Lurk before you leap?

Hi! I'm Susan, a doctoral student studying social workers and the Internet, and I also host the Social Work Forum in America Online. I wonder how many of the self-identified Lurkers are like me. ...wanting to lurk before I leap. Existing Netiquette usually recommends a lurker's perch, before commenting to existing lists, but frankly, even if it weren't the "norm", I'd want to read alot before I jumped into my comments. I guess this is something like assessing the lay of the land, or acclimating myself to a new environment. In my role as the forum host at aol SW, I often wonder WHY people are reluctant to post in the bulletin boards there...I have some suspicions that include much of what's been mentioned already...fear of judgement may play a big part...Any other ideas or insights? I look forward to joining in this dialogue, (as I have just spent most of the afternoon reading the threads, instead of working on my Area Paper)

Replies:

re: lurk before you leap, by John Suler, 11/11/97 leaping from the frying pan into the flame, by SusanLCSW@aol.com, 11/11/97 Re:leaping from the frying pan into the flame, by LHooker, 11/12/97 references on flaming, by John Suler, 11/12/97 Flaming, anonymity, machines, by TWB, 11/15/97 re: machines, by John Suler, 11/16/97 A flame by any other name..., by TWB, 11/15/97 the art of flaming (?), by John Suler, 11/17/97 Same ol' song, by Loren Bawn, 11/19/97 re: same 'ol song, by John Suler, 11/21/97 same 'ol song; same 'ol music box, by TWB, 11/24/97

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