Should Journalists 'Lurk' Online?

I read the article with interest, but fail to see how lurking in a chat room differs in any way from traditional newsgathering methods used everywhere in the real world. If we are looking for information about any topic, and enter a bar, club, any place where people gather, we don;t announce ourselves as journalists as we enter the door. We listen, get a feel of the place and actually reveal our identities only to the people we intend to interview or otherwise use as a source. Announcing oneself as a journalist before you have had a chance to connect with anyone specific or build trust/reputation would mean instant ostracisation.
Besides other people in chat rooms do not announce their professions as they enter. I think the only sensible and necessary rules would be exactly the same rules as ethical journalists follow in real-life situations:
Never quote anyone without their express permission,
Never alter anything they said,
Never use a quote out of context without framing that context appropriately.
If everyone followed these simple and frankly plain good-manners rules in real life as well as in cyberspace, the reputation of journalists would be a lot less damaged than it is today.

Lurking...hmm. Sure why not? I mean journalists are entitled to freedom right? And really, how is it wrong? What people say can be used against them even if its not a journalist reading it, so why should the journalist feel the need to identify themselves? The majority of people in chat rooms are not who they say they are anyways, so why would journalists have to say so? Perhaps because it would be sneaky? Hey people, listen up. Anyone can find out what you say, so if you don't want it heard, don't say it.