- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
For people who lurk but don’t post much, or at all, if you’re comfortable doing so — could you tell us what you get out of reading posts made on StayLDS? For me, reading without posting is like chewing without swallowing…but that’s just me. I’d like to hear the perspective of people who like to read without posting. SilentDawning wrote:
…like chewing without swallowing…Which can be a good idea if you’re chewing gum, tobacco, or broccoli.
:thumbup: Hey, there is nothing wrong with broccoli! I guess I’m considered a lurker at this point. I’ve got accounts on forum that are 10 years old that I visit on a weekly if not almost daily basis and have <500 posts. Unlike others, my online persona is no different than the real me. I prefer to sit back and listen to/read the conversation than to actually participate. Many times I'll find myself starting to write a reply and then just hitting the back button or erasing it. I guess most of the time I feel it's really not all that important or necessary.
I like being able to read others opinions, whether or not they jive with my own, have my own thoughts challenged and see things in a different light. I don’t necessarily need to be an active participant to receive all that. I know if everyone were like me there would be no forum. I’m grateful for those of you who do participate.
Sometimes just the affirmation that I’m not the only one who feels some way about a certain issue is all I need, again no participation required from me.
Edit: I actually have quite a few posts here considering my short amount of time and compared to my post counts on other forums.
I lurked for awhile, then joined. Then became absolutely giddy, posting wildly and probably offensively, so I stood down to reflect on my malfeasance. But I still lurk. Nowhere else do I see the kind of discussion of issues that helps me sort things out. Things get honestly discussed and it helps. I got giddy before, because I felt so liberated by the things I saw here that put to rest some of my concerns. I lurk now because I don’t want to post foolishly or offensively. My life has been incredibly impacted by the sudden death of an immediate family member, health issues, work, extended family members, etc. since my last post. I still enjoy reading everyone’s thoughts although I am not able to read very often. I especially enjoy hearing everyone’s take on conference talks. Thank you to all of you who share your thoughts! afterall wrote:
My life has been incredibly impacted by the sudden death of an immediate family member, health issues, work, extended family members, etc. since my last post.
Sorry to hear you’ve had such a rough stretch. {hugs}
I am often very short on time and when I see a comment that essentially mirrors my own thoughts I don’t feel a need to post. I only recently joined the site (within the last couple weeks) although I’ve been reading for almost 4 years. This site, along with some other life decisions, helped jump start my testimony… helped me reconcile my concerns with my very clearly cautious faith. As a matter of fact, I plan o introduce myself soon in the introductions area. What do I get from the forums while not responding? I get common ground where the more “liberal” of the Mormon community are able to safely share their own concerns, questions, disbelief, belief, and general curiosities without fear of retribution. Why have I not contributed beyond the fact that I have only recently joined? Because I’m quite honestly intimated by some of the minds in here. It’s a combination of my own limited knowledge of church history/doctrine/culture (even if I’ve been a member my whole life) and the fact that after a few stints of inactivity in my adult life I’m still navigating my way through my faith. Heck, I haven’t even read the entire BoM yet.
All this said, I find comfort here whether I’ve had the need to contribute or not.
Proprioceptive – welcome and we look forward to hearing from you. Don’t be intimidated. If you knew me personally you would have a hard time if you had to pick between me or Homer Simpson for a new friend.
:lolno: I think I must be somewhere in between. I post from time to time but lurk most of the time. I guess I post when I feel I can make a good contribution to the conversation or just feel strongly about the issue. But I can certainly accept that for some people, participation must include contributing as well as lurking. Different strokes….. Major lurker here until recently. Very recently. For me, I find I get a lot of valuable information from those who post frequently, but I also love it when new people share their unique perspectives, and it adds much to the discussion. I’m always concerned that some of my posts will come across as lame, but overall I think that posting is better than not posting, because you never know who needs to hear your perspective today.
longbottom wrote:
Major lurker here until recently. Very recently. For me, I find I get a lot of valuable information from those who post frequently, but I also love it when new people share their unique perspectives, and it adds much to the discussion.I’m always concerned that some of my posts will come across as lame, but overall I think that posting is better than not posting, because you never know who needs to hear your perspective today.
Well said. I like all the different perspectives as well.
Orson wrote:I am often very short on time and when I see a comment that essentially mirrors my own thoughts I don’t feel a need to post.
This is a huge reason I don’t post much, but I really should throw in a “I agree” more often.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I think another reason I don’t post is because the part of my life where I address my faith, belief, church acceptance/disagreement, and family dynamics is painful. For some reason, I can tolerate the pain of exploring those things while lurking, but speaking/ typing about them is sometimes too much. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I do think there is a general path (or few paths) that people follow once they start moving away from being 100% traditional Mormons and visit this site. My assumption is that many read a bit to see what this site is like, start timidly posting a bit, become active, and then most generally taper off and lose interest as they move on and Mormonism is less of a “thing” in their life. There are some that stay as they are still engaged (or forced to stay engaged) and this place helps. Some stay active here for no other reason than to help others (I really commend them for their service to others).
I was about to dump the info you get on the “members” pages here, strip out the names, but look at when they join, when they last commented, when they last logged in. My assumption is that the vast majority come for a while, it either helps or it doesn’t, and they move on quickly or after a while. I think there is some interesting info there, but I ran into issues of getting curl and authentication and after about 2 hours of digging around, I gave up (at least for now) as I have life to get on with.
I have seen this same thing on other sites. Eventually most people just care less and move on with their life. In some ways I think that is good and healthy.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.