Another long-time lurker turned loud mouth here. I lurked because I was not yet feeling ready to start another "diet" I knew I would fail at. I have disengaged from people in the "real world" for similar reasons on many occasions, I don't want to disappoint them if I fail.
I lurk and I post. I like to read and learn anything about diet and health. There are some forums that I like to read but do not post because I have no experience such as the Weight Loss Surgery Threads.
Ok.....I admit to being a lurker LOL. My new goal is to post at least once a week. I just restarted IP after being off a year. Day 3 and doing great - already in ketosis
LOL... I will second this. I am a lurker. Mostly because I am shy, English is not my native language and I am from different culture.
I'm another one who goes through phases of lurking & posting. I'm not sure how much I can offer to people, so that's why I don't post too much, but I'm also pretty much done losing weight so I'm not really sure where I fit in now.
I know there's a maintainers section, but I'm still trying to figure that bit of the whole process out, so feel a bit of a fraud posting in there!
I still like to read the forums though as they help keep me on the straight and narrow and it's nice to see people going through similar journeys to what I went through.
I've been a lurker for a while now and there's quite a few reasons why I don't post as often.
1. Whatever input I have to offer has been covered by a previous poster, usually in a more eloquent manner. Whatever I add to it might just sound redundant.
2. My reply usually gets overlooked and I wonder if it's because my lack of post count makes it look like I'm a passerby and not "one of the group". I don't really mind but if someone asks for advice and I spend a decent amount of time offering my two cents only to be completely ignored, well, that stings. Just a little bit.
3. I'm usually on when I'm supposed to be working or studying. In my mind, as long as I'm not posting, I'm still being productive. I know...
I lurked for a long time because I was terrified that I wouldn't be accepted into the community :C Or that someone wouldn't like me. Or that I'd be laughed at.
Aww! I see so much of this type of sentiment reading through threads. It such a shame what weight does to people on an emotional level.
I have never been just a lurker here. I joined in from day one. But I have lurked on other sites. So, I can understand why people would do it. On other sites I search for information and, if I find it and I have nothing to add to the conversation, I don't post. So, maybe people are just finding the info they need and moving on.
Another explanation may be as follows: I follow several threads. But I also will click on the "New Posts" link at the top of the 3FC page to see what threads are active and current. If the title of a certain thread topic seems like something I'd be interested in knowing more about, I'll click on it. (In fact, that is exactly how I came across this thread). Now, sometimes after reading a given thread I will comment -- if I have something to add. But many times I do not. I suspect that happens with a lot of people. So, that would contribute to the number of reads of a post without a comment.
I mostly lurk because I find myself a bit of a thread killer. It always seems that I respond when a thread is at its actual end. It makes me feel like I don't have much to contribute.
I mostly lurk because I find myself a bit of a thread killer. It always seems that I respond when a thread is at its actual end. It makes me feel like I don't have much to contribute.
Same here. I think I even hear crickets chirp right after I post a reply.
I lurk a lot. I post every once in a while, but I read almost everything generally on my phone while laying in bed. It is a pain to type on though. I don't usually feel I have much to contribute that hasn't been said.
I've been a lurker for a while now and there's quite a few reasons why I don't post as often.
1. Whatever input I have to offer has been covered by a previous poster, usually in a more eloquent manner. Whatever I add to it might just sound redundant.
2. My reply usually gets overlooked and I wonder if it's because my lack of post count makes it look like I'm a passerby and not "one of the group". I don't really mind but if someone asks for advice and I spend a decent amount of time offering my two cents only to be completely ignored, well, that stings. Just a little bit.
3. I'm usually on when I'm supposed to be working or studying. In my mind, as long as I'm not posting, I'm still being productive. I know...
I don't think you are being overlooked or ignored. I think many of our posts do not get read by the original poster because they have left the thread and have not come back later and checked for replies. I see that happen a lot.
I was a lurker for a very long time on here, so long that I can't remember. I never joined because, like others have said, I was really afraid of embarrassing myself/letting people down by failing. In other words, I wasn't really ready yet. I still lurk now sometimes just because I'm busy, but I try my best to get involved. To anyone who may be lurking & reading this - once you find your niche, it's really easy to jump in! I've never once had an encounter with anyone here that was anything but friendly and welcoming, despite my initial fears.
I don't think you are being overlooked or ignored. I think many of our posts do not get read by the original poster because they have left the thread and have not come back later and checked for replies. I see that happen a lot.
Lol, why am I lurking on the thread I started? I have definitely been reading all your replies, it's been nice to see you all come out and post something
I lurked because I was not yet feeling ready to start another "diet" I knew I would fail at. I have disengaged from people in the "real world" for similar reasons on many occasions, I don't want to disappoint them if I fail.
I have definitely been reading all your replies, it's been nice to see you all come out and post something 
