Lurking and Involvement

[DJ Twissta]

It's hard to voice your opinions sometimes when you aren't sure if the result will be good or bad xD Like for awhile I've had some suggestions in the SF go terrible, but I had on recently that had a complete opposite reaction. Sometimes you have to make mistakes and learn before you can become comfortable. Other times, like your thread, you just need to be courageous enough to speak your mind :3

[Unacceptable Condition]

I don't think a person should feel intimidated when entering a forum; if you have a view on a topic it's better to actually post it then just let it nag you in your mind.
Of course, not everyone will agree with everything your saying but hey, it's a forum. A place for discussion. Someone disagreeing with you is bound to happen. You just have to accept that not everyone can follow one paradigm of thought.

[BlauerMond13]

So I'm not the only one who has lurked around on Gaia for a long time!
For quite a long period of time I would go onto Gaia and basically lurk around, afraid to post. Now I try to post here and there, but I still get nervous, end up changing my mind, and deleting my post. x_x

[Emerald Green Skyline]

I've always been a big lurker online, never wanted to offend anyone or say anything stupid. Recently I've tried to get more involved in the online communities I'm a part of. I keep trying to tell myself why be in an online community if you don't talk? Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

[Blaine Devon Anderson]

It depends on each thread or forum for me. For example chatterbox I wasn't intimidated at all and before Gaia contacted me trying to help with my Life Issues I posted on there trying to help others a bit.

However, when it comes to discussing anime or asking for roleplays, things that I'm not completely confident in I tend not to post that much. It really depends on the kind of people in the forums and I really dislike the writing forum where too many people are very very arrogant and argumentative.

[Celestial Fireflies]

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You know what? I used to avoid posting because I was sure no one cared about my opinion. I mean, who was I? A faceless nobody buried on page eight reiterating what everyone else said, but with a colorful font and my avatar next to it? Why bother? And then there was the fact that I would spend so long crafting the perfect post- from fear of making mistakes- that I would close the tab out of sheer boredom.

Well, now I post because, why not? If no one cares that I posted, it won't be any different than if I didn't post at all. And I don't take myself so seriously anymore. People are not going to have a heart attack because of an errant or missing comma. Anyone who actually cares enough to yell at me needs to take it down a notch. They'll be met with a "cool story bro emotion_dealwithit " and promptly disregarded.

And you know what? Posting something means there's more of a chance that someone will read and they will like my post than if I didn't post anything at all. So given that posting is pretty fun, I figure I've got nothing to lose.

[HintOfCholera]

You just know a lurker is lurking on this thread right now

[Shishioh Tai]

Seems quite a few of my fellow lurkers have joined in the discussion; I wouldn't doubt a few more are still waiting in the wings.

I feel rather relieved to know I'm not the only one who lurks and feels shy even though we're all working with the screen of cute little cartoon avatars. Here's hoping more of us lurkers and hermits can work on coming out of our shells.

[Ramiele]

I've always been active in forums and guilds but here recently it's been waning as I try to make more time to play zOMG! It's turning me into a hermit, but I love the game.

[Tas-Chan]

Laughing Kookaburra

I have been a member for years and just created this new account because I felt like something... new.
And now I just can't do anything but lurk.

I think I am afraid that no one will talk to me. emo

I felt the same way for the loonngest time. Then the Doctor Who forums became its own thing, and I've slowly become more active in this thing. XD
Sometimes, it just takes finding the right topic. biggrin

[Naladi]

I go through phases of lurking and active participation, although whether I'm more inclined to lurk or post at any given moment depends more on whether I have something to say rather than any sense of intimidation. There might be a several days in a row where I can't really think of anything to post, but I still enjoy hovering invisibly in the background and reading everyone else's posts. Also, there have been times when I began writing a post and did not press the submit button, but that usually happens when I lose interest in the post halfway through writing it.

When I first joined Gaia, I felt some intimidation toward posting in the forums, but familiarity with the site and a higher comfort level with myself have rid me of my former intimidation.

[Shiny SyIveon]

Tas-Chan

Laughing Kookaburra

I have been a member for years and just created this new account because I felt like something... new.
And now I just can't do anything but lurk.

I think I am afraid that no one will talk to me. emo

I felt the same way for the loonngest time. Then the Doctor Who forums became its own thing, and I've slowly become more active in this thing. XD
Sometimes, it just takes finding the right topic. biggrin

Yup, still haven't found my "home forum".

[kitten tea]

I go through periods of lurking and posting a lot pretty often. Right now, I'm probably more of a lurker than I am a poster.

[Cariella]

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I lurk a lot. Sometime I feel like I just can't contribute to the conversation, but occasionally I'll come out of the shadows.
emotion_bigheart

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