Friday, April 18, 2008

Blog Lurking

I’m sure you’ve all heard the common blogging term “lurking.”

Personally, I’ve never really understood why this term is used, because it denotes something sneaky.

I looked up the word lurk in Webster’s Standard Dictionary, and this is what it said:

To prowl stealthily; to lie in wait unnoticed

That sounds like something a wild tiger would do in the jungle, as it awaits to POUNCE on it’s dinner.

But I’ve got to be honest here, when I first started blogging, there were times when I felt like I was lurking on someone’s blog, simply because I kept hearing that “term” in my head and thought that I might be doing something “blog taboo” just for reading and never commenting.

And WHY?

I mean, say that I discover someone’s blog that I happen to really enjoy, but perhaps never decide to leave a comment. I may even return for several visits and read through some of their past posts, and may even check out some of the people on their blogroll.

I don’t believe that’s LURKING.

It’s called READING.

And that’s one of the joys of a blog, is it not?

However, there may be bloggers out there who read for ulterior motives, but let’s face it, with all the stat counters available, it’s a little hard to go unnoticed.

I for one, welcome any and all people to read Vent. And however wonderful it is to receive comments, that’s totally up to reader. People are not required to speak…they can simply read.

I think as bloggers, we should watch how the word LURK is being used. It has a negative connotation to it.

And it would certainly make visiting someone’s blog a lot more comfortable…don’t ya think?

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!