near versus distant lurking

• Hi there lurkers! by John Suler, 7/26/97
  • When asked if one is a lurker in the near by sHades, 10/10/97
    
    

I'm not sure I understand all of what you are saying, sHades, but your message did trigger in me the idea about a distinction between "near" and "distant" lurking in email lists. Near lurkers read most of the messages, but rarely send a message to the group. Distant lurkers read very few messages, or none at all (perhaps only skimming the subject titles), but continue to renew their subscription to the list. Distant lurkers sometimes belong to many lists, making it almost impossible to participate actively in them all, but they are hestitant to drop ANY of the lists.

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