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Whatis "lurking"? - 6/13/2008 6:50:41 AM
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momof4
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I have seen this term used, and I think it means to read a thread without posting. Is that right? Why is the term "lurking" used? The word sounds like it is describng something bad, but I don't understand what is bad about just reading and not posting. I do that a lot, and I don't always even sign in, b/c if I don't have anything to say, then I don't say it. I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong, just to read, and not post, buit the term makes me think that people think there is something WRONG wit it. Or is it just me? Why do we use such a negative term? Or is "lurking" refering to something else entirely?
Thanks for any info.
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/13/2008 6:57:42 AM
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agapetos
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I've never considered lurking to be a negative term. It's just something that some people do in some threads. I've done it before because I'm interested in something but have nothing to say about it really at the time. I may never post in it, I may post in it at a later date.
I've even lurked for a while in threads that I do post regularly in but for whatever reason I don't want to post in at that time.
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/13/2008 1:07:57 PM
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Kath
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I've not considered it a bad thing in forums. Maybe if someone was lurking outside of your home that would be a bad thing, but not in forums. I imagine we have thousands doing it.
It's just that sometimes one cautions another about giving too much info because you never know who is lurking. Or really if someone who does post really is who they say they are.
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/13/2008 1:33:40 PM
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ta_mosquito
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"Lurking" is a common term all over the Internet for reading but not posting. Just like the word "avatar," some may take issue with it, but it's the standard jargon.
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/14/2008 8:04:35 AM
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momof4
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Guess I'm just not familiar with "standard jargon." It's just that when I've seen the term used, it sounded like a negative thing to me, and I wondered if I am not following proper forums etiquette by reading and not posting, but I always felt like, why shoud I post, just to be polite, if I have nothing to add? So I started reading and not logging in till I had something to say, so the mods wouldn't be upset with me for logging on and then not posting! But I couldn't figure out why they would be upset, so I thot I'd ask. It's probably my fault for not being familiar with the regular terminology. I don't really go to other forums than this one, and I've never "chatted." I've had internet access for almost 10 yrs now, but still there is a LOT I don't know. Glad to have my question answered. Thanks.
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/14/2008 9:22:32 AM
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momof4
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ta_mosquito
Just like the word "avatar," some may take issue with it, but it's the standard jargon.
OK, here I go again, being clueless, but my understanding of "avatar" is that it is the little picture many people put next to their name, am I right? Is an avatar only those little cartoon type pictures, or is it also used for the personal photos many people use? And why would that be something to take issue with? It seems pretty innocent to me. Or is the term also used for something negative?
While we're on the subject, how do you get an "avatar" to appear next to your name? I don't know how to do it, whether it's a cartoon one or a regular photo. Sorry for being such a know-nothing!  
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/15/2008 7:16:39 AM
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agapetos
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quote:
So I started reading and not logging in till I had something to say, so the mods wouldn't be upset with me for logging on and then not posting! But I couldn't figure out why they would be upset, so I thot I'd ask. I suspect they have more than enough to do with chasing up people who post bad posts (not to mention keeping up with their own interests in forums!) to worry about people 'lurking'!
I think you've been incredibly considerate to do what you've done.
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Maggie
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/15/2008 4:50:56 PM
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momof4
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Intersting info on the meaning of avatar. Never knew that. Funny how terms get to mean something entirely diff from their original meaning. Like the word "icon", which means a religious picture, usually in the style of the Orthodox Church, the Byzantine style, but now it also means those little pictures that represent many diff things on your computer. Wonder who ever first thot of using words like "icon" and "avatar" for computer-related terms? It would be interesting to find out. Some religious icon pictures are small, like the icons on the computer, but they can be very large also, so it can't be that someone thot, "Hey, let's call these things icons, b/c they are tiny like religious icons." Hmmmm...
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"There's more to life than just to live" (Jonas Brothers, "Hold On")
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/15/2008 4:58:21 PM
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momof4
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quote:
ORIGINAL: peculiar_lady2
the advantage to logging in to read (or lurk) in threads, is that the system remembers the last post you read so you don't have to find where you left off when you read again. It just takes you straight to the last post you read.
Not sure I know what you mean by this. When I m reading a certain thread, and then I log in, I am not taken anywhere. I am at the same place I was b4 I logged in. But if I am not logged in, I don't get lost or anything. I don't see any diff to be logged in or not, while reading, just that I can't post till I am logged in. Moving around in the forums is exactly the same, logged in or not.
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"There's more to life than just to live" (Jonas Brothers, "Hold On")
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/15/2008 4:59:58 PM
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momof4
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Hey, how did my post get all blue? I didn't make it that way! Hmmm
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RE: Whatis "lurking"? - 6/15/2008 5:17:52 PM
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Kath
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quote:
ORIGINAL: momof4
Hey, how did my post get all blue? I didn't make it that way! Hmmm
because when you quoted Peculiar Lady you only wanted to discuss a portion so you removed the /color from the end of the quote.
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