What's the Difference Between Guest & Lurker? - Answered

[EmilyN]

and what can guests see....can they get to member lists, the photo gallery, where?

i ask because they kind of creep me out. (you know, join, announce yourself or go away?)

i reviewed the Ask Us threads and didn't see anything like this.

thanks!!

[DonnaT]

The cannot see the member list nor the photo gallery. They cannot see any of the forums one must sigh up for, like hot topics, etc. Nor can they see a user's profile.

They can see the remaining forums.

[Connie]

Emily,

Just click on "Log out" and you can see what is viewable by the casual passer-by.

Connie

[SilverLady(SO)]

Hi, Emily -

Donna and Connie are correct, and I thank them for answering your query. While there were no postings in the Ask Us section, there was one in the Announcements section:

Forum Security Updates - 5/21/2008
http://crossdressers-haven.com/forums/v ... php?t=9722

These were just some of the additional security features that I asked Caith to create and/or include when she was making the software upgrades. This was greatly needed mostly because of all the spam registrations we were receiving, and also as an extra layer of protection for all our members. Since then, the position of Site Administrator has become much lighter, and I give Caith a mental hug every time I log into the Forum!

Have a great day!

- SL

[Lydia]

Hi SL,

You never answered Emily's basic question. The difference between a guest and a lurker is "attitude".

A guest reads the posts as such, and maybe learns from them.
A lurker is looking for something salacious and is usually disappointed on our forum.

Hugs,

Lydia

[SilverLady(SO)]

Hi, Lydia -

You are correct . . . none of us ever answered Emily's first question, which was asking the difference between a guest and a lurker. Instead, we answered about the security of the forum and which parts are/are not accessible by guests.

I agree with your definition of a guest, but not necessarily that of a lurker. IMO, a lurker (a harsh term, at that) is someone who has become a member and may/may not post. We have people who have been members here for years, regularly log in and read, and rarely, if ever, make a post. Members still 'hiding', and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

On the other hand, I believe that a troll is someone who is looking for something salacious and is usually disappointed in our forum. Trolls are looking to cause trouble, in one form or another, and once they rear their ugly little heads I'm fairly quick to cut it off and ban them from the forum.

Expanding even further, I think all of us would agree that members who create tales of unbelievable nature, just for their '15 minutes of fame and attention', should be ashamed of themselves. My 'BS detector' usually lights up like the Fourth of July when I see those tales, which belong at FictionMania, and I will question their stories, either in whole or in part. I'm embarrassed for those members who have bought such unbelievable tales bait, hook, line, and sinker, as it's embarrassing for them and the forum.



- SL