To Those Who Lurk

I’ve noticed that The Blogger of Jared is increasingly drawing more readers - we average about 25 site visits from different I.P. addresses every day (this is a very small readership compared to the main blogs). However, a very small number of them comment. This has led me to formulate a question for those who lurk in the shadows: Why? I’m cognizant of the fact that this question will go unanswered because those who have standing to answer are those who consistently reserve their right to remain silent. Yet, I thought I would ask anyway.

Thus far, I have come up with a few working answers of my own: 1) You refuse to engage us in conversation because our posts are not intellectually stimulating and responding would be a waste of time (but you still visit the site hoping for something good); 2) You are affraid of being challenged and therefore never posit a theory of your own; 3) It takes too much effort to comment; 4) Or, it’s all just a big waste of time. Are there any other answers to the question?

There was a recent post over at BCC about lurking and how Blogging is similar to Relief Society lessons (posted by a woman), i.e. must be done according to accepted norms. Some comments in the thread noted that blogging is just a way to seek praise and recognition. I suppose the main reason we lurk (yes, I lurk at other sites) is that we don’t like the wasted time trying to conform to norms, and all the praise seeking.