Perhaps I shouldn't be calling attention to this, but I've been thinking about starting this thread for a while now.
I've been coming to this site practically every day for 7 years now. It's crazy to think about, but true. I find myself saying things like "No, its true, I saw it on xixax" to my friends in the 'real world.' I get most of my news, and develop plenty of my opinions while reading xixax. And yet, I'm not what you would call a "regular" here. I've posted 300-something times in 7 years. I don't know if its because i'm intimidated or what...actually I definitely wouldn't chalk most of it it up to intimidation, maybe mostly laziness. But nonetheless I love this website.
Recently I've started to look at the "users online" section of the stats down at the bottom. I'd see users online I wasn't used to seeing around here, but then notice they've been registered here for at least 5 years. It got me wondering how many of us "lurkers" were out there. I'm calling you out, goddamit. Have you been coming here for years? Do you feel guilty for not contributing much to such a fantastic website?
Its a strange feeling because I feel like I'm part of a community, but not really. I can read reviews and articles written by posters here and feel like, to a certain degree, I know the writer's opinion quite well.
I guess I'm starting this topic for a couple reasons. One is that I want to call out the other lurkers. The other is that I feel guilty for how long I've been here without contributing as much as others. I'd like to start contributing, and formally thank the "regulars" who do so. This really is the finest forum I visit on the internet.