de-lurk for japan

I always seem to miss the national de-lurking day, the day when all the people who read blogs anonymously—silently—are asked to post a comment and say, hey, I’m here, reading.

I actually don’t really like the term “lurker” because it conjures up a number of sinister images in my mind: someone crouched in the bushes outside my house; someone peering around a tree, clad entirely in camouflage. Creepy, right? But a lurker is really anyone who reads a blog regularly without commenting. (And of course there is nothing wrong with that. But as a blogger, it IS nice to know who your readers are.)

So every year, I end up hosting my own Mother Words de-lurking day whenever it fits into the schedule. Or rather, when there is some disaster in the world that has affected thousands (millions) of people, and I feel the urge to raise money.

Last year, I hosted a de-lurk for Haiti. This year, I’m hosting a de-lurk for Japan. I’ve spent the last days scrolling through stories at nytimes.com, feeling sick to my stomach for all the loss, the devastation, the incredible fear and not-knowing that the Japanese people are living with right now.  

I can’t do much to help. But I can do a little. Please leave a comment and tell me little something about yourself. I want to meet you! And for every comment left by a reader who has never commented here before, I will make a donation to the Red Cross to help support their important work in Japan. 

Please de-lurk for Japan!