Monday, June 22, 2009

On the outside looking in.

LURK Main Entry: lurk Pronunciation: \ˈlərk\ Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: Middle English; akin to Middle High German lūren to lie in wait
Date: 14th century
1 a: to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose b: to move furtively or inconspicuously c: to persist in staying 2 a: to be concealed but capable of being discovered ; specifically : to constitute a latent threat b: to lie hidden 3: to read messages on an Internet discussion forum (as a newsgroup or chat room) without contributing — lurk·er noun
My last post was about the Obviously Intelligent Persons (OIP's) who are followers of my blog. I smile every time I say that :) !
But on after thought I realized that not everyone who reads my posts want to be a follower. :(
Sometimes readers like being on the outside looking in. That makes them lurkers.
I have lurkers. I know I have lurkers. Every blogger has lurkers. It can't be helped! Lurkers are there whether you want them or not. Now there is nothing wrong with lurkers. Personally, I like them. They read your posts and may or may not leave a unsigned message and may or may not comment about your blog on their blog if they have one. They are, I think, for the most part, house broken and are, I am sure, computer literate, to various levels. They can turn on a computer and in my book that makes them computer literate. Some lurkers are artists, poets, weavers, stay at home moms, teachers, wives, sons, daughters, husbands, doctors of Medicine, Divinity, Chiropractic, Dentistry and Theory. Some are Canadian, American, British, European, Chinese, Polish, Australian, German and Russian. Some come from far away places and some come from right next door. Some are neat freaks, some not so neat, some like camping while others prefer a resort. Some like broccoli, some like spinach and some like, dare I say it?...liver and onions. All had or have biological parents. Some of them had/have adoptive parents. All, I am positive on this point, were born...none crawled out from under a rock. I think that is physically (not to mention spiritually) impossible. Newborns cannot crawl so the rock thing just doesn't work for me. No lurkers were found under a cabbage in the garden, none were brought by the stork and none were brought by the faeries or Santa or leprechauns in the middle of the night. I would like to think that no lurkers were dropped on their heads at birth or held up by the ankles and slapped by the doctor, or midwife. But I cannot say that for certain. That whole, slap the baby thing just sounds wrong somehow doesn't it? Some lurkers are just in it for the joy of reading, some in it because they are shy, some because they have no time or inclination to join in the conversation. And yes, unfortunately, there are some in it for the thrill of lurking, of being there, in the shadows, on the outside looking in, just because they can.
Lurkers are, I like to believe, regular people, who have busy lives just like everybody else. So what if they don't leave an electronic signature trail? Maybe they don't want lurkers following their blog. Well just think about it. If I went to a lurkers blog and read their posts and didn't leave a comment, I would then become a lurker too. I'm a nice person. I work, I pay my taxes, say my prayers every night and I haven't lost a neighbourhood kid in the front lawn for a dog's age. (we keep the lawn mower in good repair now and the neighbours keep an eye out for anyone heading towards our front yard).
So there you go. I used to be a lurker but now I always let the blogger know I was there.
So to all you lurkers who are reading this post...WELCOME....I'M GLAD YOU LURKED...COME BACK AGAIN SOON.......I HOPE I MADE YOU SMILE!
And if your a lurker sitting at your computer reading this with just your underwear (or less) on.... that's OK too! Do what I do. Make sure your blinds are closed but keep an eye out that the neighbours don't get lost in the lawn trying to look in your window.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Lois thankyou for leaving such kind words on my blog .

flossy-p said...

hehehe, that's so nice of you to personally address the shy and busy. It's funny I spent years lurking before I started my own blog, then I got right into commenting, but these days I'm heading back to the lurking side of things again.

Yes I think sometimes it's being busy, and sometimes it's being overwhelmed about reading about so many peoples lives. Almost like being at a giant party - you can't be expected to speak to everyone there... better just to smile and wave from across the room in some cases.

So while I'm having a lovely chat with you today, remember sometimes I'll be happily waving from across the room. :)

joanne wardle said...

lurk, lurk! you are funny. Thank you for the lovely comment on my blog

Amy said...

I am a lurker many times when I am in a hurry or just do not have a comment one way or another even though I enjoyed the reading. I tend to leave long comments when I do have the time (see the words ahead of this sentence!).I know I have a huge lurker readership at my blog. Many hits, few comments. I often marvel at fellow blogger's posts that have 50-100 (or more) comments!! I do not know if I would even wish to have 100 comments on my posts. I have not enough hours in the day as it is and lots of guilt over not doing all the things I need to do each day. I would need that many more hours added to my day on top of the extra 5 I am always requesting of the universe....and I would have so much more guilt over the piles of laundry that are calling my name as I read those 100 comments for each of my posts!!

Loved your post by the way!! :)
And thanks a bunch for your visits!
Amy

rokokforex said...

hello lois thanx 4 sharing

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Heike said...

LOL..love it!

Lois, please DO repost the UW video! The more people become aware, the better :).