Is lurking a healthy trend?

[Richard Prowse]

Is lurking a healthy trend? I guess that, by nature, internet sites are about lurking. In the old days people 'loitered' but that wasn't really considered acceptable behaviour. Lurking, as I understand it, is different. It's probably like 'taking a peek' without spying half naked ladies. I'm refering, of course, to the old 'peek shows'.
I just found this definition on the internet:
"In Internet culture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_culture), a lurker is a person who reads discussions on a message board (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message_board), newsgroup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsgroup), chatroom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatroom), file sharing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_sharing) or other interactive system, but rarely participates."
Sounds okay, really, to me. I just don't understand why people don't want to get more involved.

[Robert Prowse]

I agree, in a site like this where people use real names it's like window peeping!

[Anselm Hauke]

robert,
do you wear the "hat" on your public-profile-page-pic when you are window-peeping?

[Richard Prowse]

Mein deutscher Freund, dies ist ein sehr guter Witz!

[Richard Prowse]

Is Iceland a cold place? Oops! Off topic!
I wonder if lurkers originally come from hot or cold places? Or both?
Well, if they come from both there will be no pattern that I can write about. What makes a good lurker? Is a lurker starting a thread like having your cake and eating it? Probably not if you only choose to lurk for part of your time.
By definition a lurker would be checking out lots of different threads... you know, sort of lurking around... he/she would be skipping through a smorgasboard of topics.
So, if a lurker started a thread, wouldn't he enjoy it more if it went off topic. He probably would if he was the sort of 'part time lurker' who would think of starting a thread. I mean to say, an off topic thread could make more use of this persons limited lurking time. Maybe the joy of lurking is more intense when you actually have to seek out different threads.
Would this type of lurker, by nature, endeavour to visit a variety of sites? You know:
A women's clothing site, a bass site, a muscle building site, a banjo site, a political site, a sight that specialises in selling ballet tights... ?
Are there in fact different catagories of lurkers?
Wow! this is a great thread! I bet it'd be fun to lurk here!

[Robert Prowse]

robert,
do you wear the "hat" on your public-profile-page-pic when you are window-peeping?

LOL :D :D

Not really ,but Richard's borrowed it a couple of times!

[Richard Prowse]

LOL :D :D

Not really ,but Richard's borrowed it a couple of times!
It is quite heavy.

[Dennis Michaels]

I wouldn't say lurking is uhealthy. Some I believe feel they have nothing to offer but wish to learn. Then there are those that "should" lurk (not neccesarily this on this forum). I remember picking up my fretless from Ken. Mid day we were talking DB and Ken ( who know soooo much about the subject and plays his butt off)got out one of his and played for us. He then said "Here, play this one is't a great bass"... I declined telling him "If you think I am playing after your performance you're nuts". I now lurk the DB section while am actve in the electric section.

[Richard Prowse]

I wouldn't say lurking is uhealthy. Some I believe feel they have nothing to offer but wish to learn. Then there are those that "should" lurk (not neccesarily this on this forum).
Maybe it's just the name 'lurking' that gives it bad press.
Maybe we need catagories:
murking: when you 'sort of' lurk, but are really just feeling your way.
nanking: an unhealthy obsession with spying on Chinese cities.
litterloitering: dropping rubbish while hanging around near men's toilets.
lerking: secretly checking sites out because you're embarrased by your own bad spelling.
lionking: secretly roaming the internet looking for references to old Disney movies that feature the music of Sir Elton John.

[Dennis Michaels]

Maybe it's just the name 'lurking' that gives it bad press.
Maybe we need catagories:
murking: when you 'sort of' lurk, but are really just feeling your way.
nanking: an unhealthy obsession with spying on Chinese cities.
litterloitering: dropping rubbish while hanging around near men's toilets.
lerking: secretly checking sites out because you're embarrased by your own bad spelling.
lionking: secretly roaming the internet looking for references to old Disney movies that feature the music of Sir Elton John.



Very true indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

[Anselm Hauke]

Maybe it's just the name 'lurking' that gives it bad press.
Maybe we need catagories:
murking: when you 'sort of' lurk, but are really just feeling your way.
nanking: an unhealthy obsession with spying on Chinese cities.
litterloitering: dropping rubbish while hanging around near men's toilets.
lerking: secretly checking sites out because you're embarrased by your own bad spelling.
lionking: secretly roaming the internet looking for references to old Disney movies that feature the music of Sir Elton John.

richard,
i like "nanking" most, but "lionking" is also very funny

[David Powell]

Lurk here, lurk here! When I lurked it was mostly because I had a Win98 machine that was extremely susceptible to virus attacks and ping attacks. If you posted anything on any forum, you gave away your IP address and if a hacker was also lurking you could get knocked off the web and they could cause your machine to crash or lock up. Various Windows defense programs started showing up and getting popular. All kinds of software firewalls, and various hacker attack programs that tried to out do them. So when I see someone who is using "Who is" and getting into all the web hacker jargon, such as "I'm in danger of giving up my lurker status" posting on a web forum and making hacker-like threats, I just kind of smile and go on about my business;- on a Mac. :o

If you have a Windoze machine, don't take offense. Just get Outpost Pro firewall program or use a router between your machine and the Internet. There are genuine people who read and do not post just because they are shy and then there are others that see web forums as some kind of online hacker game. It's better now because so many people are switching to DSL and usually that means a router, or they are on a wireless network and it is really hard to figure out where they are, as far as IP address.

[Richard Prowse]

Lurk here, lurk here! When I lurked it was mostly because I had a Win98 machine that was extremely susceptible to virus attacks and ping attacks. If you posted anything on any forum, you gave away your IP address and if a hacker was also lurking you could get knocked off the web and they could cause your machine to crash or lock up. Various Windows defense programs started showing up and getting popular. All kinds of software firewalls, and various hacker attack programs that tried to out do them. So when I see someone who is using "Who is" and getting into all the web hacker jargon, such as "I'm in danger of giving up my lurker status" posting on a web forum and making hacker-like threats, I just kind of smile and go on about my business;- on a Mac. :o

If you have a Windoze machine, don't take offense. Just get Outpost Pro firewall program or use a router between your machine and the Internet. There are genuine people who read and do not post just because they are shy and then there are others that see web forums as some kind of online hacker game. It's better now because so many people are switching to DSL and usually that means a router, or they are on a wireless network and it is really hard to figure out where they are, as far as IP address.
David, this is serious. Please try and keep it silly.

[David Powell]

OK, Richard, it is your thread and I'll try to be silly, LOL. See it's working already. At first I thought your were tweaking me for lack of band width, but heck, I play in 4 or 5 bands and sometimes lose count (not the measure mind you, just which rehearsal or gig, I'm suppose to be at!) LMAO!! :D :o

[stan haskins]

If you posted anything on any forum, you gave away your IP address and if a hacker was also lurking you could get knocked off the web and they could cause your machine to crash or lock up. Various Windows defense programs started showing up and getting popular. All kinds of software firewalls, and various hacker attack programs that tried to out do them. So when I see someone who is using "Who is" and getting into all the web hacker jargon, such as "I'm in danger of giving up my lurker status" posting on a web forum and making hacker-like threats, I just kind of smile and go on about my business;-

This is the most perceptive thing I've read in ages.

[Mike Smith]

Don't worry, if someone was really out to get you, they'd have you already ;)

And when you're on a mac, or pretty much any non windows pc, you're guaranteed security, through obscurity of course.

Not to make the windows users scared, as I'm one of them, just make sure you got at least a software firewall running (Windows XP has one built-in) and if you have a hardware firewall, which is bound to almost every router made these days, then you're pretty safe in that way too.