The recent post by JoeyA encouraging membership and participation got me thinking about my career as a lurker. I lurked for two years before joining, and rarely post. Why? I think these are the main reasons:
1. I?m not good enough to give advice.
2. I don?t play in a league, so I can?t commiserate about league triumphs or infractions. My brother joined a league, but I don?t feel right about stealing his stories.
3. I?m not a money player, so I can?t talk about woofing, weight, or nits. I play mostly at home, to unwind at the end of the day. I still enjoy the war stories, though.
4. I don?t follow the pro tour closely. Most of what I know, I learn here.
5. I?m not a cue expert or collector. I?m a cue acquirer and user, still learning what I like.
6. When I?ve come across a topic to which I think I could make a contribution, my views have already been expressed ? often multiple times, usually better than I could. If it?s a poll I might vote, but otherwise I move on.
So my basic excuse is that I don?t post unless I think I can make a fresh and useful contribution. Unfortunately, that attitude neglects the community aspect of AZB, which might be why I feel sinful about lurking. The forum is a rich source of information, but it is also a gathering place. The active members are from diverse backgrounds, all with a shared interest in the game and its lore. It?s apparent that many have used the forum to renew old friendships or nurture new ones. I have met a few AZBers, but don't know any really well.
My behavior is no doubt a product of how I got here. I found AZB while looking for information about equipment, and the contributions of the participating members has made it an invaluable resource. So I tend to think of AZB first as a source of information and viewpoints from more experienced players than me. Yet it has also become a source of entertainment ? like wandering from conversation to conversation at a party, listening in but never talking, gradually getting to know the crowd.
I don?t doubt that other lurkers have had a similar experience. We?re not silent out of disrespect. To the contrary, we prefer not to speak unless we have something useful to say. Still, I hope the more active members will realize that we visit because the forum is filled with friendly an likeable enthusiasts who make it a pleasure to be here. We lurk because we care. (Or is it because we can?)
1. I?m not good enough to give advice.
2. I don?t play in a league, so I can?t commiserate about league triumphs or infractions. My brother joined a league, but I don?t feel right about stealing his stories.
3. I?m not a money player, so I can?t talk about woofing, weight, or nits. I play mostly at home, to unwind at the end of the day. I still enjoy the war stories, though.
4. I don?t follow the pro tour closely. Most of what I know, I learn here.
5. I?m not a cue expert or collector. I?m a cue acquirer and user, still learning what I like.
6. When I?ve come across a topic to which I think I could make a contribution, my views have already been expressed ? often multiple times, usually better than I could. If it?s a poll I might vote, but otherwise I move on.
So my basic excuse is that I don?t post unless I think I can make a fresh and useful contribution. Unfortunately, that attitude neglects the community aspect of AZB, which might be why I feel sinful about lurking. The forum is a rich source of information, but it is also a gathering place. The active members are from diverse backgrounds, all with a shared interest in the game and its lore. It?s apparent that many have used the forum to renew old friendships or nurture new ones. I have met a few AZBers, but don't know any really well.
My behavior is no doubt a product of how I got here. I found AZB while looking for information about equipment, and the contributions of the participating members has made it an invaluable resource. So I tend to think of AZB first as a source of information and viewpoints from more experienced players than me. Yet it has also become a source of entertainment ? like wandering from conversation to conversation at a party, listening in but never talking, gradually getting to know the crowd.
I don?t doubt that other lurkers have had a similar experience. We?re not silent out of disrespect. To the contrary, we prefer not to speak unless we have something useful to say. Still, I hope the more active members will realize that we visit because the forum is filled with friendly an likeable enthusiasts who make it a pleasure to be here. We lurk because we care. (Or is it because we can?)
and theres nothing wrong with that.
