Calling all lurkers - It’s YOUR week - come and win some prizes!

[YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet]

Come one, come all for the first Lurkers’ Week of the decade!

“What is Lurkers' Week?” we hear you cry from the shadows…

A lurker is someone who reads threads but is yet to take the plunge and post - if that sounds like you, we'd really like you to step into the light and join us on the boards .

All you have to do is post on this thread to say hello and your name will be added to the Mumsnet top hat where you've got the chance to win your choice of a bottle of Red Velvet Cupcake Baileys or Tanqueray gin AND a legendary Mumsnet Mug - which may or may not be dishwasher safe.

We’ll also be rewarding super helpful regular posters who drop by with words of encouragement for our wet-behind-the-ears newbies.

So come on everyone, don’t be shy and join the thread - post below and tell us what you think about Mumsnet. If you’re not in you can’t win.

Find more information about getting started on Mumsnet here.

Happy posting

MNHQ

[BristolMum96]

I love Mumsnet. Have been lurking on threads for 3 years now since the start of my pregnancy, and still now battling life with a terrible 2 year old! I only post on the comp threads, or if I really need advice. But I should start participating in the threads I'm lurking on! Watching with interest 😁

[nervousfirsttimer1985]

Hi fellow lurkers. I am a bit of a lurker...never started a thread, but I have commented on a couple. Sometimes I write a comment but then don't post but I like to follow what happens. Also I have been lucky enough to have been selected to test a few products which is fab. I really need to change my name as I was a nervous first time poster but now more of a posted a few poster

[Just4alaff]

Hi, I'm a lurker I have been for a while and I'm writing this and still don't know if I'm writing in the right place .
I've read loads but haven't plucked up the courage to actually reply to a post but hey lets make friends

[EagleVisionSquirrelWork]

Well, I'll happily encourage lurkers to get stuck in but I've also got some advice!

I've been a MNer for about 5 years, I think. I started off sticking with one username for a long while and I liked the fact that people 'knew' me but I had to namechange after a data breach and now I change regularly every few months so as not to give too much away about myself, which is easier to do than you imagine. It's tempting to stick with a name and feel that you're establishing yourself as a member of a community, but the fact is there are a lot of people reading here, many of whom - as any lurker knows - don't announce themselves. There are MNers who would be horrified to know that I could tell them where they live, what they do, how old they are roughly, where they shop etc, based on what they've said on a range of different threads. It is a community but it's also a public space on the wide open internet. Protect your privacy.

My other piece of advice is not to take it too seriously. You will get flamed. You will get ignored. You will be the lone voice of sanity on runaway threads where people are clamouring for updates/photos/revenge. You will get endless emails inviting you to check back in to a thread you posted on days ago when you were off sick and bored whereas now you really ought to be getting on with your work. So learn to let it go and don't get too invested. That said, if you're in difficulties and need advice or support, you'll get it in spades here.

Perhaps.

[Doingitforhim]

I commented on a thread like this years ago and won a Mumsnet mug! It’s on my desk now filled as always with Yorkshire tea. What @eaglevision said above is good advice. Join in and don’t take it or yourself too seriously.

[YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet]

@Doingitforhim we're glad to hear your mug is still going strong.

[50shadesofmiddleage]

I've been here since the very early days but posted very rarely. ...I miss the days of 'knowing' posters but love that the site is so full of lively debate .. reading discussions here has helped nuance my thinking in several areas....the wit and kindness of strangers still make me want to hang around !

[Fredastaireatemyjamsandwich]

I don't post everyday, and sometimes go complete weeks. But i do like to read everything, and find reading a mumsnet thread is the best way to while away the time on a bus or train. However I must remeber to book mark threads or I remember a thread 2-3 weeks later and think 'I wonder what happened there?'

[73kittycat73]

Hello everyone, and welcome to the lurkers. I have been posting more recently. I originally joined as I wanted to take part in the Christmas section.

[Rationalcat]

*@EagleVisionSquirrelWork'

Absolutely best advice Ive seen.

[sheepysheep]

I’m a lurker of five years but I’ve recently started getting brave and posting more :-)

[BrynTirion]

Hello there, long time lurker here, love the gardening, chicken keeping and food threads best, plus keeping an eye on UK travel for holiday ideas

[lillypopdaisyduke]

I pop on when I can to read the threads, and occasionally comment on my best advise - happy to be a lurker

[LadyMonicaBaddingham]

Love lurking!

[Forkinghell]

Hello
Been lurking for 4 years, love a good parking thread and cf stories :)

[totallynotchanging]

Hello! Been on MN for a good ten years, with a few name changes, just for fun. Sometimes I post. Sometimes I just like to read. MN is great - never found anything else quite like it.

[GloGirl]

I'm not a lurker, I've always been what you would call gobby

But hello to newbs and quiet olds! It's a great place to hang out, it's difficult to get the hang of it sometimes as digital car crashes unfold from seemingly no where but that's just the ebb and flow of the site and it moves pretty quick. Jump in! Get started.

The nice thing is everyone name changes here quite a bit so most newbies are treated as oldies anyway!

[frankie001]

I am a semi lurker. Try and input helpfully where I can, and have never had a post deleted 😇. Just get involved even if it’s just voting on the Aibu threads as voting is anonymous. Have always had helpful advice when needed. PS @YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet I really want a mn mug! They sound perfect for a cuppa (or gin)

[LostInTransportation]

I am a semi lurker! Occasionally I come out to get involved in topics I’m really interested/passionate about, but then I hide away again and read 40 page threads quietly to myself.

So hello to regulars, full time lurkers and semi-lurkers like me

waves

[Dilbertian]

When I was a newbie there were some boards I just didn't dare post on! I lurked and lurked and lurked. But a couple of hundred posts in, and you begin to feel at home, and suddenly those daunting posters just feel like people you know.

[Freshstart40]

Hello.... I was a lurker but no more! I'm a huge fan of MN, the good, bad and ugly.

Don't lurk, post! But head for the more friendlier boards at first if in doubt. I can recommend the Style and Beauty board. Great fun.

PS MNHQ Pleaseeee can I have a mug

[toffeeghirlinatwirl]

Been on here for about 4 years. Lurked until taking the plunge early last year by commenting on a thread then retreated for a long time afterwards again! I check in more regularly now, after downloading the app, and comment on a few threads. I've thought about starting a thread but tbh, I'm terrifiedand suffer in silence instead. Usually, my problem blows over anyhow. I also don't know how to NC and some of my stuff is too outing.

[RandomUsers]

Been lurking for about 5 years now, but regularly post on the comp pages.
I also type replies to threads and delete them. Not brave enough to dip my feet in

[camperjam]

I've been lurking for years but have only started 1 post in that time. Occasionally reply to threads.
Mainly read AIBU and Relationship topics

[RagnarorBjorn]

I read a few threads everyday, but very rarely post and I've never started a post.