A message to you voyeurs out there

This may be the wine talking, but we know there's lots of you voyeurs out there--those of you who only look but never join in our discussions.

FLDGers are a disparate group. We're not snobs and we don't bite (except perhaps for Stuart, but his teeth aren't very sharp). So why don't you tap a few keys on your keyboard and join in? Otherwise, it's boring if I'm the only one talking.

I love talking about food and I know everyone else on this forum does, too. Trust me, we'll be gentle with you.

Well...not exactly.

That's really laying out the welcome mat.

Okay, so maybe ther are a few more than just Stuart; but they've all had their shots. Honestly, you can trust me on this.

(Oh yeah, I think Jenise has been seen shopping for some extra large muzzles as well).

I like to watch....



Mike

So do I, but I'm not talking about posters with 293 messages under their belt. There's plenty of people out there with 0-1 messages. There are topics with over 1,000 views, but only a handful of replies.

Don't be bashful!

Don't be bashful!

When I have nothing to say I keep my mouth shu....

<oops>

Scott

[Robin Garr]

I love talking about food and I know everyone else on this forum does, too. Trust me, we'll be gentle with you.

Larry, great effort, but I'm afraid you're embarked on a noble but hopeless cause. After 21 years of moderating online communities (I just realized the other day that all this started on CompuServe in the autumn of 1985!), I've pretty much concluded that just about any online forum is going to have a lurker-to-poster ratio of at least 10 to 1, and in more daunting fields like wine and cooking, maybe 50 to 1 or 100 to 1. An awful lot of folks just love to read forums but are nervous/shy/afraid/unwilling to post.

We're still glad to have them. And as you say, we <i>love</i> it when a new active participant comes out of the closet. Or the woodwork. Over the transom. Whatever.

But in all these years, I've never had much luck in changing that ratio.

I don't mind beating the drum even if it is futile. Maybe we'll get just one newbie. We'll see. This message will self-destruct in 30 seconds.

I've pretty much concluded that just about any online forum is going to have a lurker-to-poster ratio of at least 10 to 1, and in more daunting fields like wine and cooking, maybe 50 to 1 or 100 to 1. An awful lot of folks just love to read forums but are nervous/shy/afraid/unwilling to post.

I lurked for a long time before I ever posted here, and I still lurk more than I post, but not for nerves/shyness/fear/willingness, I just don't always have that much to say. I did, however, have a HORRIBLE experience on another forum <coughtauntoncough> that was NOWHERE near as accepting/hospitable/friendly, to the point of being rude and nasty.

I'm on here alot, there's always something fun going on.

[quote=
I lurked for a long time before I ever posted here, and I still lurk more than I post, but not for nerves/shyness/fear/willingness, I just don't always have that much to say. I did, however, have a HORRIBLE experience on another forum <coughtauntoncough> that was NOWHERE near as accepting/hospitable/friendly, to the point of being rude and nasty.

I'm on here alot, there's always something fun going on.[/quote]

I also look more than I post, but there's scads of people who have zero postings (just look at the members tab). The only time knives fly around here is if the conversation turns political, which we kinda try to avoid.

Otherwise, we like and welcome newbies and their new food subjects they bring to the table. FLDG is a big family; I'd like to see it even bigger.