By Jackie, TW Social Director
Is it Friday already? Time flies when you're not checking an OoP every day ... though I imagine many of you are still doing so. Where tennis goes, the TWibe is sure to follow.
Still, I'm excited for Monte Carlo, as evidenced by my headline photo choice. If I could choose a non-Slam tournament to attend outside of the States, it would surely be near (if not at) the top of the list. Many thanks to Rosangel for giving us a taste of what it's like there in today's Your Call.
Weekly reminder: Please take a moment to visit our Facebook group, TennisWorld > Real World. Existing members, there are plenty of new photos and discussion topics up for y'all to feast on!
Last week's Deuce Club was fun, huh? I don't know about you, but I had a blast reading about everyone's "How I came to TW" experiences. It was insightful, too; I hadn't been privy to many of the stories, particularly from those who started posting before my time. Perhaps one of these weeks, we ought to honor the TWibers who have been around since the very beginning. Loyalty goes a long way in my book!
What I found most interesting about the stories were the varying degrees to which posters felt comfortable diving into a TW discussion for the first time. For me, the act was almost irritatingly deliberate. I carefully considered when to make my voice heard, what to call myself, and what to say. I was anxious about how I'd be received (would I fit in? would regulars even respond to my comments?). For others, though, this process was far more spontaneous and involved little to no thought at all. They just jumped in!
One of our astute posters noted that this might be a function of how familiar posters are with online communities like this one. That is, if you've participated in Internet forums previously, then you know what to expect when you make that maiden comment. It's not nearly as harrowing - not even close to it, maybe. Just another post on another website. Considering I'd never even ventured into a chat room, let alone posted in an established forum like this one, my nerves were sky-high.
This made me think about our lurkers. Perhaps many of them choose to lurk because they don't have experience posting on a blog so they're wary of taking that leap. That makes sense, right? Or perhaps I'm completely off the mark, and most of our lurkers are "experienced lurkers," as I like to call 'em; staying hidden is just what they prefer - and what they've always preferred on other blogs or forums.
But instead of speculating, perhaps we ought to go straight to the source. Today's DC is dedicated to all of our esteemed lurkers!
Ah, but this is hardly the first time we've given lurkers their due. A couple of years back, Pete randomly ran into a TW lurker after dropping off lil' Luke at school. Of that moment, he wrote, "I love that] - coming face-to-face with the tip of the iceberg of tennis fans, Tribe division." He went on to propose having a *Lurker Amnesty Day* (click [here for that post).
Having had a similar experience in Indian Wells - remember my Jesse story? - I completely empathize with Pete's sentiment. And surprisingly, interacting with this lurker/only-occasional-poster wasn't unlike interacting with the regulars I converse with every day on the blog.
It's in that spirit that I'm reprising Lurker Amnesty Day. Obviously, I can't be lucky enough to meet all the lurkers out there face to face, so I figure the next best thing is to meet them right here on TW. (And I know there are plenty, if the Facebook group is any indication!)
So, here's how this will work: Lurkers, I invite you all to step out from the shadows and say hello. Tell us a lil' something about yourself and why you've chosen to lurk. Do you intend to ever permanently de-lurk and become a poster? And what's something that you've longed to ask or say to the TWibe? (Of course, be nice!)