Boardlurker? Read this!!

[irjO]

well for me has been a slow process, i sometimes think that i don't have to add anything about what others have already said, (because i agree or because i don't know that much about the subject) either way not a long ago after i read a lot and got the basic information i started to participate! and i think is the best part of the work! :)

 

[Alcarohtare]

The main reason why i do not post nearly enough is my maintained problem with speaking up,
and I'm normally taciturn and withdrawn between people.
I have an opposite side of personality as well, very communicative and eloquent,
so my external functioning depends on condition in which i currently am.
Also, in most cases i am so painfully self critic, and if i find i cannot write anything useful, then i will be quiet.
Not so good, well - ignorance is at certain extent always present.
I am aware that my posts are mostly terse, and i hope i will improve my doing here.

 

[Arwenn]

I just managed to read through this thread and think it is amazing to see how everyone is helping one another and growing, and even having a good time when the paralysis caused by programs finally abates.

As for Ogri... yeah, that was interesting. I sort of recognize the style. I have the feeling I know who it is behind THAT disguise that is not much of a disguise. In this case, it is an individual who came along with a Mask of Sanity and quickly showed that there was little but predatory hunger and rage underneath. He was sent on his way. But, as you know, the psychopath denies that anyone he has targeted has the right to NOT associate with him (i.e. be food), so there are those sorts out there who have targeted ME and you all bear the brunt of it. I'm sorry for that.

Also, be aware that there are members of cass/QFS/forum who have been through all of the same things right beside me and know the whole history, and have scars from it, who feel very protective toward me/QFS/forum. This was helpful when I was sick and laid up in the hospital, but I'm better now and less vulnerable. Be sure that if any one of you is sick and laid up, this forum will protect you as well, if it is necessary and possible!

Finally: yes, we have been learning that we can be welcoming and still protect ourselves and each other and that has produced a change in the atmosphere of the forum. The previous couple of years were times of intense attack, illness, legal issues, and so on. As they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And with strength, there should be gentleness. Or so I think.

Laura, your post really touched me, that this network is real, and that the people here stand together, that attack is very very real, and the only way through is by connecting with each other via this network. Once again, thank you Laura Ark and QFG for this forum and for everything! :)

[quote author=Perceval]
Flashgordonv, Snow, Axismundi, Rolyteel, you have all made it very clear that you and your experiences have much to offer this forum and its members. Forget about the idea of not knowing enough to respond to any thread, that's just the predator talking. Sure, we like to keep the signal to noise ratio high, but the forum is first and foremost a community for everyone to get to know each other and build relationships and a real network, and as often as not that happens by way of simple interactions and sharing of simple understandings from each of our unique viewpoints. So please, lurk no longer, for the good of the forum and our collective goal.

[/quote]


It's also educational to see everyone's else programs and reasons for board lurking. I think many of us share those fears (inadequacy, insecurity, lack of confidence, noise etc) -after all, we were all given the predator's mind. Thank you for the encouragement to post Perceval, and thanks Vulcan for starting this post. I guess we get back what we put in, so contributing to this network benefits us all.

 

[Wu Wei Wu]

Hello again everyone. I just began reading this thread, shortly before I read the March 23 transcripts and a few things popped out at me.

I can't stress enough the importance of participating. All of you lurkers on the forum, all of you who read and then don't post, finding all sorts of excellent excuses, do you understand that you are hurting yourselves? Maybe you are here only to get the latest news from the Cs, or the latest bits from Laura. Part of you may think that you are special because of that, or that you'll be able to save yourselves because you have information that others don't have.

And maybe there is some information here that can help you in 3D, help you to better face a future that isn't looking too bright.

Maybe you think that because you are trying to apply the information there, alone in your corner of the universe, that you are doing the Work.

But at some point, you need to make a choice and get off the fence.

If we are going to pull our buns out of the fire, it takes a group. And if you aren't participating, then you aren't part of that group. And if you aren't participating, then maybe those who are won't be enough. The group might not be strong enough. Will you really want to look at yourself some day and ask "What if?"

Minutes later I finished the transcripts and this phrase leaped out at me.

A: Those who wish to participate in the future should "be prepared" like the wise virgins.

This, combined with a desire to rearrange my priorities have really kicked me in hindquarters and given me a realization: I DO need to participate, and I don't necessarily have a lot of time left to do it.

I have been using excuses such as not being sufficiently qualified or having something valuable to say to avoid posting while partaking in the fruits of others people's labors. Given that I am well acquainted with the ideals of the forum and the work, its downright incongruent of me, orthogonal to me desired direction, to continue this self-defeating behavior.

A year of semi-lurking and general silence is enough for me. I renounce my lurking ways and will participate more!

Thanks everyone, it really did take several shocks for me to realize today, after years here, that my lack of participation has been self destructive and a program hidden in plain sight.

 

[DHTH]

Hi, I came to read this thread and I decided that I just had to participate in this forum on the right terms instead of continuously being a lurker. I have been a member for a long time and I'm sad on behalf of myself that I haven't dedicated a good portion of that time spent online in the forum reading and thinking about the discussed topics instead of participating in the communication. I have made up a lot of simply bad excuses for myself, not to post. (A bunch of them already mentioned in this thread)
This forum and the reading on SOTT have been such a big part of my life for such a long time now, and I feel there is no way around anymore.
My biggest challenge right now is how to get started really. But I think it will become clear while doing it !

So here I come.........

 

[paralleloscope]

My biggest challenge right now is how to get started really. But I think it will become clear while doing it !

So here I come.........

Good to see you posting. And yeah, getting hold of those excuses- oppertunities to share and interact will present themselves.

 

[Jacques]

So here I come.........

A year of semi-lurking and general silence is enough for me. I renounce my lurking ways and will participate more!

It's also educational to see everyone's else programs and reasons for board lurking. I think many of us share those fears (inadequacy, insecurity, lack of confidence, noise etc) -after all, we were all given the predator's mind. Thank you for the encouragement to post Perceval, and thanks Vulcan for starting this post. I guess we get back what we put in, so contributing to this network benefits us all.

and to all the other ones who have written about their boardlurking,


Thank you for saying it and really happy to see that you are going to jump in and participate more.

 

[truth seeker]

So here I come.........

A year of semi-lurking and general silence is enough for me. I renounce my lurking ways and will participate more!

It's also educational to see everyone's else programs and reasons for board lurking. I think many of us share those fears (inadequacy, insecurity, lack of confidence, noise etc) -after all, we were all given the predator's mind. Thank you for the encouragement to post Perceval, and thanks Vulcan for starting this post. I guess we get back what we put in, so contributing to this network benefits us all.

and to all the other ones who have written about their boardlurking,


Thank you for saying it and really happy to see that you are going to jump in and participate more.

Ditto. :)

 

[Mahael859]

Thanks Anart and all of you for this really inspiring tread, I'll bookmark it to refresh it from time to time :)
This same tread showed me how important is to network to get things moving, I see this was pretty inactive for a wile, then people started posting and opening up pushing others ( me as well) to move a step forward.

It's also very common and something that all of us deal with from time to time, I think. I also think that what matters is what we do even when the chorus of voices arises in us to shut us down. Sometimes the most valuable things are the ones we shy away from.

I find this a real truth, most of the greatest experiences and learning I received in my life where those for whom I had to challenge my shame and shyness. I still have to keep in mind this cause the predator is always behind the corner saying:-"You are not enough"

Try to think about it this way: we're all ignorant about something - about many things - and some of us know something about something or many things, but only together - by sharing what we do and don't know - can we get a clearer picture of everything. If we weren't ignorant, we'd probably not even be here, so maybe if you really start to consider the idea that you're not different from anyone else and that you could actually be enjoying yourself here if you opened up just the tiniest bit, it might help get things moving. At least it's an idea worth considering, right?

I'll definitely consider this idea :) great point! Right now I'm enjoying the fact the this is the first time I'm not shaking wile posting
Thanks again you all

 

[buz/p]

When I first signed up I was given to understand that a good place to start in the forum was the Health and Nutrition section. What I found was a thread called 'Life Without Bread' which was already over 100 pages long. So I began at page one and started reading. A few pages in I realized that I needed to read the book upon which the thread was based. So I took time out to read the book. It was time well spent. By the time I got to page 100 the tread was now 150 pages long. ( A lot of good information in there, by the way). The point is that at various places throughout the thread I had the urge to contribute something but avoided doing so because it was entirely possible that what I had to say had already been gone over in great detail farther on. So I didn't. When I voiced my problem in another thread I was counseled to 'catch up'. I was caught in a "catch-22". For those of us who find the forum much later it is a virtual impossibility to catch up by reading everything. I don't know if this impedes others of us who would normally comment or not. It sure put the brakes on me. I figure that in order to contribute something worth while I need to find out as much about the discussion as I can, which means reading every word of a thread before posting something of my own. (By the way, that is just what I did in this thread which is only 23 pages long.)

What I have discovered is that in a forum this large, with this many participants, with this much information, one must of necessity break it up into doable sections. It is impossible for me (for instance) to participate in every aspect of the forum and live my life. It is one of the reasons why, at this point, I tend to hover around the periphery and comment more casually than I would normally. I'm getting my feet wet, as it were. It is slowly helping me to become more comfortable in the community.

I have read virtually everything that Laura has written, some of the books two and even three times, as well as much of the other recommended literature. (I'm ready for the next in the Secret History series by the way, Laura). I thought that would be enough to make me a valuable and contributing member of the Cass forum. It isn't. There is so much more. I hope those of you who have been here since the beginning or for some years appreciate how much this place has grown. I wish I had a simple answer to the problem of "catching up". All I can say at this point is focus on your own areas of interest or expertise and start interacting in those areas. In the mean time pick away at the rest. This isn't your father's web site. ;)

 

[timeless roamer]

When I first signed up I was given to understand that a good place to start in the forum was the Health and Nutrition section. What I found was a thread called 'Life Without Bread' which was already over 100 pages long. So I began at page one and started reading. A few pages in I realized that I needed to read the book upon which the thread was based. So I took time out to read the book. It was time well spent. By the time I got to page 100 the tread was now 150 pages long. ( A lot of good information in there, by the way). The point is that at various places throughout the thread I had the urge to contribute something but avoided doing so because it was entirely possible that what I had to say had already been gone over in great detail farther on. So I didn't. When I voiced my problem in another thread I was counseled to 'catch up'. I was caught in a "catch-22". For those of us who find the forum much later it is a virtual impossibility to catch up by reading everything. I don't know if this impedes others of us who would normally comment or not. It sure put the brakes on me. I figure that in order to contribute something worth while I need to find out as much about the discussion as I can, which means reading every word of a thread before posting something of my own. (By the way, that is just what I did in this thread which is only 23 pages long.)

What I have discovered is that in a forum this large, with this many participants, with this much information, one must of necessity break it up into doable sections. It is impossible for me (for instance) to participate in every aspect of the forum and live my life. It is one of the reasons why, at this point, I tend to hover around the periphery and comment more casually than I would normally. I'm getting my feet wet, as it were. It is slowly helping me to become more comfortable in the community.

I have read virtually everything that Laura has written, some of the books two and even three times, as well as much of the other recommended literature. (I'm ready for the next in the Secret History series by the way, Laura). I thought that would be enough to make me a valuable and contributing member of the Cass forum. It isn't. There is so much more. I hope those of you who have been here since the beginning or for some years appreciate how much this place has grown. I wish I had a simple answer to the problem of "catching up". All I can say at this point is focus on your own areas of interest or expertise and start interacting in those areas. In the mean time pick away at the rest. This isn't your father's web site. ;)

I am facing the same thing, and focusing on areas that I have looked into thoroughly is also my game plan. Good luck to all that seek to find an entree point for participation!

Mode note: Fixed quotes.

 

[Moonbird]

My situation regarding posting is similar to the above two posts by buz/p and goss.

I’ve been reading the forum and SOTT just about every day since I joined in June 2011. I love it here and spend most (if not all) of my internet time here….learning. I have posted very little though. I understood that it was necessary for newbies to do the reading and get up to speed before posting which made perfect sense to me.

Books I've read so far include the Wave series (twice), the Adventure series, Amazing Grace, the big 5 psychology books, Horns of Moses, The Apocalypse, Primal Body, Primal Mind, and just finished Michael Parenti's book, Assasination of Julius Ceasar.

I hope to be a regular poster some day. At present, I still consider myself to be so "green." And like others have said, I feel that I don't have much to offer at this point.

 

[MikaelYosef]

I have posted very little though. I understood that it was necessary for newbies to do the reading and get up to speed before posting which made perfect sense to me.

I can relate to that myself and have been reading as much as I can in order to try and contribute usefully.

I would liken the experience to trying to catch a train that never actually stops at the station. That is, you are on the platform and the "Cs-Express" is coming through but doesn't actually stop for you. It might slow down as it goes through the station, you've got to run fast and catch up to its speed before jumping on, and then it keeps going. If you miss it, you miss it. If you get on, then great.

 

[United Gnosis]

Something I'm in the process of doing and which is perfect for anyone else in the catching up process: whenever I study a topic that seems important enough, I'll jot down notes as I go: key points, reactions, tips and tricks, my agreements/disagreements and why, further areas of inquiry... with the forum setup at 50 posts per page, it wouldn't be unreasonable to make summaries of the dialectical progression on each page and then to sum up those when one is finished catching up.

Having the occasional newcomer share his own process that way in the relevant threads could be helpful for others to revise, review, and even maybe clarify key points whose understanding has evolved greatly overthe years of active lifespan that some threads have, basically providing checkpoints for older members and newcomers alike.

Anyways, my two cents. I know I'll be glad to share my own study process whenever it seems appropriate.

 

[Ollie]

Something I'm in the process of doing and which is perfect for anyone else in the catching up process: whenever I study a topic that seems important enough, I'll jot down notes as I go: key points, reactions, tips and tricks, my agreements/disagreements and why, further areas of inquiry... with the forum setup at 50 posts per page, it wouldn't be unreasonable to make summaries of the dialectical progression on each page and then to sum up those when one is finished catching up.

Having the occasional newcomer share his own process that way in the relevant threads could be helpful for others to revise, review, and even maybe clarify key points whose understanding has evolved greatly overthe years of active lifespan that some threads have, basically providing checkpoints for older members and newcomers alike.

Anyways, my two cents. I know I'll be glad to share my own study process whenever it seems appropriate.

Thank you United Gnosis for your post and study process - I look forward to reading what you have to share. This is indeed a simple way for 'lurkers' and newcomers to begin the process of participating in the forum.

Sharing key points, possible further areas of inquiry, what you've done, and the learning's is valuable for all, as is asking questions, no matter how simple or absurd they seem (they often lead to gaining the most understanding) - and, you never know who will benefit from reading your post.

What is important is participating regularly, as you will get from the forum what you tend to put in. It is a two-way process, beneficial for all. Continual practice of posting will gradually diminish any fears of worries that may be 'lurking' within - peeling away a layer or so of the Predator's Mind.