Is being interested in the lore really roleplaying, though? I think not. Discussing questions like "what direction is Sylvanas headed in" or "is Nozdormu the leader of the Infinite Dragonflight" isn't roleplaying, as there is no role to play when talking. Granted, discussions about what some of the implications are for your character is dipping into RP territory (pretty significantly, I might add), but the mere act of discussing the lore is not RP.

And "lore" is an anagram of "role", so...

Agreed, being into the lore doesn't make you a closet RPer.

However, I think if you start arguing about Garrosh as warchief, or why Varian Wrynn isn't fit to lead the Alliance, you're probably investing some portion of your character's viewpoint into it, putting yourself in their position and questioning why things are the way they are.

I rather thought that was the point of the article. How many people are RPing without even realizing?

I think everyone RPs to a point when playing a game. No one sees themselves as a person sitting in a chair pushing buttons. Even if you're playing the role of the jerk DPS who keeps spamming DPS charts and thinks they're awesome, chances are you don't go around work flashing your performance reports to everyone and telling them they suck. People act differently in game, like they do in real life for different situations. The exception, of course, is people living simple lives (which is okay, not saying these people are stupid) and are as genuine in real life as in game. But for the most part, people tend to play roles when they play a game, even if it's not tied to the game's lore or story.

Personally I feel it helps to give my characters story and personality, but I find that RP in WoW is too drama-driven, and that generally adventure is discouraged, which is what I would want. I've known only one person who could make adventure RP fun and he stopped playing, so for now I just RP for myself.