I see comments from frustrated list owners all of the time. They\r get frustrated because they have started discussion lists where\r no discussions take place... sure, they have subscribers, but\r discussions are scarce. Out of frustration, these list owners\r invariably throw their hands up and walk away from their lists.

If you are one of these discussion list owners, then this article\r is for you.

I have been managing discussion lists on the net for nearly two\r years.

Truth is, the average list has 28 MEMBERS. And, chances are 24 \r of the lists' members are LURKERS. Lurkers are those who are \r members, but never post a single question or comment to the \r list. Every list has them. Yet, most list owners are frustrated \r by the lurkers. They would like to see discussions on their \r lists, so that they may be educated the same as the lurker.

I have one list that is a discussion type technical support \r list. I have 140 members on that list and 120 of them are only \r lurkers. This list is set up for the lurkers who have computer \r problems to ask their questions, and the professionals answer \r the questions. Many of the lurkers find this an interesting \r and educational forum in which they only participate when they\r have questions.

This list will go often times for up to 8 weeks without a \r single question being posted, and then pow, ten questions in \r two days.

If you are interested in exploring this list, then please\r visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WindStorm to get the \r details.

Most discussion lists top out in membership around 150 members.\r There are of course exceptions to this rule, but more often \r than not, a discussion list will hold between 20 and 150 \r members.

Lurkers are actually really good for a list. They lurk behind \r the scenes learning from those of us who are the BABBLERS.

People want to learn, that is why they are lurking on your list \r in the first place. Lurkers are the learning population on the\r web, while the babblers are the teachers on the web.

If you are a babbler, then this is your chance to become known.\r If you are in business on the web, and you are a babbler, your\r business will eventually benefit from this fact. By being a \r teacher, you are lifting yourself up on a pedestal that few\r people want to be on. You are lifting yourself into a position\r of trust and respect.

The lurkers on your list will begin to trust and respect your\r point of view. When they are ready to purchase what it is\r that you sell, the lurkers are more likely to buy from you \r as opposed to buying from a stranger. Even on the web, people \r tend to buy from only those whom they trust.

As a discussion list owner, it is very important to remember\r that there are 3 types of people subscribed to your list.\r First there are MEMBERS. Out of the list of MEMBERS, you will\r discover the other two types of people subscribed to your \r list, LURKERS and BABBLERS.

The BABBLERS will keep your list active, and the LURKERS will\r remain to give the BABBLERS a steady audience.

If you would like more BABBLERS on your list to keep things\r interesting for you too, then you need to get your subscriber\r base up. No matter which list I own, moderate, or subscribe\r to, it seems that no more than 17% of the membership base\r are BABBLERS. And the remaining 83% are LURKERS.

That is the reality of life on the Internet. So, don't despair\r or disparage your lurkers. They are your lifeblood. Treat them\r as such, and they will treat you well without typing a single\r keystroke to the list.

Copyright Bill Platt - All Rights Reserved

Bill Platt is the owner of http://www.LinksAndTraffic.com

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