Hey Les and Company,
I don’t know what the qualifier is for actual lurking, I post occasionally, but only about once every 8 months or so. 

SEB was the first blog I ever read, and it got me hooked.  Now I can’t get enough of the stuff.  So let me just say thanks to Les for providing this great forum to which I contribute so little.

eponymous
3.14159265
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imtrappedin
auniversefac
tory7108914… (via boingboing)

Do I count as a lurker

lurk? sheeeeit.. ..them godamn tirrirists’ll never take me alive.

Been readin for about 2 weeks or so....

Happened to come across the blog while googling World of Warcraft for articles.

Very well.  From the shadowy closet I make my bid for ultimate lurker status.  About 3 years, I’ve read SEB.  I usually check up every two or three days.  During that time, I’ve gone from christian to atheist.  Not a strong Christian, mind you: though I was raised as an evangelical, my true-believing days were brief and long past, but I didn’t have the courage to leave faith truly behind, either.  I was aghast at the dismal quality of the christian apologists that gave you such fodder.  My original intention was to do better - not to convince you, but to convince myself that decent apologetics were possible.  And that I still had a religion.  Of course, I did neither. 

I must give some credit to Les (and other SEB luminaries) as a factor in my choice to give up belief.  Mostly because the quality of truthfulness was evident here.  That truthfulness reinforced the awakening I was already beginning, making me confront that I was accepting arguments I neither truly believed, nor lacked the intelligence to defeat on my own.  Some because I wished them to be true; some because I did not wish to face the clean-up if they were false.  Once awakened, I could not rest, and my belief soon passed away. 

Why have I never commented previously?  I can name a few reasons, but mostly they boil down to courage - to believe that I will be timely, relevant, well-thought, and well-expressed.  Since I sometimes miss the mark even in the physical presence of those I know, I become leery of saying much with invisible company I do not know. 

Nonethess, an invitation can hardly be refused, especially since I’ve considered introducing myself before, but somehow never felt ripe to do so.  So, hello!  It’s been nice meeting you over all this time.

“something, dammit!”

*peeks in*

Hola!

I read cause Les is one of those people who let me know that intelligence is still alive in my home state.  *laughs* Or at least MY view on intelligence.

Wow… erm… I have no idea how long I’ve been reading for now.  Has to be a year at least.  I don’t even remember how I found the site but I wouldn’t be suprised if it was via Warren Ellis some how.  *chuckles*

Cheers!

Luke writes…

Why have I never commented previously?  I can name a few reasons, but mostly they boil down to courage - to believe that I will be timely, relevant, well-thought, and well-expressed.  Since I sometimes miss the mark even in the physical presence of those I know, I become leery of saying much with invisible company I do not know.

Oh hell, if I worried about being timely, relevant, or even well-thought I’d never get a blog entry done.

Uh… hi.

Stupid Evil Bastard.  I think my mother was married to you once or was that your brother Drunk Cursing Bastard?

Well, hello.  I’ve read your blog for a couple of years-great articles, interesting conversations- but I’ve never quite gotten around to making that many comments.

I posted once or twice, under the username of “Josh” or something similiar.

SEB was probably a large factor in me finally realizing that I didn’t really believe in religious crap, biblical or otherwise.  I haven’t looked back since.

Hey, I am no longer a lurker here, and I am a first timer here too but there is something very interesting and fun about your site so I have added ya to my blogroll now.

Take care. ^_^

Thinking aloud… I just come to read, have a smoke, a cup of coffee, maybe a chuckle or two and enjoy some really top notch material and outta the blue I’m a lurker. A lurker. Fuck That!

I’m pretty much like the other lurkers who have posted previously. Not sure if I had the right thing to say. Or if the question had been answered. Or find myself typing a comment just to delete it after I’ve proof read it because I considered it to be of no value to the other readers. And many topics I just don’t have the knowledge to participate in. So I just don’t post.

Now I’m a… You know what.

Anyway. I was directed here quite a while ago; maybe a year and a half, via TechTV’s “Screensaversâ€? shows??. Had never been to a “blog” before. Had no idea what a blog even was, thought I used to smoke grass outta one. But since that first day I’ve been hooked on coming here.
Your content is great. I’ve spent many moons going through the old posts and comments. Really good stuff.

And thanx for the g-mail invite.

Duane

National De-Lurking week is a great idea. These former lurkers of SEB are showing great promise already.

They need to get over thinking they have nothing of worth to say, though. I’ve reached 896 (I suspect I’ve actually made more) comments by saying nothing of worth. It’s time they tried to catch up.

Welcome de-lurkers. Have a seat and get your fingers out…

Just want to say thanks Luke for that awesome post. Honesty is the main thing. I find I keep coming back because so much of what I read here either carries the ring of truth or is a genuine attempt at truthfulness ... which is always interesting to observe or comment on regardless of the outcome. That being said ... I know I way overthink anything I write before/during posting it. Kind of wish I didn’t.

Don’t feel like you need to answer this Les, but do you plan to keep SEB going for a long time?

I’m actually surprised—pleasantly so—to learn that some folks have changed their minds about religious belief as a result of SEB. I didn’t set out with the explicit intent of converting others to my point of view so much as just trying to get my point of view out there for others to consider so they can make up their own minds on the issues. I’m still flattered that folks stop by on a regular basis to see what I’m babbling about.

rgjp, I plan to keep SEB going so long as it’s not a chore and I have something to say and I can afford it. Of those three conditions it’s the second one that’s most likely to ever bring about the end of my blogging career. Since I started blogging over 4 years ago there have been a lot of really good bloggers who write about a lot of the same things I do and who do a better job at it then I do that have come along. Several of the SEB regulars have started their own blogs as well that often write what I would write had I written it first. So, at times, it feels like I’m doing a lot of “WHAT THEY SAID” type entries and I try to avoid that. If I don’t have much to contribute to a subject then there’s not much point in me writing about it.

But, for the foreseeable future at least, I don’t have any plans to shut the hell up and go away like I’m sure several folks whom I’ve blogged about in the past would love me to do.

Shish-kabob? Cherry tomato.

Because I always do what the memes tell me to do. Skeptic, Blogger, World of Warcraft player here...how could I not bookmark the site? It’s only been a few months that I’ve been reading. Haven’t commented before because, well, there hasn’t been a reason for me to. (That’s time I could spend grinding in Silithus, dang it! )

I don’t think that I’m really lurking—but then again…

I’m David and my interest is communication (mass media). I’m taking a year-long trip and testing the utility of seven media channels: blog; newspaper column; online forum; map room; photo gallery; podcasts; and radio.

If the idea of getting your message out there using more of these options, please take a look—and leave a comment, if you aren’t a lurker…

http://wanderingdave.com