Do You Lurk?
I’m not much of a lurker – pretty much every blog I’ve ever visited I’ve commented on at some point. Even if it’s to say, “Hey, good point!”
However, there is this one particular blog that I’ve read occasionally for the last year and have still to contribute anything to the conversation. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because he has such a loyal following of massive amounts that I figure I would just get lost in the crowd. Maybe it’s because they all seem to know each other so well and I’d feel like the new kid in school not wanting to say anything to make me stand out. Maybe I feel that I don’t have anything intelligent to contribute. Maybe after all this time I feel a little silly coming out – so to speak.
In any case, that made me wonder if other bloggers felt the same way. My little blog is in no way on the same level as his but I feel like the people who visit on occasion have become really good friends with me and amongst each other. I hope that everyone who stops by feels free to say (or not say) whatever they want without fear of being judged. Comment or lurk – either way is fine. However, I hope eventually all lurkers will feel comfortable enough to say “Hi!”.
What about you? Do you lurk on other blogs? If so, why?
Spotlight Comment from Dee of Drama Mama:
I’ve never considered myself a lurker, it sounds so beneath me! hehehehehehe! I like to consider myself a window shopper….lol Okay I’ll cut the crap ….I LURK….
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Owner of An Island Life and Family Review Network. Wife, mother, and flight attendant . . . living a blessed life in Hawaii. |
I think everyone lurks on blogs. A lot of people don’t want to say anything with fears of being flamed or something.
But I say who cares, just say what you think. I think I would just appreciate any comment even if it is to say “hai!”
so comment away I say.
yoshi’s last blog post..Warning: This post may affect your health
i feel exactly ALL of those ways on some blogs – including yours at first. when someone already has 20+ responses, it just feels like probably don’t need / care what i’ve got to say. i DO know i love to get comments, (the few that i do get!) and i know there are lurkers that don’t comment on my blog.
you seem like such a sweet person, i just liked you immediately. so i overcame my ‘fears’ and started commenting.
Jessica’s last blog post..tft: dreams, aspirations, and all that jazz
I lurk when I don’t have anything good to say…but normally even if it’s been said, I still say it. LOL!
Renee’s last blog post..Stolen!
No, I’m not a lurker. I’m to much of a big mouth for that! LOL
Joanne’s last blog post..Transracial Adoption
I am a lurker for pretty much the same reasons as you. I don’t even remember how I came to your blog but your stories crack me up and are very interesting. I just keep coming back for more
Erin’s last blog post..Valentine’s Day Date
I usually say hi, but there are some blogs that I don’t know if I have commented yet…
Elizabeth’s last blog post..All In A Day
I lurk when it’s a super popular blog and already has lots of commenters. Or if I read for the humor and don’t really have anything to add…
I like to comment when people are asking for advice. Then I feel like it’s okay to give it!
Krista’s last blog post..So Long, Farewell
I used to. I think, maybe I do a little bit here and there. There’s a couple of blogs I read but don’t always comment on simply because I have nothing to say. I just enjoyed reading their post and had no comment on it. But I have commented at least once before.
As for your blog, I comment only once in a while though I read from my feed whenever a new one pops up. I feel comfortable commenting here. It’s just an open and friendly place.
alice’s last blog post..Back to who I was.
If I want to say something, I just hit the comment and type away my thought, never looking at how many other comments were made before mine.
grace’s last blog post..Thursday Thirteen #32
I’ve never considered myself a lurker, it sounds so beneath me! hehehehehehe! I like to consider myself a window shopper….lol Okay I’ll cut the crap ….I LURK….
Dee’s last blog post..Happy Birthday Ariana
I am both a commenter and a lurker. I ususally comment on blogs that get less than 50 comments, as any more than that and I really wonder if the person reads them all.
Jacki’s last blog post..A Tutorial: How to Make Money on Craigslist
I wish I could comment through bloglines. I think I would not lurk as much if I did not have to actually load the page. Does that make sense. I realize I run through all my blogs that I love to read every day and don’t comment on half of them. Maybe its because I don’t have that much time.
I think having to load, type in the spam word, etc. I just say never mind half the time.
I know that if I don’t leave comments I prob won’t have people coming to my blog either. I am trying to do better though!!
Jennifer’s last blog post..Good Mail
Naturally I lurk, usually cuz I am lazy
Sparky Duck’s last blog post..Worth the Cost
I guess I’m a lurker simply because I read a lot of blogs (yours included) through Bloglines and I don’t always “click through” to leave a comment.
I’ve been told a lot of people visit my blog that way, too, which doesn’t really help the ego, does it? Low stats and low comments!
Vicki’s last blog post..Looking toward the sky, part 2
I’m similar to the others – I try to comment as much as I can, but find that if it’s a blog that regularly gets 30+ comments on every post, that I don’t necessarily feel the need to add anything.
Deb – Mom of 3 Girls’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday #32 – Daddy’s girl
I don’t purposefully lurk. I think it depends on the blog. Blogs that are really informal, I tend to go ahead and comment even if it is just to say that it made me laugh or that I agree.
If it is a more formal blog (or if I think it is a more formal blog) I tend to just comment when I have somethings I really want to say that is pertinent.
I usually comment at least once on a blog within a few weeks. If I have not found something that I really want to comment on, I have probably lost interest and stopped going back.
Tiffany’s last blog post..WFMW- Managing Your Subscriptions
I’ve commented at least once on every blog I’ve ever looked at, I think.
It’s funny Kailani, when I first found your blog I had just started blogging and I was astounded at all the comments you got and thought that there was no way you’d have time to get to know anyone new. But I commented anyway and when you came by and visited I was so excited. So I’m glad I commented.
Summer’s last blog post..Can’t make up my mind
I lurk on some blogs – including yours! I just don’t have time to leave comments on everything I read.
Christina’s last blog post..Thursday’s Theme – Texture
I DO have a couple of blogs that I read regularly that I have not commented to. And I don’t comment on them for much the same reasons that you list… However… I know that eventually something will be said that I will NOT be able to keep silent about! LOL! Because that is the very nature of me! It actually happened on one of them just 2 days ago. I’d been reading that blog for several months – it’s a spiritual, inspirational blog — I just go to get “the message” from it… but the other day it just moved me sO much that I had no choice but to speak! (I did think twice about it though!)
melli’s last blog post..Sticky Post … on comments…
I’m usually a lurker an the *popular* sites. Like you said, If there is already 20 comments, I just keep going. But I try to put my two cents in when I have something to say.
I have lurked, but I dont’ think I’ve ever been a follower of a blog and not left a comment at some point. I always try to leave a comment if a blog has new content. Every new blog I come to I try to leave a comment, unless I have nothing nice to say.
I also always try to leave comments on newer blogs to encourage them.
Great question!
Qtpies7~’s last blog post..Praise!
I don’t comment a lot – usually b/c I am one of few words – but I’m interested in finding out which blog you lurk on… HA!!
I’ve been known to lurk, but I try to always comment. Although, there are time when I just don’t know what to say about the subject!
Lulu’s last blog post..Mystery Theater Thursday: Who’s That Girl?
I’m not much of a lurker but there are times I visit a blog without saying hi … either because I’m in a hurry or I have nothing much to say at that moment.
BTW, I have an award for you on my blog.
Rach (Heart of Rachel)’s last blog post..Thursday Thirteen : Recent Blogging Awards
*giggling at Sparky’s comment*
Yes, I think everyone to some extent lurks here and there. Sometimes I lurk for the just the reason you said – I don’t feel comfortable commenting. Sometimes I lurk because I don’t want to comment; I merely want to spy. Other times, I just don’t have anything to say. There are lots of reasons to lurk. Even blogs where I regularly comment, at times I’ll lurk because the “conversation” that has ensued in the ongoing comment ramble has me lost.
Desert Songbird’s last blog post..My Sorrows, They Learned to Swim
So not a lurker. And especially, I like to comment on newer blogs to encourage them. When someone comments on my blog, I go to theirs and see what’s what.
witchypoo’s last blog post..It’s All About Him
I’m bad to lurk.
I don’t feel like I have anything to remotely intelligent or relevant to say about every post I read, so I get comment anxiety and just move along.
I was also the girl who NEVER raised her hand in class.
It depends. I find I have a lot of lurkers on my blog, since looking at my stats and compared to comments left hehe! But if its a blog that I feel a loyal following too and I know they follow my blog, then definitely I’ll leave a comment as well.
Jen @ One Moms World’s last blog post..Reflections On How Your Family Life Is
I will comment if I feel like I have a point to make but most of the time I just read…
There are a dozen or so blogs that I regularly leave comments on. So many others are there that I look at daily, but honestly do not leave comments every time.
As a blogger I know how sad and lonely it can be not to get comments on things at times. I too look at my stats and see a lot of people who get my feed, yet most days hardly any comments.
It really is nice hearing from people and I think most of us are guilty of being silent lurkers a lot and need to come out of our shells a little more.
TheAngelForever’s last blog post..Lunar Eclipse February 2008
I lurk some – I do try to leave comments at least occasionally on all the blogs I visit, but sometimes I’ll go a few weeks without saying anything on some of them – I check yours out at least a couple of times a week – but I don’t comment all that often.
Blessed’s last blog post..Ramblings of a Stressed-Out Work At Home Mom…
I’m like you…I rarely lurk. Maybe because if I took enough time to read it, I might as well leave a comment! Plus, I know how I like comments…
Yet, there are a couple blogs out there with huge followings that I rarely leave a comment with. I have left a couple…but it’s rare! For the same reasons…they just seem to get lost in the crowd!
I personally like commenting on new blogs to encourage them (as a previous person just said) and of course there’s a group of blogger friends that I would never dream of just reading without commenting and saying hello!
Blessings,
~Tammy
Tammy’s last blog post..A day with George and the Duggars
I’m not usually a lurker. I only read a few blogs, so the ones I read I try to comment on. There are days, though, when I just don’t have anything to say!
Jessica K’s last blog post..Bloggy Lurve
There are some blogs I ‘lurk’ on, for many of the same reasons you’ve listed – already a lot of comments & I have pretty much the same things to say that has already been said. Sometimes I’ll put in a comment but not regularly.
Rebecca’s last blog post..Sunday Scrappin’ #14
I didn’t consider myself a lurker until I read what you said. Hee hee! Now I think I am a lot of the time. =)
But.. Sometimes it takes me awhile to warm up if that’s what you want to call it, to start commenting. =) Sometimes I feel like such an odd ball to the regular comments on certain bloggers, or I don’t feel the same on a lot of issues that I don’t comment. Or.. I just don’t have time to comment… kiddo’s grabbing at me, etc. =)
So much of this is more about time for me. I don’t have as much time to leave comments as I used to but I still keep up reading with several blogs. I know what you’re describing though! It can be intimidating sometimes!
Hugs,
Holly
yep… I definitely lurk. If there is like 100 comments I am VERY unlikely to join in. I figure my input is not needed!
Tara’s last blog post..Crazy 8′s
I am definitely not a lurker. If I find a blog that I thought looked neat, but then I am constantly finding nothing else that interests me enough to comment on, I delete that sucker from my feeds. There are too many blogs out there that make me want to grab a cup of coffee and chat for a spell for me to spend time with blogs that don’t move me. So if I find myself lurking, it is time to move on.
Melissa Markham’s last blog post..Is A College Education The Way to A Successful Future?
I don’t really lurk. I think leaving comments is important. However, I must confess, if there are already a ton of comments, sometimes I do leave without commenting.
Sher
’s last blog post..February Book Giveaway ~ I Love You More
I’m like you, Kailani. I seldom visit a blog regularly without leaving a comment. I love the give-and-take!
Kelly @ Love Well’s last blog post..Guess Where I Went Today For The First Time
I usually don’t lurk, just because I have a big mouth! And I love comments, so I figure others do too. There are blogs that I feel intimidated on, though, through no fault of the blogger. For example Problogger, I comment there often, but everyone always seems so intellectual and, well…pro.
I think you do a great job making readers feel welcome enough to share.
Sarah (Real Life)’s last blog post..Social Studies for the 21st Century
Sometimes I only have time to hop around and read if I want to read all the blogs I like to visit everyday, I try to comment when I can but I can’t always at the time.
And yes there are places that have LOTS of comments, more then I’ve ever seen at my place and I wonder if my comment will even be read so I won’t bother.
Jennifer’s last blog post..I feel the need to broaden my horizons.
If I am real tired I just read, sometimes I don’t get to visit for days ,but then I like to say hello. I think it is very encouraging to both give and receive comments.
Some days I will have over 60 visits and perhaps just one or two commenter’s.
donetta’s last blog post..Thankful Thursday
I lurk on some blogs and comment on others. There really is no rhyme or reason as to why either…
Jill’s last blog post..Not even close
I’m weird
I do lurk… I feel like the blogs that I visit are an emotional investment on some level… and so I lurk for awhile, make sure it’s a place where I’ll feel comfortable, then I will jump in. But, there are some blogs that I just enjoy reading and will probably never comment…
I lurk and post when either I have something to add or the post rings a bell with me so to speak.
Laura @ Laura Williams’ Musings’s last blog post..Thursday Edition of Contests Galore
I have to admit, I am a lurker…. mostly out of fear that I will say something dumb, or I have nothing to add to the comments that are already there.
I started doing some commenting on blogs a couple weeks ago, until I commented on a site with a couple questions, you know the kind…. how do you do this…. it was something she was talking about doing…. and she commented me back rudely
So that scared me back into my shell. Yours is the first post I have commented on since.
Gloria’s last blog post..Peeves
I read a lot of blogs. I guess as a new blogger that’s pretty common. I am an active commenter and an active lurker, and whether you get open and big mouth me or hiding in corners me depends on the content of the site, the number of comments and the general atmosphere.
I read blogging sites for knowledge so I only rarely feel I have something to contribute, and sites like Problogger gets SO many comments it can feel silly to pop mine in too. And any site where people get aggressive or “know-it’all” over nothing I won’t comment most of the time because who needs the drama? I have enough of it with my 4 year old!
As for island Life, I’m a relatively new reader but there is definitely a nice, friendly vibe here that makes me ramble on just like I’ve done.
Glad to be a new member of the community.
Kelly Rigby’s last blog post..25 Fast Facts About Women Around the World
I may lurk for a while, but for the most part if I feel it’s worth the time to actually read the blog, I might as well say something, too
Like you, some of the blogs are so big and have such a huge following, I don’t feel the need to comment. But if something really makes me laugh or think, or if the person just seems really friendly, I’ll go ahead and say something 
I like your blog cuz it’s laid back and friendly . . . and has a sandy beach . . . I live in a land-locked state and LOVE Hawaii . . . ahhhhh, to get back there sometime
It’s been 6 years . . .
Oh my goodness I’m response number 50! Do I lurk? No not at all, maybe I should. If I like a blog I always comment even if it’s only a brief hello. I enjoy commenting and I know how disappointing it is when I can see people have visited but no-one has left a comment. Makes me think I haven’t written anything worth commenting on so visitors have clicked off somewhere else. I don’t lurk I suppose because if I don’t like a blog much or don’t feel I can contribute I don’t go back.
Rosie’s last blog post..Crazy child talk