Somehow, the word lurker has become associated with pejorative connotations of people taking from communities without giving back, of not contributing, of being selfish and feeding off the hard work of others. They are the free riders. However, is that truly the case? Would we consider silent participants in a meeting or at presentations lurkers?

A lurker might very well be giving back by performing better at their jobs, by sharing insights with others in the context of their daily work by using the learning gleaned from lurking. This is especially true of communities in enterprises. Since the give back is asymmetric and happens in a different context, this goes unnoticed.

The problem with calling it “lurking” makes everyone think negative thoughts. Like our community is full of Peeping Tom’s or other people with nefarious intent. People who don’t talk <strong>are</strong> still participating and learning – just in some non-obvious ways.

Lurking als Lernen: <em>“Lurking is not a problem, as long as lurkers are learning because enough material is created and shared by nonlurkers.”</em> <a href="http://etcjournal.com/2011/04/19/connectivism/" target="_blank">(Claude Almansi)</a>