Information AboutLurker |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LURKER | |
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In Internet Culture , a lurker is a person who reads discussions on a Message Board , Newsgroup , Chatroom , File Sharing or other interactive system, but rarely participates. HISTORY The term dates back to the mid- 1980s , when most people did not have access to the Internet , but used BBS chat rooms and message boards instead. Because BBSs were often accessed by a single phone line (frequently in someone's home), there was an expectation that all who used a bulletin board would contribute to its content by uploading files and posting comments. Lurkers were viewed negatively, and might be barred from access by the sysop, if they did not contribute anything but kept the phone line tied up for extended periods. Many Internet communities advise Newbie s to lurk for some time to get a feel for the specific culture and Etiquette of the community, lest they make an inappropriate or redundant comment, ask a Frequently Asked Question , or incite a Flame War . This leads to the tongue-in-cheek command to "lurk more". The verb to "de-lurk" means to start contributing actively to a community having been a lurker previously. There are also some who lurk on a forum habitually, and rarely, if ever, contribute. It is generally difficult to guess how many such lurkers are present, due to their silence. IN POPULAR CULTURE
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