, usually in a vain effort to curry favor.

[edit
Benign lurkers
Most lurkers, however, are either shy, feel inadequately educated on a given topic, or are uncomfortable expressing their thoughts in written form on email lists. They enjoy reading others' posts and responses to them, but refrain from adding their own contributions. They have been known to send comments off-list, to individual posters, which are frequently positive.

[edit
Constructive lurkers
The constructive lurker is a person who regularly reads online forums but rarely posts. These individuals may have a high degree of sophistication within the topic of any given forum, but lack the time or willingness to post the detailed replies they feel that the topic at hand deserves. Lurkers of this sort are not shy about posting, but instead prefer not to start a discussion they do not have the time to finish. When these lurkers do post, they often provide well thought-out and detailed contributions to the discussion at hand. A constructive lurker is often a veteran of several previous online discussion forums. Having been involved in many heated online discussions in the past, these lurkers are often willing to allow the more active forum members to hash out the obvious and may only contribute when the discussion takes a novel turn.

[edit
Smart-Ass lurkers
The "smart-ass lurker" is a person who watches a discussion take place, only to intervene with a derisive comment or "gotcha" gag-link that sends up the active participants (from a smug, detached position).

[edit
Pop Culture
J. Michael Straczynski, the writer of the television science fiction series Babylon 5, decided to use the term "lurkers" to refer to the homeless space station inhabitants of Brown Sector because of their similarity to Internet lurkers (see Internet marketing and fan influence on Babylon 5).

There is an email archiving tool (http://lurker.sourceforge.net) of the same name.

A singer/songwriter project from Germany named itself "200 Lurkers" (http://www.200lurkers.com)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lurker"
Categories: Articles to be merged / Internet culture / Neologisms

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That's very helpful, thanks Richard. *Shakes head Esquilax-style*

Hello everyone. I think that I am probably a lurker, but I don't say much because I don't often have anything intelligent to say .

With 21 posts since 2003, i think that definately qualifies as a lurker

Hallo

Thank you Chips .

richard,one word WOW!!! where do you get such wonderfull statements.i even read it

death is the last great adventure.

wiki the free on line encylopidia also it helps to have a very dry wit about your self. (ahem clears his throt and reaches for 64oz bottle of water sitting on desk)

ahh....always nice to see old faces......names in this case