Hi! Lay-lurker here, I was just recently considering posting some questions in the next open thread and made an account then. We'll see how that goes, but it's nice to see this welcoming attitude!
However, a concern I have about more people being more active, and a reason I haven't signed up before, is that if more laypeople like myself begin to vote up things regularly, they will necessarily be posts that we both like and understand. If we don't understand something, it doesn't get upvoted with equal footing as posts we don't necessarily understand but may be of equal or greater value. Is there a comprehensive thread/discussion about the pros/cons of a greater user base here?
Some research says that lurkers make up over 90% of online groups. I suspect that Less Wrong has an even higher percentage of lurkers than other online communities.
Please post a comment in this thread saying "Hi." You can say more if you want, but just posting "Hi" is good for a guaranteed free point of karma.
Also see the introduction thread.