Are you a LURKER?

This site gets alot of visitors. I've watched the traffic in a variety of our forums - and some threads get a lot of views, but minimal response. So, my question to you is: What does it take to get you to make a post? What is holding you back? I really want to know. Please take just a moment to respond to this poll. Then, when you get a few minutes, stop by the forum that deals with something that you keep & make a post...it can be a response to a current thread, or you can start your own (even something as simple as mentioning an animal you keep and how long you have had it).

actually i do post , just not alot as of yet . i just joined this board a week or 2 ago and i am still familiarizing myself with it . i do plan on posting more in the future though . i think that one of the reasons some people might not post here is because they think of it as a buisness forum . mainly for those that deal in larger numbers of reptiles . atleast that is the impression i had at first . i've been visiting this site for close to 6 months and just in the last couple weeks have i actually started posting . up until then i thought of this site primarilly as a classified for reptiles site and a place for breeders , wholesalers , and retailers to get together . it wasnt until recently that i even knew that the forums were for anyone . now that i have actually looked over the forums i see i was wrong , but to people that come here new it can seem otherwise . just my 2 cents , i may be completely wrong , but its how i see it .

Originally Posted by markface

actually i do post , just not alot as of yet . i just joined this board a week or 2 ago and i am still familiarizing myself with it . i do plan on posting more in the future though . i think that one of the reasons some people might not post here is because they think of it as a buisness forum . mainly for those that deal in larger numbers of reptiles . atleast that is the impression i had at first . i've been visiting this site for close to 6 months and just in the last couple weeks have i actually started posting . up until then i thought of this site primarilly as a classified for reptiles site and a place for breeders , wholesalers , and retailers to get together . it wasnt until recently that i even knew that the forums were for anyone . now that i have actually looked over the forums i see i was wrong , but to people that come here new it can seem otherwise . just my 2 cents , i may be completely wrong , but its how i see it .

Dido! I'm just starting to get use to this place.

Mark, I appreciate the comments. One of the concerns I mentioned to other forum moderators was that we might foster the impression of a group of "good ol' boys" that, for any number of reasons, may not seem open to new comers. For me, the business end is secondary. I have a bunch of animals that I like (not nearly as many as I used to keep), and I breed some of them. Honestly, I didn't even advertise anything last year. What I sold, I sold at shows, from people happening across my website, or by people from here contacting me. Eventually, I figure I will have to advertise elsewhere...but until it seems necessary, I won't bother.
I frequent Fauna because I like the environment & I enjoy helping people. IMO, while there are a good number of very experienced people, most do not come off as condescending or rude to "newbies". I also like to relate with other reptile enthusiasts...it's just nice not to be the freak with the snakes, lol. Anyway, welcome to Fauna.

Brilliant idea Harald.
Good options too. If this poll is active enough it should provide some very valuable information.
Kudos!

i wasnt trying to say anyone seemed rude or condesending , just that it appeared to me initially to be primarily a buisness forum . i think that the main reason i assumed this is because when you come to the forums the first few sections are mostly buisness forums . you have to scroll down quite a ways before you start hitting what i would call general public forums . just an opinion , but if you were to move the boi and other forums mainly geared towards buisness and the running of the forums down , and move the ones that are more hobbiest related up to where they are more visible , i think it might help . once again just my 2 cents worth .

i post here and there when i am on here but i love carpet pythons and not many threads or sales of them on here these days. mostly ball pythons and boas on here these days in threads and such and i'm not into either of them.

Originally Posted by hhmoore

... One of the concerns I mentioned to other forum moderators was that we might foster the impression of a group of "good ol' boys" that, for any number of reasons, may not seem open to new comers.

I love fauna, but I do seem to get the feeling that there is kinda a group of "good ol' boys". Everyone in the "group" is really great, but I feel like I'm a real newbie compared to them and sometimes i'm just not very inclined to post because I'm not as experienced. I also feel bad that I haven't made any contributions to this site (I'm just tight on money now, I'll be paying by june). I really like the idea of the Fauna Mentor Program brought up by lucille.

One more thing, I think this poll should get moved out of the pythons discussion forum and put somewhere where more people will see it.

Originally Posted by tandy4000

One more thing, I think this poll should get moved out of the pythons discussion forum and put somewhere where more people will see it.

That is a valid point - especially since the content is not specific to this forum. (Admittedly, I was planning on starting an appropriate thread here, changed my mind about the content, deleted what I had started, and just continued without considering forum placement). If Rich, or one of the other mods, wants to move it, I certainly have no objections...I started to just move it to the Feedback Forum, then had second thoughts about placement (how many lurkers wander through there?)

Originally Posted by tandy4000

I also feel bad that I haven't made any contributions to this site (I'm just tight on money now, I'll be paying by june). I really like the idea of the Fauna Mentor Program brought up by lucille.

Don't hold back on posting just because you can't (or don't want to) contribute right now. As a registered member, you are part of the Fauna community and welcome to post in the forums.
I saw that post about the mentor program, and agree that it sounds like a good idea. Hopefully, (if it gets started) people will take advantage of it.