This is no longer the age of sneaking around and then commenting when convenient. This is called lurking. In social media, lurking is not conducive for anyone. No trust can be built between readers and site owners/ article writers.
There are several types of lurkers:
1. The lurker who visits and reaps benefits from another site through any means
2. The lurker who anonymously comments, or “de-lurks” to provide argumentative perspective
It is okay to blog about things you have found online that you want to talk about, and link to the original articles. However, it is not okay to take information, alter it, and then post it for your own gain without giving credit to the original source.
Your readers cannot trust you if you publish material that is not honestly yours. Of course, if you feel sly, you might think you can fool some, but eventually you will get caught.
Instead, be active in your niche and draw your experience from your own knowledge. Of course, if there are people in your niche that have blogged about things that you agree with on one point, you can still blog about the same thing, but remember to also mention others. It may earn you some great acquaintances in your niche and even back links too.
Social media is not for people who want to remain in the shadows. It is for those who want to share the content of their site or their company’s site with others. You do not have to be an active commenter at another site, but if it is a site that influences you, it might be ideal to become a regular participant.
Have you lurked?
I think people who ask to be your friend and then never share any of their own experiences are being rude. It is like walking up to a conversation to listen in and not saying a word. Real friends interact with one another and share what they are doing in their life with others (through direct conversation, telephone, email, Facebook, etc.). I have had friend requests from some people who have never even posted one time. How rude!
I think it has more to do with their comfort level on the internet. We are still in a transition time where people are still learning the internet. At least this is what I noticed from clients from our area (Southern Illinois) who I have web designed for. These are the same people you have to explain how to market their own websites if they do not want to pay for a consultant (marketing/ social media.)Some are deciding that they prefer more privacy as they know that possibly what they say could effect them on a professional level.I love to try to interact with people. Bad habit from being a city girl and attending large schools. It is why I like to try to share experiences and hopefully hear from others and their experiences. It makes a beautiful circle of communication.
I agree, its annoying when someone comes to a site (many times) and does not even say anything.
My recent post Thanksgiving round #3
I am fine with people dropping in as many times, but there are those you can feel paranoid about and wonder if you might be slandered or your content stolen.
That's an interesting post, I guess I have lurked sometimes, but I've never really felt a need to participate before. Could be low self-estem, but it always felt like I was at the site to look for information, and all the things I already knew weren't really "new" information to share :p
Now, obviously if a site brings nothing to the table for you, I can see that. However, although it is not a requirement, you should try to pop a comment if you read an article. Even saying whether the article was helpful and why, or if you did not agree and why, it would be great.
This post was more for those who “talk the talk” of social media, but do not “walk the walk.” It is about keeping the cycle of communication rolling smoothly. Often these people are usually around to stir up messes when they feel like it. It happens at TechCrunch often. I love the site, but some of the people dropping in just need to find something useful to say for the conversation at hand.