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.