Degrading JBoard to Facebook Status

[alietr]

I was surprised that people didn't like the idea, so before I look into it further, I'll ask, would you be interested in having a 'like' button for posts à la Facebook (assuming, of course, that I can implement it)?

[Bamaman]

I'm on the fence with this. I am on other boards that have it and there don't seem to be any problems. Would you have a dislike button as well?

[opusthepenguin]

I was surprised that people didn't like the idea, so before I look into it further, I'll ask, would you be interested in having a 'like' button for posts à la Facebook (assuming, of course, that I can implement it)?

I don't want to vote until I've read some discussion here. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

My own first reaction is no. That may just come from cussedness and insecurity. But it may also come from a barely conscious mental rut I get in when I consider the question. If I were to give voice to that mental rut (which, like a dream, needs to be distorted by having some logic imposed before I can even talk about it), it would go something like this:

A "Like" button is not a fine-grained enough tool. For starters, there's no "Dislike" button, to say nothing of a "Meh" button. Not that I really want to see a "Dislike" button and the petty, low-level sniping that could engender. Anyway, what does it mean to "Like" something? I would want to use the button in a communicative way, according to group consensus about its meaning. Is there a group consensus? Should there be? If so, what is it or what should it be? If not, what can it possibly mean that I click the button? Do most people assume "Like" means "Agree" when a "Like"d post has propositional content? I want to be able to "Like" a post I don't agree with if it makes its point well or presents a viewpoint I feel should be considered. But if that's not what "Like" means to other people, then I haven't really succeeded in communicating, now have I? You know what? Screw it. I'll just TYPE a response.

[bpmod]

I was surprised that people didn't like the idea, so before I look into it further, I'll ask, would you be interested in having a 'like' button for posts à la Facebook (assuming, of course, that I can implement it)?

I don't want to vote until I've read some discussion here. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

My own first reaction is no. That may just come from cussedness and insecurity. But it may also come from a barely conscious mental rut I get in when I consider the question. If I were to give voice to that mental rut (which, like a dream, needs to be distorted by having some logic imposed before I can even talk about it), it would go something like this:

A "Like" button is not a fine-grained enough tool. For starters, there's no "Dislike" button, to say nothing of a "Meh" button. Not that I really want to see a "Dislike" button and the petty, low-level sniping that could engender. Anyway, what does it mean to "Like" something? I would want to use the button in a communicative way, according to group consensus about its meaning. Is there a group consensus? Should there be? If so, what is it or what should it be? If not, what can it possibly mean that I click the button? Do most people assume "Like" means "Agree" when a "Like"d post has propositional content? I want to be able to "Like" a post I don't agree with if it makes its point well or presents a viewpoint I feel should be considered. But if that's not what "Like" means to other people, then I haven't really succeeded in communicating, now have I? You know what? Screw it. I'll just TYPE a response.

LIKE!

Brian

[dhkendall]

Originally, I was all for this. But in the thread that first brought up the idea, an excellent point was made, namely we come here because this *isnt* Facebook. We don't have people posting here that Obamacare causes autism in children. I love coming here for erudite discussion, and "here, we use our words." We have a higher calibre of discussion on the board and mindlessly clicking a button in agreement is antithecal to our board culture.

Even the times that we do merely click a button to express our opinion, like in Mark's poll, we often expound on it in comments, even though we don't need to, but because we like to start intelligent discussions about things.

Or, that was what I took away from it anyways.

[Vanya]

I was surprised that people didn't like the idea, so before I look into it further, I'll ask, would you be interested in having a 'like' button for posts à la Facebook (assuming, of course, that I can implement it)?

I don't want to vote until I've read some discussion here. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

My own first reaction is no. That may just come from cussedness and insecurity. But it may also come from a barely conscious mental rut I get in when I consider the question. If I were to give voice to that mental rut (which, like a dream, needs to be distorted by having some logic imposed before I can even talk about it), it would go something like this:

A "Like" button is not a fine-grained enough tool. For starters, there's no "Dislike" button, to say nothing of a "Meh" button. Not that I really want to see a "Dislike" button and the petty, low-level sniping that could engender. Anyway, what does it mean to "Like" something? I would want to use the button in a communicative way, according to group consensus about its meaning. Is there a group consensus? Should there be? If so, what is it or what should it be? If not, what can it possibly mean that I click the button? Do most people assume "Like" means "Agree" when a "Like"d post has propositional content? I want to be able to "Like" a post I don't agree with if it makes its point well or presents a viewpoint I feel should be considered. But if that's not what "Like" means to other people, then I haven't really succeeded in communicating, now have I? You know what? Screw it. I'll just TYPE a response.

Like.

[immaf]

I voted no because it's not something I really care about. On Facebook, I rarely bother "liking" anything, nor do I particularly care if my posts are "liked". Frequently, people use the "like" button as a way of say "Yes, I've seen this". Does it really matter?

[bpmod]

I wholeheartedly agree with David here.

I am not nearly as eloquent as 90% of the most frequent posters. But I'll be damned if I make up for that lack of eloquence by clicking a button. No. I'll state in my own words what I think of things.

Brian

[dhkendall]

I voted no because it's not something I really care about. On Facebook, I rarely bother "liking" anything, nor do I particularly care if my posts are "liked". Frequently, people use the "like" button as a way of say "Yes, I've seen this". Does it really matter?

Or worse, people "like"ing their own posts. What is the point of that? (Thankfully, most of my Facebook friends are of the intelligent type (birds of a feather and all), but every once in a while, especially in groups I belong to with people I'd never "friend", I see the habitual "self-liker".

[Dr. J]

But how else will I know that you guys "like" me, you really "like" me?

With all apologies to Sally Field, make us use our typing skills and big-kid words.

[Vanya]

I voted no because it's not something I really care about. On Facebook, I rarely bother "liking" anything, nor do I particularly care if my posts are "liked". Frequently, people use the "like" button as a way of say "Yes, I've seen this". Does it really matter?

Facebook keeps track of your likes and uses them to tailor advertising to you. I trust that won't happen here.

[nserven]

A like button is for echoing sentiment. Your friend announces her new job on Facebook, cracks a joke, so you like it; it’s a way of saying “way to go” or “that’s funny” or just acknowledging it without having to type those things. It has a function there.

It doesn’t add anything to a forum for discussion. I would like to think we can feel confident enough in how we express ourselves without resorting to scorekeeping.

[Bamaman]

But how else will I know that you guys "like" me, you really "like" me?

With all apologies to Sally Field, make us use our typing skills and big-kid words.

I like you, Stephanie.

[Dr. J]

But how else will I know that you guys "like" me, you really "like" me?

With all apologies to Sally Field, make us use our typing skills and big-kid words.

I like you, Stephanie.

Thanks. Now where's my 2nd oscar?

[This Is Kirk!]

The purpose of a forum is discussion. A like button does not contribute to a discussion.

[Vanya]

The purpose of a forum is discussion. A like button does not contribute to a discussion.

Seems like it already has.

[econgator]

No

[boson]

On some other forums (Reddit for example, slashdot has a similar system) "upvoted" posts rise to the top of the heap and are seen by more people, downvoted posts disappear. These work well in forums with many thousands or millions of subscribers: posts that the majority find interesting are seen. Facebook's "like" button allows you to see who else agrees with the post, but does no further action based on the like/dislike status.

On jboard we have a small enough community that implementing a reddit-like promotion/demotion system for posts wouldn't help anyone very much.

Merely adding a "like" button might reduce the number of posts where people just echo a "me too", but other than that doesn't add much more functionality. Unlike the general opinion expressed above, a "like" button doesn't bother me, I just don't think that it is worth a lot of your time.

[OrangeSAM]

The purpose of a forum is discussion. A like button does not contribute to a discussion.

Seems like it already has.

And we're going on at length about a non-existent, theoretical button. How nerdy is that? LIKE! #jboardlikebutton

[Rex Kramer]

Well, I like the idea of a like button. There have been plenty of times when I have enjoyed the content or phrasing of someone's post but felt it would have been awkward to create a new separate post myself just to say "I like this", especially if I had nothing else to add to the line of thought. Say, a discussion that I catch up with a few days late, in a busy thread, when everyone has clearly moved on.

To me a like button provides some gradation in one's response. You can click "like" to let the writer know you merely appreciated or agreed with their post, and if it's particularly impressive, then you can follow up with a reply post and some specific praise.

And, as a writer, I would value that kind of feedback myself. I always writhe when I post something with the intent of being provocative or clever and there is no response. Does it mean I've overstepped the boundaries of taste or did people simply appreciate it without feeling the need to write a post in response? Like buttons help shape the discourse of thoughtful contributors.

Speaking for myself, I am certain that adding a like button would not deter me from posting a written response that I otherwise would have felt warranted; it would simply give me an opportunity to provide an additional level of feedback, not a substitute.

Rex