Introduction

Once you have the Skills, understand a bit about online Cultures, and have surmounted any Logistical hurdles, it's time to take action.

Activity - "Lurk No More"

If you've been lurking on an Email list long enough to know whether you value it, then it's time to take action and officially join the community. Choose one of the three incentives below and then explore some list archives to find examples of how others have taken similar plunges.

1. Choose one of the "Lurk No More" motivators:

   Motivator #1: The Need to Know

   You've joined a group because you share an interest. At some point you may need help from the collective list's expertise. Typically, you'll be stuck and it will dawn on you that others may have gone through the same situation. They may have insights they can share. They may be able to spare you a few headaches and wasted hours. Isn't this good enough incentive to post a message to the group?

   Motivator #2: The Wisdom to Help

   You've been lurking for while when someone posts a question or asks for ideas. There's a long electronic pause. Days may go by and you don't see anyone respond to the this query on the list. Hey, you've got some ideas and even a bit of expertise in the area. Why not shoot off a quick email? What was that list address again?

   

   Motivator #3: Wanting to be a contributor

   So time has passed. You remember in the welcoming message that you were encouraged to introduce yourself to the list. Just some brief background as a way to open the dialogue and join in the community. So time has passed and still you haven't written the self-introduction. You've got just such a bio handy from a grant you wrote a while back. It wouldn't take much to adapt it to suit the culture and interests of this community. It would be a good first step to being an actively contributing member of the community. After all, communities are about give and take. Aren't they?

2. With one of these three motivators in mind, browse through the Forum list of available discussions (or one of those listed in the Resources section below) and select one list to focus on.

3. Browse, search or sort to uncover some examples of queries, help or self-introductions.

4. Read enough examples to get the feeling, "Hey, I could do that."

5. Do it now! Yes, go on, write a query, contribute an idea, or compose a brief self introduction and send it to that list you've been happily lurking on for so long!

Resources

Email Lists Overview

Introducing Email gives background on Email lists

Other Lists of Lists

OzLists

Australian Education Lists

Liszt

EdNA hosted discussion archives