Vance Stevens wrote,
For one thing, all of us are lurkers. I lurk a lot in this community, the SCoPE one. I'm active in other communities, where you wouldn't call me a lurker. In some communities I lurk, and then suddenly, I show that I've been listening with more attention than I'd been getting credit for. At such moments, I suddenly contribute, as do we all.
and then
Christine Horgan wrote,
What is participation? As an experienced lurker in SCoPE, I can say that I am still an active participant because I read every posting and I take on the role of a little sponge sucking up knowledge and ideas from more knowledgeable and experienced colleagues. If you count "thinking and reflecting time" then I'm very active.
I've mentioned before, in SCoPE I think, but maybe not, that many years ago, on an email list (non-work related, as it happens) a friend noted that where 'lurker' has negative connotations & thus people seem to want to reform them, 'listener' implies something much more active - as Christine wrote.
In this session, I've very much been a listener (speed listener, if that's possible!) due other commitment - & have found what I've had time to read, useful.