Wednesday is: Lurker and First Timer Day*

[Gerard Buckleman]

Most of us were toddlers once; same with lurkers.... So, (DEFINITION #1): LURKER: noun (verb: to lurk), one who visits, perhaps often, enjoys visiting, but does not make his/her presence felt, preferring to LURK in the shadows, tentatively tasting the fruits, yet not plunging in headlong and participating. Sound familiar? Read on... The reasons for lurking, like those for toddling, are many:

You haven't learnt to walk/post;
You're afraid to look silly;
You're afraid you'll trip up;
You think you have nothing to contribute;
You feel you're not ready;
You don't have the equipment;
You prefer the low-angle view;

To all of you, a warm welcome! Wednesday is your own very special day. De-lurking with your first post here is declaring your presence, affirming your very photo-existence, a supreme exercise of your Gore-given e-democratic rights. When you exercise this right for the very first-time, it is a mystical, coming-of-age process: you are a FIRST TIMER (DEFINITION #2).

Some folks, however, are inconsiderate enough to slip back into lurk-mode after having come out of the closet. Some stray away, lured by the false gods of color (no reference to the ethnicity of gods implied here); some just die, but this is simply not a good enough excuse; yet others mean to visit, but become too busy and find themselves caught up in the materialistic world of jobs, contracts and lucre. But the seeds of monochrome, once sown, are never truly lost. There is a perpetual yearning, a gnawing hunger for the long-lost home, a longing to return to the dimly-remembered paradise of true friends, fixer fumes and desaturation. These are our LONG LOST Members (DEFINITION #3). To all of you, a warm welcome back! Wednesday is your own very special day.
(Thank you N. Sukumar for this description)

*This includes those members who have not posted for over a year.

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