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27 Sep 00 - 09:56 PM (#307033) Subject: Lurking From: Sourdough Recently I have been busy and traveling a lot. I haven't had the chance to participate as much in Mudcat as I enjoy doing. I have done a lot of reading of posts though but I don't get around to posting. There are probably a lot of people such as myself who do a great deal of reading but little posting for whatever reason. I just wanted to point out that the people who take the time to write a thoughtful and/or information filled post. They are read and appreciated by more lurkers than you know. Sourdough |
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27 Sep 00 - 09:59 PM (#307035) Subject: RE: Lurking From: bflat Ditto |
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27 Sep 00 - 10:27 PM (#307059) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Sorcha Me too. I am still here, lurking, I guess because I am too down about my personal life to be very interested in anything Mudcat has to offer. I hope and pray that it will get better soon. |
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27 Sep 00 - 10:37 PM (#307067) Subject: RE: Lurking From: katlaughing Thanks, good to know. I think there should be a better term. Lurker seems to have so many negative connotations. How about *silent partners*?**BG** Sorcha, I've been thinking about you...holler, okay? When you feel up to it. You know we all love you and are keeping that Light around you and yours. kat |
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27 Sep 00 - 10:40 PM (#307069) Subject: RE: Lurking From: John Hardly Lurkage has its rewards John |
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27 Sep 00 - 10:43 PM (#307073) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Jon Freeman kat, I am not sure that I agree with you on the connotations of lurking with regard to the internet. I think lurking is a respected practice and has no sinister implications. Jon |
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27 Sep 00 - 11:07 PM (#307079) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Sorcha Well, in my case it doesn't. I just don't feel up to posting my wild opinions, etc. so I can get dumped on.Don't need any dumping on just now. And, thanks, kat, I will. |
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27 Sep 00 - 11:12 PM (#307081) Subject: RE: Lurking From: GUEST,marty D I'm still pretty new here so I haven't quite got used to the term "lurker" not meaning a peeping tom. The reception I've gotten on my Doc Watson thread has been simply mind-boggling, and even though work doesn't allow me a lot of mudcat time, each time I look at it I can't believe that these music savvy people have been so kind. I'm going through a bit of a transition now or I'd have ceased being a lurker and become a full fledged member. Soon maybe. One long time member suggested I do some "homework" and look at a few past threads to really get an idea of what everyone is all about. You're a fascinating group.
Martin Dawson |
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28 Sep 00 - 12:00 AM (#307114) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Lepus Rex I only lurked here for about a month, before I joined and began posting. I don't know why, but I don't like just sitting there, unseen as I soak up information. Seems sort of icky and voyeuristic to me (I don't find it icky or voyeuristic for OTHERS to do that; just for me it is, so don't take it personally, Lurkers). I don't really add all that much useful info around here; either someone beats me to it, or I just don't have a clue. So... I don't lurk. That's all :) ---Lepus Rex |
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28 Sep 00 - 12:04 AM (#307116) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Lyrical Lady I,too am still hanging around and checking in everyday. Like Sorcha, my personal life could also use some improvement. I think being a "silent Partner" in real life may have something to do with it!! When I'm up to it you'll be hearing from me again! Cheers...LL. |
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28 Sep 00 - 12:09 AM (#307119) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Lyrical Lady I told you you'd be hearing from me again...only I didn't mean for it to be so soon! Somehow I posted twice..sorry about that! LL
It's okay, LL. Duplicate posting deleted. |
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28 Sep 00 - 12:13 AM (#307123) Subject: RE: Lurking From: WyoWoman I've just mostly been too busy lately to do much posting, but I do like to read and keep track of what's going on as much as I can. then I hate to post and go away without checking back to see where the conversation went, so sometimes I just stand in the doorway, sipping my Jameson's and listening to people talk to each other for a while, then slip away to my own little space and try to earn a living ... WyoWoman |
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28 Sep 00 - 04:00 AM (#307189) Subject: RE: Lurking From: BlueJay Sourdough- Thanks for the reminder. The Mudcat Cafe's more prolific posters should be aware that there are lots of folks like us, who read the threads regularly, but for whatever reason don't often reply. My life has gotten more complicated lately, (an improvement, actually),so I don't post like I used to. But I still look forward to my daily Mudcat Fix, and am very grateful for the vast knowledge therein. Thanks so much to all you regular posters, your efforts are much more appreciated than may appear on the surface. And a BIG thank you to all the newer Mudcat contributors, who have helped to keep this place alive and vibrant. Thanks, BlueJay |
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28 Sep 00 - 10:09 AM (#307285) Subject: RE: Lurking From: GUEST,Alex H. I'm a pretty regular lurker here at Mudcat. I'm comfortable with the term "lurker" but I don't lurk because I'm a voyeur. Lots of thread I ignore because the titles don't interest me. I don't post to some of the threads I read because my interest level isn't high enough to want to contribute. I don't post to other threads because someone else has said what I intended to say and I'm not much of a me-tooer. I post kinda rarely and only to say something that needs saying (IMHO) but hasn't been said yet. Judging from some of the threads I've been following, I also only post if I'm ready to catch hell :) |
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28 Sep 00 - 10:23 AM (#307298) Subject: RE: Lurking From: wysiwyg Actually I do try to stay aware of the browsers, and I get e-mails and PMs from some of them, and I like that quite a lot. I love this thread because it's a chance for browsers to just post a hello and not feel pressured to post more than that if that's what works for them at the moment. It's the lurkers who focus on and follow certain of us-- and then zing in with weird posts when we are at a low point-- that make me nuts, or the ones who sit around fantasizing about this or that Mudsister or Mudbrother while they.... c'mon, you know some do. It's like any other family, and has corresponding patterns of abuse that mirror 3D space. Mudcat leaves the curtains open, see, and people will choose what to do with what is there to see. But people passing by who stop in for an anonymous cuppa coffee and read the paper... haven't we all done that on one given day or another in the 3D world? Don't we all have days when we just don't feel like chatting? ~S~ |
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28 Sep 00 - 10:33 AM (#307303) Subject: RE: Lurking From: AllisonA(Animaterra) "Lurker" never bothered me. Maybe because "lurk!" was a word we used as kids when we were playing and didn't want the neighbors to see us. The thrill of dropping down into the bushes and suppressing giggles still hovers over the word for me. Thanks, Sourdough for starting this thread. It sometimes bothers me that I used to be a much more visible presence here on the Mudcat, and there are many who don't know me at all, since I've done little but lurk for upwards of a year now. I check in almost every day, have good friends I've formed here, but I only ever post when I feel I have something to say. I learn a lot by looking and listening, though. So today's flu bug is a blessing after all, since I've posted on 3 threads or so! |
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28 Sep 00 - 11:34 AM (#307340) Subject: RE: Lurking From: mousethief I have never been a lurker -- I like hearing myself talk (reading myself type?) too much for that. But I understand that most online communities consist of maybe 20% really active people and 80% mostly lurking people (maybe even 10/90). Mudcat is no different, I'm sure. And that is okay -- in fact it's great. It shows that Mudcat is a healthy, vibrant, fairly "normal" online community. There will always be people who would rather listen than speak, and if they feel comfortable being here, more power to 'em! After all, we chatterboxes need an audience! Hehehe. "Lurker" I've found is an internet term -- a new meaning glommed onto an old word. In the internet world, it has no negative connotations that I've ever discovered. Hooray for lurkers! Hooray for chatterboxes! Hooray for the in-between types! And most of all.... HOORAY FOR MUDCAT!
Some gave her marks, some gave her crowns
Alex |
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28 Sep 00 - 02:03 PM (#307446) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Sourdough When I was looking for a title for the thread, I hesitated to use "lurking" because of the dissonance between the root meaning of the word and what "lurking" has come to mean on the Internet, where it has no newgative connotation but I couldn't think of a better wrod. THen Katlaughingwhocoinswordsatthedropofahat came up with "silent partenr". That should have been the title of the thread. I think that the reason I started this thread is because I am a writer and love getting feedback from my readers/viewers. I figure the Mudcatters who spend a lot of effort to share their ideas in a post might like being reminded that they have a lot more readers than just the few who post replies, especially since so many thoughtful, content filled posts, especially in discussions of complex topics with a great variety of opinion, are ignored or "sideswiped". What I mean by sideswiped is that the replying poster picks a single word or thought out of a long post, and then "answers" it even though they have often taken it out of context in order to fit it to a preconceived notion. Sourdough |
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28 Sep 00 - 02:06 PM (#307447) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Lepus Rex 'Silent partner' sounds too much like 'mute lover' to me... I still like 'lurker.' ---Lepus Rex |
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28 Sep 00 - 03:07 PM (#307477) Subject: RE: Lurking From: GUEST,Alex H. Sideswiped. I like the word and concept. |
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28 Sep 00 - 03:23 PM (#307487) Subject: RE: Lurking From: SINSULL I have been a member almost from day one but I do "lurk", if that's what it is called. There are fascinating threads (eg. Rick's about picking) that I have to read two or three times to understand. I have nothing to contribute and the posters don't need an "atta boy" so I watch and learn and stay on the fringe. I have been putting together a profile of the typical Mudcatter and will now add "crappy personal life, if single" to the general profile. Mine sucks this week too. |
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28 Sep 00 - 03:36 PM (#307499) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Jim Dixon I read where a nudist once said, "Nah, we don't mind if the tourists watch. We all watched for a while before we got up nerve to join." Same should go for Mudcat. |
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28 Sep 00 - 07:57 PM (#307753) Subject: RE: Lurking From: rabbitrunning Actually, on the Internet, in the various forums where I've posted, lurking is considered polite for the first few days (or weeks!) at least, in order to get an idea of what the community is like before asking the same question that gets answered every ten minutes. (That's why newbie FAQs were invented.)
I used the DT as a resource for nearly two years before I actually started reading a lot in the forum, and when I did start asking questions in the forum, I read a lot of older threads before I went ahead and joined. Even now there are threads which I read, but don't comment on because I either cannot contribute, or don't wish to. Since no one knows that I've read their deathless prose, (or bad jokes, in Spaw's case
Internet forums are public. That's clear. It would be silly of me to get shirty over someone reading what I posted out in the world for all to see. Lurk away!
(And I _love_ the word lurk. It has no connotations of peeping toms for me. I always see cats, grinning Cheshirely from the shadows with glowing eyes.)
CD |
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28 Sep 00 - 08:12 PM (#307773) Subject: RE: Lurking From: hesperis A rabbit who likes cats! That's rather surprising... |
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28 Sep 00 - 08:18 PM (#307783) Subject: RE: Lurking From: rabbitrunning A rabbit whose "grins" disappear!? I should know better than to put them with the sideways carats on either side. Yes, Spaw I do laugh. Sometimes. *grin* Cats are fun. To Outrun. |
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28 Sep 00 - 08:53 PM (#307806) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Little Neophyte How does that saying go......'God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we would listen twice as much as we speak' Kind of reminds me of the Mudcat but in this case God gave us two eyes and one mouth so that we would read twice as much as we post. Sinsull, guess I do not fit in the typical Mudcat profile because I am single but I would not say my life is crappy. I love my life and you guys at the Mudcat, the posters and the lurkers are part of what makes my life not crappy. Little Neo who was Banjo Bonnie but as she gets better at playing the banjo the more she realizes what a little neophyte she really is. |
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28 Sep 00 - 09:17 PM (#307826) Subject: RE: Lurking From: SINSULL LN/BB, A temporary glitch. I am back in the sunshine too. |
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28 Sep 00 - 09:20 PM (#307829) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Little Neophyte Oh I am soooo happy to hear the SINSULL, I always thought of you as someone who had sun shining on their postings. Little Neo |
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28 Sep 00 - 09:26 PM (#307834) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Rich(bodhránai gan ciall) Bonnie, The way I heard it is "We're given 2 ears and 1 mouth and if we use them in that basic proportion, we'll probably do OK" as per John McCutcheon. It does seem like some people on the net use the proportion of 2 eyes and 10 fingers, though. And as to realizing what a little neo..., I've expressed as much before, but that's a real sign of progress. I know when I start thinking too highly of myself, I'm not learning and when I realize how much I have to learn, I make a lot more progress. Slán, Rich |
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28 Sep 00 - 10:00 PM (#307854) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Jon Freeman Bonnie, funny I was talking about that sort of learning thing tonight. I believe that it is true to say say "The more you learn, the more you realise how much you don't know" and would view that as a positive. Jon |
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29 Sep 00 - 02:05 AM (#308013) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Lonesome EJ I post a lot,Sourdough,usually to the political or humorous threads.I do read almost all of the traditional music and technique threads,but rarely post to them. I guess I feel out of my depth there quite often,but read them for the wealth of information that is there. Guess I'm what I'd call a "selective lurker". It's odd that you,Animaterra,Sorcha and others describe yourselves as lurkers.Maybe because I can remember posts by all of you that stay in my memory (like yours,Dough, about the truck driver singing over his CB radio in the middle of the desert). |
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29 Sep 00 - 03:38 AM (#308026) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Thomas the Rhymer I do not lurk, except at work I have got something to say, O With words to shirk, the flaming jerk I did not speak once today, O Songs to learn, and tunes to turn Brought me to the 'cat, O Cd's to burn, for which I yearn Are waiting for me hat, O I love to read, with little speed Opinions on the trad., O So share the mead, lurker; lead Don't live to make us mad, O |
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29 Sep 00 - 07:05 AM (#308053) Subject: RE: Lurking From: Little Neophyte When there are threads that have started a fight between Mudcatters or the discussion is just too debate heated for me, or when the music discussion is way over my head, I wouldn't say I was a lurker because I am reading the thread and not posting. I see myself as more like that lady who sits in the back of the courtroom knitting a sweater. Bonnie |
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29 Sep 00 - 07:30 AM (#308057) Subject: RE: Lurking From: AllisonA(Animaterra) An early morning LOL, Li'l Neo! Thanks for that! I was just going to add, that if all of us who read lots of threads posted to every thread, what a long, slow read that would be! I don't know if even Max and his elves could handle it. And I for one wouldn't want to read all of it. It's like the long, dreadful staff meetings where everyone wants to explain, in long and (to them) vivid detail, just exactly why they agree with what has already been said. |