re: lurk before you leap

Thanks for your post, Susan. I love the title of it. I think you're right that it makes perfect sense for a person to get the "lay of the land" before posting to a group. Actually, it's probably good advice to check out the norms and rules of a group (newsgroup or email) by simply observing for a while before you make a contribution to it. I think some groups consider it proper "etiquette" for a newcomer to wait a while before jumping in. Some oldtimers get a bit annoyed when a new person posts a message containing a comment or question that has been posted dozens of times before.

And I think you're right about a fear of being judged/criticized is what keeps some people lurking. Also, I think delurking oneself means breaking a mental set about how we consciously or unconsciously view this monitor sitting in front of us. We tend to think of it as TV, as entertainment and information passing before our eyes. Maybe we tend to think of ourselves as observers, not participators, when we look at that screen. To post a message - to step INTO the TV - means breaking that mental set.

Replies:

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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