I met you once at a TWOP karaoke thing at Freddie's bar in Crystal City--I had no idea it was going on, but the friend I met there was all "OMG! It's TWOP people!". And I was so shocked you knew who we were. ;)

Oh yes, I remember that well! Er, as well as I can given that I was drinking and there was a lot of wackiness. I think I said something to you like, "You guys are great! And I'm really not totally evil, honest!"

I was weirded out a little by lurkers voting on how we should shape the board, or board culture.

My gut reaction is that I'm a frequent participant in how the board moves, and if you're just people watching, it's freaky to walk up to the person and say, "hey, can you move a little to the left? It's easier for me to be amused by you if you haul your ass out of that sun glare."

Does that make sense anywhere except in my head?

I took umbrage. I now have an umbrage. And no storage space for it.

I was kind of surprised to have no umbrage. Reading the lurker comments, it felt like most of them were really a part of the board, like they fit in with the board culture. I know it's not much to go on, but it felt kind of like meeting a friend you haven't seen for a long time, comfortable and kind of cozy. And we did ask lurkers to participate.

Hey, paperdol has all my umbrage!

Well, to be clear, if reading this is part of your daily enjoyment, I understand feeling that you have a stake in it. I mean, you would, you know? Of course.

I just don't believe lurkers have nearly the stake in it that I have, or the Terrible Core has, and such.

I'll listen, nod and have some sympathy, but ultimately, the people posting are what makes the place function (and disfunction, depending on your point of view).

We're gonna need a lurker poll.

Kidding aside, I think it seems like we're dissatisfying our lurkers more than it looks. It's only a couple comments. And only 7.4% of the respondents say they've never posted.

We're reacting to a few bad reviews of our work.

Heh.

I agree that some have more stake than others. I was just tickled to see them.

on the one hand this is me

if you're just people watching, it's freaky to walk up to the person and say, "hey, can you move a little to the left? It's easier for me to be amused by you if you haul your ass out of that sun glare."

On the other hand I feel uncomfortable saying I speak for board culture when I am still such a newbie myself.

Bureaucracy 5: Buffistas is perverse.

if you're just people watching, it's freaky to walk up to the person and say, "hey, can you move a little to the left? It's easier for me to be amused by you if you haul your ass out of that sun glare."

On the other hand I feel uncomfortable saying I speak for board culture when I am still such a newbie myself.

Extreme newbie (posting) here, but I'm confused by the hostility toward the lurkers. They were asked to vote. Their opinions were solicited. It was said if they didn't vote, then what did they matter. I fully expected those who lurked on a regular basis and read these things to vote.

The only question for people not posting, or not posting for a listed reason, question #4, elicited all positive responses. The lurkers love b.org.

Question #13, that contained the negative responses and comments, was lurkers and posters combined. I can only identify one negative response coming from a lurker. The comment about this seeming to be a closed community. Doesn't mean it's bad, just that is what it is.

The most negative comments of question # 13 (like comment 3 or 40) seem to have an insider voice. They imply they participate in other threads besides the social ones or one pointed complaint that sounds more personal than coming from a lurker.

I may be completely wrong, but I think the negative comments were coming from within the community of posters not from the lurkers. I would hate for the lurkers to be the scapegoats if that is the case. I think the lurkers identified themselves when they were offering an opinion and I think it was mostly positive or "go team buffistas."

And yes, I realize I pick really weird things to champion. Save the lurkers.