RE: Mammuthus' Guess-timate Thread.

Greetings EvC!After reading the "Guess-timate: How many lurkers?" thread, posted by Mammuthus, I thought I'd finally "de-lurk" and identify myself as a lurker (although I guess, technically, I'm not any more).Anyway since I have, I'd just like to thank y'all for this forum! I come here regularly and very much enjoy reading the topics, debates, etc.I don't presume to speak for any other lurkers but personally, I am not much of a debater and prefer to just watch from the sidelines. I don't like arguing and I hate hurting people and (obviously) being hurt, myself. I do enjoy a good debate but sometimes things can get pretty heated, and frankly, I'm far too thin-skinned to get involved in anything like that.Having said that, I'd like to point out that, for topics which can get very heated and bitter at times, this forum is one of the best places I've seen for keeping things on track and professional. Some online debates seem as if they are always in a state of turmoil, but the discussions here are for the most part, very orderly, in my opinion.In any case, I just wanted to let you know my own reasons for lurking. I'm not saying this is the case for other lurkers, it's just mine. I'm not sure if this helps in any way and I'm afraid I don't know how many lurkers visit the forum (sorry Mammuthus), but I figured it couldn't hurt to throw my own two cents out there for once.This is a great place everyone. I'm sure there are many others, like myself, who enjoy everything the forum has to offer (who knows?...perhaps a few more will de-lurk and let you know). Anyway keep up the good work, we lurkers appreciate it. Well, at the very least, this one does.Cheers,Tony.

I still lurk, but don't post anymore because there's often not enough time for me to think arguments through as carefully as standards here demand and because the atheist evo viewpoint is so well covered by some of the regulars that my point is usually made before I can do it.

Hi Chavalon! Thanks for your reply!Yes, I also find that it simply isn't necessary to post, as I usually read what I would have said within minutes anyway. I also agree that it can be difficult to keep up with the standard. I consider myself a reasonably well read scientific layman, but there is no way I could match some of the brilliant minds that post here. So rather than trying to explain things in my own words and making a whole mess of rookie mistakes, I leave it to the real experts.But as I said, my main reason for not posting is my thin skin. That probably sounds quite stupid but I'm afraid I get hurt far too easily so I usually just keep out of it. I wouldn't have even posted this except that I saw Mammuthus' post about lurkers, so I thought I'd speak up for a change.Thanks again for the reply Chavalon!

And thank you both for speaking up if only for a moment.Even though you have, metaphorically, lost your virginity now I think we can beseech the Queen to use her powers to restore it. I will try to remember you are there and conduct myself accordingly.

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Common sense isn't

Wow! The nose himself is replying to little ol' me!Heh heh, sorry Ned, I guess that may have seemed a bit weird but I feel like I know all of you regulars.Just one question...beseech the Queen to restore my "virginity"? I think I missed something there. I understand the virginity metaphor, but I'm not sure what you're getting at. Restore it? I can assure you Ned that you are perhaps the last person on this forum that needs to worry about your conduct. I think you do a great job already. Just my opinion, of course.Mind you, as I've already stated, I think most of the people here are well behaved...most of the time, heh heh.Thanks for the reply Ned!

Thank you for the compliments. I appreciate it. Since I don't think I'm one of the geniuses I try to at least be polite.But if you don't stop posting even the Queen herself will not be able to turn you back to a lurker.

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Common sense isn't

Ah Ned,I'm having my claws sharpened this week, so I can't be bothered to deal with an EX lurker who wants to regain their non-posting status...

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AdminAsgara
Queen of the Universe

You're quite welcome. I've been coming here for a long time and your conduct has always impressed me. Heh heh, I think you're smart enough. I know what you mean, though. There are people here whose wealth of knowledge takes my breath away. I wish I knew half of what they do. Oh I hope I'm not violating any guidelines or anything by continuing to post here. I realize that the "Welcome, Visitors!" forum is not meant for long discussions, it's just that I was rather enjoying finally interacting with a few of the people here.I know that EvC is primarily a debate forum and not for socializing. As I said before, I'm not much of a debater. I'm just a friendly kind of guy. At least, I like to think I am.Honestly though, it doesn't bother me not being a lurker. I don't mind interacting a little, I just don't want to get drawn into any arguments.Out of curiosity, how exactly does the Queen "turn one back into a lurker?" I'm afraid I still don't get what you meant. I must be having a slow day.

Hi Asgara!It's ok, don't stress about it or anything. As I explained to Ned, it doesn't bother me that I've now posted, I'm just not looking to debate, that's all. So please don't go to any trouble for me to regain my non-posting status...whatever that is...*looks confused and scratches head*...heh heh.

He's pulling your leg Tony, and having a little laugh at the expense of my royal powers. He will be dealt with later.Don't worry about posting too much here, eight posts is not "too many" in a Welcome Visitors thread. Tho we have had purely social threads going in the Coffee House.Anyway...go ahead and register. If I had let my thin skin and lack of knowledge stop me from registering I would never have been given this illustrious (sheesh) position.

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AdminAsgara
Queen of the Universe

Ah, that explains it! I couldn't figure out how one could actually have a "non-posting" status, and even if one could, what the point of it would be. I had this image of all these people who register and then just leave their post count at zero and never post. I suppose you could call that a non-posting status. Heh heh, go get 'im Asgara! Now there's a thought! In all the time I've been here, I've barely touched the Coffee House. Maybe I'll have a look there sometime. Really? You want me to register? Even though I don't wish to participate in debating? Well, perhaps. The thing is, if I do any posting, I don't want to clutter the forum with a heap of irrelevant topics that have nothing to do with the forum's purpose.But I'll take a look in the Coffee House and see what I can find. Who knows?Incidentally, it's nice to know I'm not the only one here that feels "thin-skinned." I love reading the debates but there are times that I know would have hurt me pretty badly, had I been the one debating, instead of someone else. I'm afraid I have a tendency to take things far too personally.

HI Tony,I really think you should register and participate in some debates, you do not have to get involved in a range of discussions, you could just post now and again.I personally think that everyone's input is valuable, and the more people who are involved the more chance we have of finding some answers.You could even post in the 'free for all' forum on a more general topic, such as my 'dinner dates' thread, or if you are looking for a quick answer to a particular problem then I found that the members here are very helpful. I asked a question about falsifying evolution and I had it solved by very helpful members in a few minutes.As for thin skin, well it thickens over time!Cheers.Brian.

Hey Brian! Thanks for replying!Yes, I understand what you're saying. Unfortunately my skin has always been paper thin (hey, that rhymes!). Things tend to cut me very deeply, and I really don't think I'd last long if I got caught in a heated battle.I may yet register but I'm not sure what I'll do exactly. I have a keen interest in science and I think it'd be great to chat with some of the experts that post here. However I fear that some of these chats could be offensive to some, and it may turn into a debate. This is what I'd really like to avoid. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but I take things very much to heart. As I originally said, this was the reason I just lurked for so long.I do appreciate your support though Brian. Thanks for your reply!

Hi Tony,Glad to see a lurker sort of become an ex-lurker
For my part, when I first started lurking here I found I just could not sit on the sidelines no matter how heated the debate. I finally entered the fray when someone posted a complete misrepresentation of the data and conclusions of a paper written by a colleague of mine. That thread is long dead but I am still active...and my opponent got banned In any case, there are lots of people here with thin skins. I don't think that should prevent you from entering the debates. The best way is to find a milder one in a moderated forum and wade in..cheers,
M

Hi Mammuthus!Firstly I guess I should personally thank you. After all, it was your post that finally prompted me to de-lurk. Yes, I understand. To be honest, I've felt the same way from time to time. My problem is that I'm just too sensitive. In fact, a friend just told me that I'm one of the most sensitive males in the world (I'm pretty sure he meant it in a complimentary way but I'm not convinced that it's a good thing, myself). Sometimes I'm hurt just by things I read, despite the fact that I'm not even involved. Naturally, the result is exponentially worse when something is actually directed at me. As a consequence, I usually don't dare post. To be honest, I never even intended to post as much as I have already, but it's been nice interacting with some of the people I've been observing here for so long. Heh heh, don't mess with the Mammuthus! Hmm...perhaps, but not as thin as mine I'm willing to bet. I say that sincerely, by the way. I hope I don't come off as condescending or anything (albeit in a somewhat inverse way, considering its application in this case: "Nya nya! My skin is thinner than your skin!").Seriously, I'm an unusual person in some ways and I doubt there are a lot of people around who are affected by things the way I am. I've already had a bad experience previously, on a forum I used to visit (which isn't even a debate forum). It caused me a great deal of anguish, to the point of actually losing sleep and feeling physically ill. And I've never been able to bring myself to go back, which is a terrible shame because I had a lot of friends there. I certainly don't want to see a repeat of that here.Man, am I a basket case or what?All the same, I would like to say that I appreciate the encouragement everybody's giving me. It has not gone unnoticed.Oh and thanks for the reply Mammuthus!