I've always been curious about what the (numerous) lurkers think about.
Do they see us as a form of entertainment, a band of wacky people talking nonsense and sometimes being funny ?
Or are we a special group of elite Space Monkeys, in their eyes ?
Do they come every day, impatient to know what we could have come up with ?
Do they consider us as zoo animals ?
Why don't they join us ?
Because they are beyond our level or because we are too irritating or because they are too shy ?
Do they have favorite YNers ?
Do they like me ?

Let's not talk about spiders please.

One of the forums I'm part of tells you when it's a real person or when it's a spider. I think they're called spiders. They even tell you what search engine it is.

Some of the "guests" are from search engines and the like...it's not all real people.

I've always wondered whether most of these lurkers are YN veterans who come and see what's going on the boards but who either don't want to sign on or forgot their password. :P

*looks around suspiciously*

I don't always sign on.

I lurked on CoS...but thats because they kept denying my account or something.

I lurk on other sites that don't really demand your participation. I do it to learn, not about the people, but just about the topics they discuss.

133 lurkers at the moment...

Will one of you get an account already and answer my burning questions?!

I've wondered these things myself. I've also wondered if the number of "guests" on the boards at any given time can possibly be accurate. If it is, we have a surprising number of anonymous people who like to read what we have to say at 3 a.m.