On 5/11/07, Christopher Berg <cbberg@unity.ncsu.edu> wrote:
I agree: "lurk" has a negative ring, and not without reason: when the expression came into being, it was inconceivable that someone would sit on a BBS and do nothing but lurk in the message section.
Although it's not what most of us would consider a traditional scholarly text, the Jargon File asserts the opposite: "This term is not pejorative and indeed is casually used reflexively: 'Oh, I'm just lurking'" (the full definition can be found at http://catb.org/esr/jargon/html/L/lurker.html). That matches my own experiences in which lurking is often seen to be a wise activity, particularly for new members who are often advised to lurk for a period of time until they understand the cultural norms, expectations, and recent history of the particular listserv, message board, etc. There is also the oft-used admonition "Lurk more!" when someone is perceived to (a) be new and (b) have committed a perceived mistake that could have been prevented if he or she had simply paid more attention to norms, expectations, and history. It is used in a negative sense but that negativity derives from the assertion that one has not paid enough attention to things important to that particular group. In other words, *not* lurking is sometimes seen as a negative trait or activity. Apologies if this ground has already been covered. These threads are growing long and I fear that I may have overlooked or forgotten some things already said! Kevin