An online community is a place where people with similar goals or interests interact, actively or in more passive ways, by connecting electronically and observing and/or exchanging information in a non-colocated manner. Such a community can exist wherever there is a means of communication that allows information to be shared and stored. Its forms can range from something public and visible like a collection of wikis to something private and discreet like an "invite only" message board. After considering several theories and concepts related to online communities, I have concluded that three main participation behaviors best describe my personal social media activity. These behaviors include (1) lurking, (2) engaging, and (3) posting. I consider my personal online activity to be consistent and contextually located within these three sets of behaviors, however, I believe that due to laypeople's misinformed perception of these behaviors, I must provide elaboration. Since my behaviors in online communities differ from those that make up the basic stereotype, it is likely that the same is true for other participants. I suggest, therefore, that these differences or deviations from publicly held stereotypes actually constitute the behavioral clusters listed above; and I offer here anecdotal evidence gained from my experience with social media to support the idea that such elaboration regarding the types of behavior listed is appropriate. To begin, I will further define and explain lurking behavior. Lurking is defined as the practice of reading content or discussions online without actually taking part in the interaction. It's seen, then, as a one-off take on the commitment or publication... middle of the paper... turned it into a blog all about graphic design and the theories behind what makes it great and beautiful. they work. So lurkers hide, engagers engage, and publishers publish, right? Actually no, this statement is completely inaccurate and baseless. As I hope you have seen from my examples and explanations of each behavior, this is far from the truth. Just because someone eats a salad doesn't mean they are vegan. However, this is exactly how participation in online communities is framed: if you indulge in a behavior, then that is you. How much further from the truth can reality be? Each behavior is an integral part of the learning process through online communities. Lurking, engagement and publishing have a very important relationship with each other, and knowing how to make the most of them can do much more than you might think.