ARCHIVED: What is a lurker?

A lurker is a person who reads discussions on interactive electronic systems such as message boards, newsgroups, or chat rooms, but who rarely participates. In Internet culture, lurkers are considered malevolent, benign, or constructive, depending on their behavior.

Many Internet communities advise newbies to lurk for some time to get a feel for the culture and etiquette of the community, lest they make an inappropriate or redundant comment, ask a frequently asked question, or incite a flame war.

Malevolent lurkers attempt to involve themselves in the administration of a moderated forum by repeatedly alerting moderators to comments that offend their views.

Benign lurkers may be shy or uncomfortable expressing their thoughts in writing, or feel inadequately educated on a given topic. They enjoy reading posts, but refrain from contributing their own. They may contact other community members privately with positive comments.

Constructive lurkers regularly read online forums but rarely post. Although very knowledgeable, they lack the time or willingness to compose the detailed replies they believe a topic deserves.

This information is adapted from the lurker entry at Wikipedia.org.