I think it's more about a vocabulary that best transmit the message we are trying to send. Lurking, is, perhaps too broad a term, in the multiple social spaces that are available today facilitated by the internet. Should we use a term that perhaps could be used in so called media panics? I'm not saying we should be politically correct, but we should ask ourselves what most people (non academic audience) understand lurking to mean? Surely language is a living evolving creature, I for one am no fan of sticking with a term just because it has a history that other academics might understand in a particular context or situation. On 5/10/07, Christine Moellenberndt <chris@inreach.com> wrote:
jerichob@juno.com wrote:
This thread was introduced because someone didn't think lurking should be considered a bad thing, and thus should have a label with less negative connotations, but in the discussion some fairly strong normative judgments about lurkers and lurking have emerged which seem to indicate that having a word with negative connotations is warranted. It's interesting.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that "having a word with negative connotations" is a good thing... but the way I see it, this is a word that the Internet community chose to describe these people. Who are we to say "wow you know what, that word is bad. We're going to pick another one and use that instead because we don't like it."
If it's the word in common usage, then I say use it. Why create a new jargon term, when one already exists? ;)
I don't really know if lurking *is* considered a bad thing... maybe frustrating in channels that were once highly active and now are not, therefore needing a desperate infusion of new ideas and new blood... but I'd rather see someone lurk for a while and then participate (like me. hi!), instead of jumping in with both feet not knowing how things are done and causing an uproar that can upset the flow of discussions. I've seen *that* happen too many times before :)
(sorry if someone brought this up before, I got lost in the thread for a bit!)
-Christine
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