norwich36 | Lurking and lurking

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Lurking and lurking

::Waving at everyone:: I've been travelling a lot, if you've wondered where I've been lately. And today is my last day to play on lj for a while, since I'm going on a work-related wilderness retreat tomorrow, with no net access for several days (*sob*).

But while I'm still here, I wanted to do a poll. I just read this entry on

metafandom, discussing a Guardian essay which suggests that "of 100 people online in a given community, only one will produce content. Ten will comment on it, and the other 89 will simply view it."

cofax7 tends to disagree with this statistic, at least in reference to lj, but I'm not so sure.

As you know, I lurked for years myself, so I'm more inclined to think there are quite a few people out there who are reading along (and maybe feeling connected to fandom) who talk little or not at all on lj. In fact, I imagine there are lots of lurkers reading out there who don't even have lj accounts. Ok, maybe they're not reading my exciting journal--clearly their loss-- but they're probably reading journals of their favorite authors.

SO here's a poll just for lurkers! Lurkers--that is, people who almost never or never comment or post entries on lj-- come take my poll! If you don't have an lj account, feel free to answer the poll questions anonymously in my comments; behind the cut I'll put a cut-and-pasteable version of the poll. And if you want to delurk long enough to explain why you lurk, feel free to do so in the comments.

[Poll #782913]

1. _______I define myself as a lurker and I am taking this poll.
2. I feel a sense of connection to the people I read on livejournal, even though I seldom/never comment:
______Yes
______No
______Sometimes

3. I lurk because:
_____I am shy
_____ I don't have time to actively participate
______I feel that I don't have anything to add to the conversation
______I prefer to stay in the background
______Other

4. Elaborate on "other":

5. I have been lurking for:
____under three months
____3-6 monts
____6 months-1 year
____over one year
____over two years

6. Will I ever delurk?
___No, I'm happy remaining a lurker
___Maybe, if I work up the courage
___Yes, when I have something to add to the discussion
___Yes, when I have more time

(Cut and paste into the comment box; put "X" on the appropriate line). Or feel free to just write answers in the comments).

And all you non-lurkers out there: did you ever lurk? Here I'm talking about more than hanging out for a couple weeks getting the lay of the land--let's say to call yourself a former lurker you had to have lurked for at least 6 months. If so, why? And what made you delurk? Since you're all claiming to no longer be lurkers, I'm going to make you actual comment to respond to this, rather than giving you ticky boxes!

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I answeared the poll because I was a lurker until three months ago. I lurked for several months in LJ, mostly because I didn't knew how to move arround here. I just read a story at the SSA and, sometimes, the stories would have links to the authors LJ's. So, I came to LJ to check if the author had more stories. And so on. I felt like, since I can't write, there was much for me to do in with a LJ. And, of course, is way more comfortable to just read the stuff (also, more boring). But, as I started discovering LJ and all the people here, I started wanting to leave feedback too.

My friend,

alessandra84 was the one who gave me the final push to create my LJ. And she introduced me to my first "friends". It was a great help, because it's a little intimidating to get in a fandom that has been arround for years and were everyone *seems* to know everyone.

I never lurked. I did the two week thing, where I scoped it out, and then dove in. I don't actually find that many people who didn't lurk for a while! I think, though, if I would have lurked for 6 months, I'd be a lurker forever.

I lurked in SV fandom in th beginning, and probably would have continued to do so, if I hadn't started

sv_ledger with

allzugern, *g*. There's still a lurkerish aspect of looking for links outside my own f-list.

I'm trying to remember. My recollections of that period, even though it was like, a year ago are very sketchy.

I know I was lurking last June because I remember checking LJ on my PDA while I was in Florida. I know I was completely obsessed with Clark/Lex (and by that I mean not just 'I love SV' but head over heels talk about all the time) in January because thats when my boyf and I broke up....hmmm yes, I guess I lurked for about six months.

I delurked because the new season was coming up and I wanted to at least make one friend to talk about it with when it started. I guess there was no giant push, just a 'it's now or never thing'. I'm confident I wouldn't have been able to come in mid-season.

I claim to still be a lurker because my forays into comments and even posting are few and far between. I came to norwich's comment party a while back, but that was probably the most significant amount of delurking I've ever done. Otherwise, it's all been comments to comments in my own posts (which are usually story updates, or links to my updated website), or pimping my own stuff at sv_inquiry when it seems appropriate. I can't really imagine myself talking more than that because it's something I generally don't do; I've just always been really quiet. On my real life journal, my icon is a mouse holding a giant pencil.

i was pretty much a lurker in the HP fandom, though i outed myself to a few writers i liked a lot. it's been SV that brought me out into at least a small bit of the fandom community.

lurking is something native to me. i read all kinds of things without speaking up, enjoying the feel of being a quiet mouse in a large, echoey house. *g*

I lurked for more than a year before I got an LJ. And then I only started friending people so I could read their f-locked posts. That kind of got the ball rolling for me.

But I try to remember that there may still be non-LJ lurkers out there. I leave my locked art stuff open for about a week so they can see it without an LJ account and lurkers don't have to friend my LJ. I remember being scared and a little stressed about joining communities and revealing myself when I was a newbie. I used to bookmark journals instead of friending them so I didn't look like a creepy stalker with no friends! Erm. *shifty glance*

I definitely lurked for a long time, first at TWoP then on LJ. Even once I got my LJ, I rarely commented for the first 3 or 4 months. I lurk(ed) because I'm terminally shy, and hate speaking up unless I know for sure that I'm welcome.

Same thing with commenting on fics - I read a lot of fic without saying anything, just because I don't like commenting in unknown spaces.

Pre-lj, I lurked on forums like TWoP for a couple of months before posting.

I don't think I lurk on lj. However, there are a few people who aren't on my friends list whose posts I check out every week or so. However, I don't consider it lurking. I like to think of it as stalking. :)

Well, I'm really glad you delurked! It's hard to imagine SV fandom without you, these days.

Well, I don't think reading around for a while before diving in is really lurking--it's more like researching a country you've never been to before you visit, or something. :-)

Oh, that's a category of lurker I didn't even think of: academic researchers!

Yeah, if you put it that way I'm still a lurker in a lot of fandoms.

How did you get into SV, anyway?

I can't currently imagine the fandom without your rants. Which are *never* annoying, btw, even when I disagree with them.

I don't really think of you as a lurker, myself, because even though you don't comment a lot you do write those amazing stories. I guess when I think of lurkers I think of people who are completely under the radar, but whenever authors I know are silent for a long time I just assume they're busily working on their next story. Which is an odd assumption, I guess.

enjoying the feel of being a quiet mouse in a large, echoey house. *g*

That's a great image.

Oh, yes. If it weren't for friendslocking, I don't know if I'd have a journal to this day. And it's thoughtful of you to leave things unlocked; I think some people are a little creeped out by the whole thought of lurkers so they wouldn't want to do that.

Yeah, I'm the same way. For a long time, rather than leave comments on people's livejournal entries, which felt too public to me, I would send them emailed feedback instead, so that if what I was saying was stupid only one person would see it!

Hee!

Yeah, I "stalk" people that way, too.

I lurked at twop for a long time, maybe a year, before I ever registered and posted. That was mostly in the Buffy section, probably starting around season 5. Then I lurked on lj for a long time. I still have a bunch of people's lj's bookmarked, from when I used to read them a lot but didn't have one of my own. Then

shaggirl gave me an invite code in April of 2003, as part of an

anvil_falls reboot, and here I am.

Oh, wow, INVITE codes. I had totally forgotten about that era. That's probably another reason why it took me so long to get an account. If you don't know anyone, it seems awfully presumptuous to ask someone for an invite!

People always seemed to have a lot of them, though.

mos_self offered them to anybody at twop who wanted one, for a while. I think he offered me one before

shaggirl did, but I told him I didn't think I'd ever be able to figure out the complexities of livejournal! LOL!

Oh, well, I was a lurker on TWOP, too (and didn't really spend any time over there). I started lurking on livejournal when some folks from Due South fandom whose blogs I was following at the time (I think probably

thete1 and

katallison migrated over here.

I lurk in fandoms that aren't SV. Particularly HP -- I'll leave a comment if I like a story, and it's on LJ, but that's the extent of my fannish involvement. The fandom is so large that I feel a little intimidated.

Yes, I still mostly lurk when I leave the waters of SV myself.

*nods* I lurk in BSG fandom a LOT actually. Though I never lurked before the plunge into SV. I definitely also lurk around the big icon comms as well. Actually, I'm more like a parasite over there--I go around gobbling up icons but don't contribute. ;-)

Ok, I've done the ticky boxes, now the comment.

I lurk in some places and not others. I originally came into LJ via the B7 fandom a couple of years ago. I recently joined

little_details and found I was commenting without bothering to lurk, but I have been lurking on

advanced_knit and

necronomiphiles for months because I haven't yet had anything useful to say.

*De-lurks quickly*

I saw this on Metafandom, and I can't resist polls, so here I am.

I watch a lot of communities, and comment in them sometimes, but I almost never comment in personal journals. I'm shy, and don't like talking to people I don't know IRL, so I guess that crosses over onto the internet. Also, sometimes it's just easier not to comment--you never know how someone will take your comments, and if they provoke them, I don't want to spend a lot of time in a messy argument. Or I'm just lazy. ;-)

I answered the poll because I am somewhat of a lurker. I lurk in some communities and post in others. For the most part, I simply read the content; although I am getting better at leaving feedback for fic and enjoy snarking at

scans_daily. I've had this here lj for about five years and lurked other places.

I tend to be a lurker in fandom. I don't write or draw (publicly) and I like my comments to be constructive, so if I'm short on time, I don't comment. However, I'm more active in my other interest (knitting), and as such my journal is primarily a real-life/knitting blog. So I'm kind of a it-depends-lurker/half-lurker.

I lurk in fandom, though less on lj. I have a group of friends around whom I frequently contribute & comment, and I post in my personal journal, though fandom-wise I am still lurking forcefully.

Here via metafandom.

I created this journal pretty much to stalk communities and keep a friends list. I lurk because I don't really feel I have much to contribute - I don't write or beta or even read that much, I'm (perhaps overly) selective and shy, and my thoughts don't translate to paper as well as other peoples. (I do try to leave feedback if I'm particularly moved by a story, but I don't participate much in "fandom", per se).

Maybe we should start a lurkers_unite community, where we can practice posting charming, witty, and inoffensive comments.

Just to add a few comments about my lurkerdom... I've lurked in HP fandom since 2000 (yikes). For a long time, I stayed out of it because I didn't have time, and also my primary LJ is easily googleable under my real name. Eventually, I started this other LJ that isn't connected to my real name, but for some reason it hasn't actually caused me to participate more.

I think there a few reasons for that. Time (I mean, it takes so much time even just to lurk!) is still the main one. It especially seems like if you want anyone to read things you've written, you really need to cultivate people, and the idea of investing time just to become popular among online HP fans strikes me as batty. But another reason is that HP fandom is now so vast that I don't know how I could keep up. I'm the sort of person who would think up an idea for a fic or essay and sit on it for six months before doing anything about it. In that amount of time, someone could easily post something so similar that it just doesn't make the effort seem worthwhile. Or, someone will post an essay and the comments will move so fast that you can't keep up and make any kind of meaningful contribution. The fandom seems to reward people who are online 24 hours a day. If the choice is lurkerdom or extreme overinvestment, I'm erring on the side of lurkerdom!

The only thing that ever tempts me to consider stopping lurking is that although the fandom is now much huger than it was back when I occasionally posted on HP4GU, it is also broken up into smaller chunks, mostly by ship. I suppose that could make it a bit less daunting.

I took the poll, though I'm not quite sure I qualify - I have an LJ, and I post in it frequently, but I very rarely post outside it (except to share icons). I'm just incredibly self-conscious about what I write online. When I talk out loud it all just spills out, but when I post a comment somewhere, I have time to think about what it is I'm saying. And I worry about sounding stupid, or young, or offensive. So I write a comment, and then rewrite, and then rewrite again. It all gets kind of tiresome, to be honest. Maybe that's another reason I'm reluctant to comment on things! ^^

1. X______I define myself as a lurker and I am taking this poll.
2. I feel a sense of connection to the people I read on livejournal, even though I seldom/never comment:
______Yes
______No
X_____Sometimes

3. I lurk because:
_____I am shy
_____ I don't have time to actively participate
X_____I feel that I don't have anything to add to the conversation
X_____I prefer to stay in the background
______Other

4. Elaborate on "other":

5. I have been lurking for:
____under three months
____3-6 monts
____6 months-1 year
____over one year
X___over two years

6. Will I ever delurk?
___No, I'm happy remaining a lurker
___Maybe, if I work up the courage
X Yes, when I have something to add to the discussion
___Yes, when I have more time

Yeah, it seems like a lot of folks might comment in a few places and lurk everywhere else.

Thanks for taking the poll!

Well, thanks for delurking for the poll!

And I totally understand what you mean about personal journals--it often feels weird to me, too, especially when I don't know the person well (or at all)--I'm sure they're saying to themselves "who the heck is that person, anyway?"

I'm starting to think I should do a poll for "semi-lurkers," since a lot of people seem to lurk in some places and not in others.

Thanks for taking the poll!

So you are more active in the community where you feel you can contribute more? That makes sense.

Thanks for taking the poll!

Maybe we should start a lurkers_unite community, where we can practice posting charming, witty, and inoffensive comments.

That sounds like a great idea!

I can see how the hugeness of HP would make participation more intimidating. And things do seem to move very quickly on livejournal--it definitely is easier for people who have more time, I think.

Oh, I completely understand that sort of social anxiety! It often leads me to posting comments full of typos, because I'm afraid if I take the time to reread I will chicken out and not post it.

Thanks for overcoming your inner censor and commenting!

Hi. I'm here from

metafandom.

I think of myself as primarily a lurker, even though I post quite frequently to my journal (strictly f-locked), and I will comment in the journals of friends. Anything outside of my immediate realm of friends, though, I rarely comment on, and I almost never friend anybody either, unless they friend me first. There are a number of journals that I read regularly, but have not added to my flist, mostly because we've never had any interaction, and I (for whatever reason) feel like it'll be even odder if my name suddenly shows up on their friends-of list. I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot of really good content because I'm not comfortable friending random strangers.

I lurk a few message boards on a regular basis (one of them being TWoP). Almost all of my friends online I met either through a chat room (I like the chat room format better because comments don't feel as permanent, and there isn't time for my inner beta to rear its head and edit everything to death) or through another friend.

I comment on occasion (like now) when I feel like I have something to say, and though I'm trying to move beyond lurking, it's proving to be a slow process. Oddly enough, I write sometimes and will just post it under f-lock, so the ten or so people on my f-list can read it.

I think my personality just tends more towards lurking. There are people who can post replies that are well-thought-out, intelligent, and on-topic, and then there are people like me who ramble on for eons about stuff nobody else cares about.

Sorry for my long-winded answer. I'm still trying to figure out what options to tick on the poll because, as many have said up-thread, I'm active in some forums (within my close circle of friends, in chat rooms) and not others (public message boards). It always scares me sometimes when I realize how many names I recognize when I've had absolutely *zero* interaction with any or all of them. I know who's friends with who and who was at whose house and I don't know any of them and none of them know me. It's freaky how much you can pick up from lurking.

Clearly we need a new category for semi-lurkers (periodic lurkers? Situational lurkers?) because your experience seems to be fairly common.

I just wanted to comment on this: There are people who can post replies that are well-thought-out, intelligent, and on-topic, and then there are people like me who ramble on for eons about stuff nobody else cares about. In my experience, the people who post well-thought-out, intelligent commentary ALSO post a lot of rambling stuff nobody cares about (or at least, that *I* don't care about). Nobody is all one or all the other. I know that's important for me to remember, since I'm always fighting my own inner censor. And for the record, this comment didn't ramble at all; it was quite pertinent and to-the-point.

Since you say you're trying to move beyond lurking, I'd encourage you to friend some folks you read all the time. They may or may not friend you back, but I wouldn't worry so much about them wondering about who this random stranger is. (It's instructive to enter the name of a BNF on marnanel's joule site; in a given week they may have anywhere between 10 and 40 people friend and defriend them.) People with smaller flists will probably stop by and see who you are, and may friend you back, so you will get to know them, and they won't be random strangers anymore.

Well, I don't think I actually lurked... I just never posted anything except to the 10 or so people I know IRL that have journals. And then... Smallville happened. And I discovered that madness that is CLex. And then The whole Star Wars thing. And Star Gate. And Harry Potter.

It was really like realizing I am not a single daisy in the middle of a green field, but just one in a field of daisies. :)

Well I've always lurked a lot although I've been trying to contribute more. One of the major reasons is I'm primary a reader and I love to learn through picking up as much information as I can. I'm not into writing so much so its hard for me to get the energy to type something up especially since when I do, I feel I have to give a long answer, being a perfectionist.

The second is that I'm pretty shy and can be nervous about what other people will think and so often I play it safe and don't say anything at all. It often starts out being me trying to take the "lay of the land" so I don't mess up and then I just find it easy to not say anything and keep lurking. I still get enjoyment out of reading others thoughts and I still feel as if I kind of know them without the fear that comes with them knowing me. Also sometimes I feel intimidated with people who I admire a lot and think of as being very good writers and intelligent people and I don't think my comments will be as valuable compared to them.

That's a lovely image!

At this work retreat I was just on, they did these teambuilding exercises. A lot of them were the kind of thing that make me insane, but one of the actually helpful ones had us talking about aspects of our personality that we loved and aspects we would get rid of if we could. And at the top of the "get rid of" list, for me, was perfectionism, because I have found it to be practically crippling in my own life. There are so many things I haven't experienced because I let the fear of not doing it right stop me from trying. So I completely understand about perfectionism stopping people from getting more involved.

But of course, if you play it safe, you may learn a lot about the people you read, but they don't learn about you, so you miss out on actual friendships. (One thing that helped me a lot was to send people private email to talk about things when I was feeling too shy to post on lj).

But the feeling intimidated by other folks being smarter--sure, there will always be people who are better writers or better artists or better essayists or whatever, but you probably have more skills than you know, and you only develop them if you try! (And lots of the best writers in fandom posted really scarily bad stuff back in the day, so everybody has room for improvement).

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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