Again, I disagree with the premise that likes =/= participating. People all participate in their own way, and as long is it doesn’t harm anyone, why shouldn’t likes be one way to participate?
As much as I like this place, I will never understand that there are people who prefer potted meat over Vikings, or people who prefer pretty much anything to naked girls on mountains.
Why do you believe that likes constitute meaningful participation? What, precisely, do you think they bring to the table? Does that still hold in the context of people who are otherwise lurking and thus would have no name recognition? How about in the format Discourse provides where unless you have notifications turned on they’re a small incrementing number in one corner of a post, never to be seen again the moment you’ve scrolled past that post, and not displaying anyone’s name in association with that like unless you expand the counter?
That said, if I believed likes had no negative effect I would be okay with having them because even though I don’t think they matter in any sort of significant way, a marginal positive would still be sufficient. Problem is, I do think they have negative effects, and for me that’s more than sufficient to outweigh that very marginal value.
Nesrie
1674
So you don’t understand… some, many women?
The potted meat is a wash because we never did get to find out what we get to do to/with Vikings.
habibi
1675
I’m curious for the on going debates on this matter. Did we see less engagement when Likes was turned off last month? I thought it was pretty fun to have an alternative as compare to nodding my head in agreement (when the post does not warrant a written response). More options is more power to people, isn’t it?
I didn’t really notice much use of likes outside this thread at all. But as I’ve said previously, I don’t think a month is long enough for any sort of noticeable cultural shift, and it’s definitely not long enough for people’s habits to change.
Let’s not be coy, you and I. It’s wonderful that there are women around this cranky old men’s club but if there’s more than a handful of you actively participating I’d be shocked.
As far as what you were going to do with Vikings – does it matter? Vikings.
habibi
1678
I am guilty of using Likes in many other threads here. I think Likes let me have a way of responding to something, even though I doubt the poster of the post I liked would notice. It doesn’t matter, as it’s a form of self gratification, I guess.
Yes, you believe that likes will have a negative effect. I believe that they won’t, nor have I seen the last 30 days as a indication of anything malicious happening, nor have I seen the forum worse for it. In fact we have seen several older forum members mention that they appreciated the positive feedback, and encouraged them to post more. Which seems to be the participation that you deem valuable. So, ‘like’ can encourage more posting.
Which is why I believe likes constitute meaningful participation, because it encourages others to post more, and that in turn encourages more likes, which encourages more posts, and you have a virtuous circle that grows the forum both in numbers and in meaningful posts.
And heck, likes are a gateway drug to real interaction. You see people lurking, and then liking, and then finally posting and contributing not just their opinions, but to the general debate.
Could it use tweaking. Maybe, but right now, let’s start with something we have. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Nesrie
1680
Oh you don’t have to convince me that there are few of us around here. I can recall three and one of this is no longer here.
As for Vikings, but is it like the Ragnar Lodbrok and Rollo vikings, you know one of the best shows on TV right now or one of those silly sports team Vikings that are so much less special. In the case of the latter, Musubi might actually win out.
I think anyone that claims to understand anything about either sex is heading down a path of regrets. Generalization is fun and stuff, but it should not be confused with true understanding. We just have to accept each other.
I have not seen people transition from liking to posting, no, here or anywhere else. I have seen a couple of people that I was already interacting with say that positive feedback encouraged them to post more. That’s great. I just think it would be better to be mindful of the importance of positive interaction in encouraging people to interact, and then provide it in the form of, y’know, words.
Nesrie
1683
I think you read way too much into my response about the preferences of others over naked women on mountains.
That’s just art, and we should all just appreciate it.
Unkle Hulka, as always, is my spirit animal.
I can’t tell whether you’re clueless or being a dick. Although there’s no reason it can’t be both!
-Tom
Neither. I truly want if using the like function was a fair substitute for what you wanted to post. Why you made that call.
All I’m saying is: I saw posts I would normally make a point to reply to express my appreciation. I instead clicked like. Likes can be a substitute for articulating appreciation. I don’t think there’s anyone in this thread who disagrees.
-Tom
I don’t disagree with that, no, but I do have the same basic question legowarrior expressed. If you had pondered writing out a post to put some thought across, whatever it may have been, but then changed your mind and decided to post a like - then have you not made a value judgment there that the heart put your thoughts across better than whatever you had planned to post? And if that’s the case, then did you really give anything up by declining to post it?
True, but I @malkav11 argues that it is like function use that will lead to ruin in the long term, that it might reduce the number of posts. I’m honestly curious if you felt that the thread was lessened because you clicked the like button instead of posting your appreciate.
My contention is that posts have no intrinsic value, and that posting a lot or a little has no bearing except the quality of the posts (which some may argue, mine surely lack). With that point of view, replacing low quality posts (again, mine are a perfect example, some might argue) with the like function is not a net loss. The fact that it reduces clutter might be seen as a net positive. The fact that more people would use the like function then post anything at all is a further net positive to my mind.
Again though, that is the point of view that post themselves aren’t the key, but quality post are the key, and anything that can increase the ratio of high quality posts to regular posts is a useful feature.
@divedivedive really said it best, and without being verbose.
