I'm a lurker who has been here for years.

I have been noticing for quite some time that newer members seem to preface their posts with 'I am new here, BUT I have been a lurker for years'.
This bothers me. If I am to interpret this correctly, you are using your lurker status as a way of saying,'hey, I've been here for a long time so listen to me'.

If you expect your post to carry more weight because of this, then why haven't you been a CONTRIBUTING member all along? I find claims like these to be suspect.

The first thing I do when reading a post is to see who wrote it, the second is when they joined. Points mean nothing to me. You can rack up points do very little in the way of contributing. (another rant is for the point whores. are you going to buy a car with them???) What I am trying to say is, if you want to be seen as a strong member, be one, not a lurker who fears to be heard.


I understand the flaw in my logic, if you join and return years later.
That is an unknowable variable, unless you delve into the profiles.

I'm one of those people who've lurked for some time before joining. Not years but a few months in my case.

There are a couple of reasons why I didn't become a contributing member until relatively recently.

1) The ATS side can be intimidating. For example I have seen relatively simple questions posted by people and then observed it shredded by replys.

2) I felt that I had nothing to contribute to the high level thinking that are on the ATS side. Since I felt that my knowledge wasn't good enough.

3) I didn't have the time to contribute anything meaningful. Perhaps an explanation of that last part maybe in order. Until recently I didn't have my own connection for my computer and only could use a USB key on a shared (and time monitored) computer. So I would download pages and transfer them onto my system for future reading. Therefore a well thought out and meaningful reply or post simply couldn't be done and expect to pass scrutiny in my estimation.


I don't expect my posts to carry any more weight than anyone else's posts. In fact less weight is expected due to my newness. I hope to prove myself worthy of being here.

Hi I'm fairly new here but haven't been lurking for years unfortunately however I agree with you, despite being new I'll post if I see a topic of interest I want to comment on. Now whether or not people read what I have to say or not doesn't really bother me as at least I can say I've contributed to the discussion and had my say. As for reading posts I look at neither the join date or points I just read the post, as length of time spent on a forum does not equate to having the ability to add intelligent discussion or insight on a topic

I like that we always have new members here.
I agree that many on the board have a tendency to bite quickly.
The amount of posts that begin with being a lurker has grown exponentially and I have to wonder why so many feel that they need to be validated for being a lurker before joining. I too lurked, but at the time there were so many articles to be read that were not thread related, I never even noticed there was a board to join.

I guess I would like to see more people joining in the conversations without trepidation. You really limit your experience here by standing on the sidelines watching. Many feel that they have little to share. I say share what you've got and be surprised by how many feel the same way. You will feel like you belong here if you contribute. When I realized that there was a forum, I felt odd about reading these long threads and not being a part of the mix. After reading up and deciding to stay, I threw myself into it. It took some effort but I feel like I have made some friends here, or at least allies.

Don't mind the sharks, they have rubber teeth.

I never did introduce myself.

Hi I'm Phoenix, live in London.

I was a lurker for a year or two before joining.

I've enjoyed my stay since.

Peace.

He who watches and listens thinks of outside.

He who writes and talks thinks of inside.

Each to their own. Personally, I read more than I write here now.....I guess I can "lurk" on occassions.

We need the "lurkers", they make great threadkillers when they're in action.

Here's "lurking" at ya!

I think I "lurked" for about 5 minutes when I discovered ATS. I do agree with you shadow watcher, It's a little tired. I think that sometimes 'I am new here, BUT I have been a lurker for years' syndrome, also is the start of a fantastic [HOAX] thread. Eventually these threads get discovered and shut down as they should however we are left with the feeling of being duped.

Course, some people are just a bit shy as it comes to joining up with a well known conspiracy site. It is just the nature of the beast.

A bit off topic here but, whatuknow who is that girl in your avatar?
I draw/collect pinup art and she looks very familiar.
She looks to be a modern version, but very familiar.
thanks for stopping by.

Hmm, how should my post preamble be then? ..........

Hi, I posted for a couple years,
Then I was gone for a couple years,
Now I'm back, but ..............


Was my credablility maintained while I was gone?
Do I start over and work my way up?
Is the diefference split, making me half-assed?
Yes, we have no banana's!

lol

You'll have to excuse me, I'm only on coffee #2

Misfit