From: tedwelch-AT-dircon.co.uk
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 18:44:04 +0000
Subject: Re: Rules of functioning


>This is a great note, Jerry. Especially the suggestion about an orange drink
>Ingo
>
>At 12:31 PM 11/11/99 -0600, you wrote:
>>
>>The discussion on lurking and participating reminds me of the old time
>>practice, before telly and e-lists, that when people got together they
>>shared stories.  This is the essence of the Canterbury Tales.  The basic
>>requirement for sharing the campfire, and sometimes the food and drink,
>>would be to tell a story.  However, people would not necessarily be banned
>>from the circle for not sharing in the story telling.   Nor, was it always
>>a case of "Can you top this," but, rather, of sociability and entertainment.
>>
>>I sometimes view discussion groups on the e-lists as something similar, but
>>with the elements of a good classroom discussion, or discussions over a big
>>orange drink in a pub, mixed in.  Some are active listeners and they
>>contribute by their presence.  A good story demands good listeners.  Good
>>e-lists require good lurkers.
>>
>>Jerry Shepperd

But this fails to recognise the important differences: round a fire, in a
bar, the "lurkers" - the audience - can contribute by changing expressions
(attentive, amused shocked, etc.)  at relevant points; silence (like the
significance of the *lack* of a barking dog in a Sherlock Holmes story),
laughter, applause, etc. From lurkers in an email group contributors get -
nothing - till the former become former lurkers.

  Oh and no orange stuff for me,  mine's a pint of Old Lurcher.






Ted Welch Lecturer and web master
School of Communication, Design and Media, University of Westminster,
London, UK
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/media  web designer of http://www.frontlinetv.com
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/media/NIPP (Network of Philosophy in Practice)

"Truth Matters" Noam Chomsky


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