Is lurking a healthy trend?

[Richard Prowse]

Originally Posted by 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).

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]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anselm Hauke]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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!!

[stan haskins]

Originally Posted by David Powell

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.