hobbes Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 I remember reading a post a few months ago about lurkers - people like me who have been reading this board for months without ever taking part. Well if you do a search on hobbes you will see I have made an attempt - but have had little response to my first ever post so far. So I think I will continue to lurk - the surprising thing to me was the amount of lurkers that came out of the closet last time this was mentioned. I'm going back to my swamp now - I would just like to say - if I may - that there are probably a lot more CM players out there then you think. (And as we have been playing for 8 months - we kick) Any other lurkers want to come out of the bocage? [This message has been edited by hobbes (edited 02-10-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanco Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Yeah, I've long thought that there is the forum, and then there is everybody else. The thing is, people who hang out here tend to think of the forum as BTS' only clients. This is normal, as everyone here is so vociferous, and y'all are like the silent majority . So, come on, Silent Majority, let your voices be HEARD!!! ------------------ DeanCo-- CM interface mods: http://mapage.cybercable.fr/deanco/ so many games...so little time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Some of my best friends are lurkers - beats me why they are too shy to just open their mouths - I guess for a blowhard like me it's just natural. Welcome to all lurkers - and for God's sake, if people didn't talk here, there would be no conversations (get it???) So feel free to contribute. I think you'll find just about anything you say will be welcomed - bearing in mind the bounds of good taste, good manners, and the outlined criteria of the various forums. Pretty much anything CM goes here, but digressions have been known to happen........ So tell us how long you've been playing CM - or why you chose to try it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robeek Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Well... Until recently, I myself have opened up to talking on the forums. I got Combat Mission about four or five months ago, and have been playing it on and off until this month started, and then I started playing non-stop. Between CM and the History channel, I'm finding a lot more interesting and worthwhile things to spend my mind on then watching MTV and doing homework. As of yet though, I haven't played a single PBEM/TCPIP/Hotseat game... none of my friends want to give CM a fair chance, and I'm too shy (and too much of a poor loser ) to play with someone I don't know. It'd be like having sex with a stranger or something. Eh... of course, that analogy could be argued the other way around, depending on the stranger. But you get my point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanks a Lot Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Okay Okay! My name is Tanks a Lot and I'm a lurkaholic. It started out with a simple lurk here and there, now I lurk uncontrollably. Maybe admitting my problem is the first step. I've been playing CM since November. I remember that because it was the last time I went outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeE Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Let's see - I first started reading this forum shortly after the first beta was out. I started reading regularly when the release date got close. I only registered in August because it was the first time i had a legit question or comment that had not already been answered. I am now up to a whopping 15 posts, so that's about 2 a month since I registered. Yep, i think i classify as a lurker. (I just learned about the smiley legend next to when you post today - where is that puking one?? ) No doubt many active forum members know me more from pbem games or the Annex chat room. Just call me part of the silent majority, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte99 Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 I don't think lurking has much to do with shyness. More likely it's the knowledge that when you do post, one of three things will happen: (a) you'll be ignored, ( you'll be told your topic has already been discussed to death, or © your thread will promptly veer off into endless discussions of military arcana that have little to do with the enjoyment of Combat Mission. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Grogs are people too, and this forum is as good a place as any for them to plumb their passions. But many of the threads here can be kind of daunting to someone who just played "A Chance Encounter" and wants to talk about it. Or it may just be that lurkers represent those perverse CM owners who prefer to actually play the game, rather than complain about historical inaccuracies or wade through epic treatises on, say, HVAP slope effects. These are folks who, under different circumstances, might ask foolish questions, or offer foolish anecdotes, or compare notes on favorite foolish scenarios. They should probably get their own forum. ------------------ "War does not determine who is right - only who is left." -Bertrand Russell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbes Posted February 11, 2001 Author Share Posted February 11, 2001 2 junior members outed! Any more first timers out there? Come on - make my day - make your first new post - you know that thing that has been bugging you for 6 months that nobody has mentioned yet - you thought sombody would have by now! The time you plotted your M10 to move under the bridge and it ended up on top of it? The 300mm rockets that couldn't have landed further away from the TRP if you had a speeding soccer star heading for a spice girls punachie? And don't tell me you are still waiting for the anti-tank morter thread to reserect before you make your first post - come on guys - this is your chance - post now!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Originally posted by Monte99: I don't think lurking has much to do with shyness. More likely it's the knowledge that when you do post, one of three things will happen: (a) you'll be ignored, ( you'll be told your topic has already been discussed to death, or © your thread will promptly veer off into endless discussions of military arcana that have little to do with the enjoyment of Combat Mission. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Grogs are people too, and this forum is as good a place as any for them to plumb their passions. But many of the threads here can be kind of daunting to someone who just played "A Chance Encounter" and wants to talk about it. Or it may just be that lurkers represent those perverse CM owners who prefer to actually play the game, rather than complain about historical inaccuracies or wade through epic treatises on, say, HVAP slope effects. These are folks who, under different circumstances, might ask foolish questions, or offer foolish anecdotes, or compare notes on favorite foolish scenarios. They should probably get their own forum. Well, the glass is either half full or half empty. I got the usual crappy "do a search" responses when I started posting. I ignored them. Since then I've "met" some pretty great people here, have been encouraged to establish a website which other people think enough of to provide links to, have gotten some nice comments on it in return, as well as not only being able to discuss matters here that I find interesting, but also, more importantly, learn a lot from others. If you are not interested in the historical side of things, that is certainly your right. I think the bar is set pretty low as far as what is "acceptable" to discuss here, however, and perhaps you're being a little unfair to the other denizens of this forum. But you're entitled to your own opinion. Forums in general are like that - sometimes you'll post something and no one else will have anything significant to say - or you will hit the motherlode and get a dozen well worded responses. Complaining about the forum makes as little sense, to me, as complaining about the game itself. You can only get out of it what you put into it. I agree with your last comments - my own pet peeve is people who post lengthy treatises on modern tactics or military thought and thinly disguise them as World War Two history. I ignore them, as I do the lengthy debates on armour penetration. But I don't deny anyone else their right to discuss these matters, since they are truly of interest to them. There are plenty of other threads for the other things you describe. I feel bad that you or anyone would feel unwelcome here, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that anyone has actively discouraged you. If the conversations don't interest you, start your own. If anyone gives you flak about it, ignore 'em. If your posts are truly uninteresting to those here, perhaps you are correct - but I wouldn't blame a veteran CMer for being uninterested in discussing the demo (for example). I erased my copy long ago and couldn't discuss it intelligently even if I wanted to. Just one of those things. I wouldn't frown on a newbie who wanted to discuss it - I just wouldn't be able to join in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanir Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 I guess I was lucky. The first post I ever made here generated over 100 responses. Of course, most of my posts since then have been completely ignored so your mileage will vary. The fact that a post gets no responses doesn't mean much necessarily. I've seen some posts by long time forum members drop down the page faster than your eyes could follow. Don't take it personal. ------------------ You've never heard music until you've heard the bleating of a gut-shot cesspooler. -Mark IV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stodge Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 I generally lurk here because I don't get to play CM that often, and I'm not talented enough in wargaming to contribute towards tactics, hints and tips etc.... So I read and learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Did someone call me? One of the reasons that I don’t post here is that I feel that I don’t have that much to offer. My library of WW2 historical documents consists of about 8 or 9 books. I have not dedicated my free time to submersing myself in the history and lore of the Second World War. I am not able to quote any of the following information: -Armor thickness for the various models of any of the tanks in CM -Turret rotation speed for any of the tanks in CM -TO&E of any WW2 unit from any of the major combatant nations. -Or any of a number of other types of minutiae. It can get rather intimidating to be surrounded by people who get wrapped up in the smallest of details of WW2. Some times people get rather wound up and verbally tear into each other over what I consider to be a small difference of opinion. So, I tend to watch and listen. When I see an opportunity for me to contribute to the board, I speak up. Otherwise, I keep my mouth shut. As for grognards being people too, I wonder about that sometimes. I am Lurker, watch me lurk. -Lurker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbes Posted February 11, 2001 Author Share Posted February 11, 2001 This might be a little scary - but the thing that the lurker wants most - is the scalp of a talkie - anyone with over 100+ posts fancy a QB? Send me a mail at wendynchris@btinternet.com PUT YOUR PANZERS WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbes Posted February 11, 2001 Author Share Posted February 11, 2001 Bye the way Lurker - you have 122 posts!!!! [This message has been edited by hobbes (edited 02-10-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMHPaladin Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 I too am a lurker... no idea how many posts I have. I have lurked on-and-off for a while something like... 10 months, but haven't posted that often because to be perfectly honest, as Monte described, this isn't a wonderfully hospitable locale for newbies. People are too eager to flame, and I don't feel that I'm ingrained enough into the community to come right out and make statements. So... lurkers arise! ------------------ KMHPaladin KHarkins@voicenet.com "We have the enemy surrounded. We are dug in and have overwhelming numbers. But enemy airpower is mauling us badly. We will have to withdraw." -- Japanese infantry commander, SITREP, Burma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMHPaladin Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 I too am a lurker... no idea how many posts I have. I have lurked on-and-off for a while something like... 10 months, but haven't posted that often because to be perfectly honest, as Monte described, this isn't a wonderfully hospitable locale for newbies. People are too eager to flame, and I don't feel that I'm ingrained enough into the community to come right out and make statements. So... lurkers arise! ------------------ KMHPaladin KHarkins@voicenet.com "We have the enemy surrounded. We are dug in and have overwhelming numbers. But enemy airpower is mauling us badly. We will have to withdraw." -- Japanese infantry commander, SITREP, Burma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMHPaladin Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 I too am a lurker... no idea how many posts I have. I have lurked on-and-off for a while something like... 10 months, but haven't posted that often because to be perfectly honest, as Monte described, this isn't a wonderfully hospitable locale for newbies. People are too eager to flame, and I don't feel that I'm ingrained enough into the community to come right out and make statements. So... lurkers arise! ------------------ KMHPaladin KHarkins@voicenet.com "We have the enemy surrounded. We are dug in and have overwhelming numbers. But enemy airpower is mauling us badly. We will have to withdraw." -- Japanese infantry commander, SITREP, Burma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikhael Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 I lurk because y'oos alls vocabulary is obviously more extensive then mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Originally posted by hobbes: Bye the way Lurker - you have 122 posts!!!! [This message has been edited by hobbes (edited 02-10-2001).] I’ve also been lurking for a fairly long time. Every few months I’ll unlurk and make some posts before fading away. Since I was here to download the latest CM update, I thought I’d do some posting before fading away. I’ve obviously said too much… -Lurker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 It is actually easy to build up a lot of posts. Look at KMHPaladin’s most recent efforts – a triple post! Sorry, I’ve got to go back to lurking. Don’t want to ruin my reputation. -Lurker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russellmz Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Originally posted by KMHPaladin: I too am a lurker... no idea how many posts I have. i guess exactly 35 So... lurkers arise! i wouldn't...i know how many posts you did...we have too much info on you...muahahaha =) ------------------ russellmz, Self-Proclaimed Keeper for Life of the Sacred Unofficial FAQ. "They had their chance- they have not lead!" - GW Bush "They had mechanical pencils- they have not...lead?" - Jon Stewart on The Daily Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Clark Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 C'mon Lurkers, arise! Your posts won't ignored any more than the vast majority of mine! Your revelations won't be as startling as The Commissars recently acknowledged fondness for "pretty little horsies." Your spelling cannot possibly be worse than ROB 1's! You won't be any more baffled by Rexford's arcane technical spouting as the rest of us! You can't insult someones shiny new mod's any worse than Maximus! Certainly you can't PO people here more than Gunny Bunny. You won't be the first to be yelled at by MadMatt. And finally, your ultimate banning can't be any more gloriously blazing as Fionn's. So c'mon... SPEAK OUT! (Now where EXACTLY is this "smiley Legend"???) ------------------ "Fear is for the enemy... Fear and Bullets." "They didn't want to come... but I told em, by jeepers, it was an order." [This message has been edited by Mr. Clark (edited 02-11-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNIL Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Well, I haven't posted in quite awhile but I do read this board fairly regularly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Another Lurker here I love to read this forum and learn about tactics and general stuff. I asked a few questions,and got some good replies, so i am very happy with this Forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeE Posted February 11, 2001 Share Posted February 11, 2001 Well I can't speak for others, but shyness, fear of being flamed, ignored or etc. is certainly not a concern of mine. I just prefer to read rather than write these days. Where people find the time to write the dissertations you see in some of these technical threads or serious flame wars is beyond me. (Not that I don't enjoy both.) I'm only posting twice in two days because I can't get over that damn smiley legend. Heck I'd be up to over a hundred posts by now, but before asking a question I always do a... well you know. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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