How important are likes for you?

[TomKittel]

Although I love this great forum very much, I am considering to stop posting and to read only in the future. After 700 posts I received two likes. That does not exactly show that my contributions are of interest to anyone. On the other hand, if everyone felt this way, any forum would be dead. Am I being too sensitive with regards to likes?

[mcgoo]

. Am I being too sensitive with regards to likes?

 

Yes.

[mauriziodececco]

This is not facebook, and for most of the people here 'likes' are something exotic and new.

I do not think this forum has a whole has a like culture

 

Maurizio

[Morrissey]

Hi Tom,

The "like" feature has only been on the forum for a couple years. I think it is used differently and less consistently on this forum than on other social media platforms.

 

Personally, in part because it requires two clicks and a page redirect to "like" a post here, which is less convenient than "liking" something on, say, Twitter, I "like" fewer posts here than may be norms on other platforms. In other words, the bar to "like" a post here is higher for me than elsewhere. For me, the indicator that posts are valuable is engagement via responses to the thread by other members. The "likes" are more equivalent to "loves" on other social media sites. Also, I am usually motivated to like something here when the post reflects extraordinary effort, such as posting many photos about a build project or an extensive product review.

[KuruPrionz]

I have some likes, after I post this I can see how many. I don't know at the moment and I don't care. It isn't the point of being on here.

I've met some great people, read many interesting posts, made a few friends and had some fun.

 

As posted above, this is not Facebook. Good, because I don't like Facebook and haven't been on there in years.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

As other people have mentioned, the whole 'like' thing is actually kind of a pain in the ass to use. It"s easier to reply to a message or to simply nod and be glad you read it than to actually go through the hassle of liking it.

 

I would join others in recommending that you not judge this community based on the number of likes you get. Instead, focus on the quality of the discourse, both given and received. We"re glad you are here.

 

Best regards,

 

mike

[Stokely]

I've never, ever given a "like" on work slack or a forum (and I've kicked the facecrack habit for 3 years now). Just goes against my grain to use those dumb things; it represents something I really dislike about modern society, which is social media in general (other than certain moderated forums), so I just don't do it. If I like something I'll say so, if I dislike something I may say so too

[Dave Bryce]

As other people have mentioned, the whole 'like' thing is actually kind of a pain in the ass to use. It"s easier to reply to a message or to simply nod and be glad you read it than to actually go through the hassle of liking it.

 

I would join others in recommending that you not judge this community based on the number of likes you get. Instead, focus on the quality of the discourse, both given and received. We"re glad you are here.

 

dB

[Doerfler]

. Am I being too sensitive with regards to likes?

 

Yes.

 

[nursers]

[ABECK]

I've been a member for 20 years and didn't even know the like feature was added. Soooooo - not very important.

[Konnector]

I couldn't care less about likes....or dislikes for that matter.

[Delaware Dave]

. Am I being too sensitive with regards to likes?

 

Yes.

 

Yes.

 

Could care less. I had reported an issue with a broken piece of equipment, and my post got a like. What's that supposed to mean, they liked that my equipment broke? Useless.

 

OT: I use Waze and I'll get the goofy 'points reward'. Why does everything in the world have to be a competition? Who cares about earning points on Waze?

[Al Quinn]

Until reading this thread I didn"t know if the number of Likes listed by my name indicated people Liking a post of mine or me Liking a post of someone else"s. I guess if Likes were important to me I would have already known this.

[Mighty Motif Max]

One thing to remember is that the likes feature was added fairly recently, and so you wouldn't have gotten likes on most of your posts here since that feature didn't exist anyways. I think it's kind of silly to have it since that means that some of our most helpful, knowledgeable members who have been around for over a decade or more have very few likes, because then some people might think they lack credibility.

[timwat]

Yes, I agree with the others - I don't often pay attention to the feature here, because of several factors:

 

1) it's so new, I figure most long-timers aren't used to using it

2) the way this forum goes, most of the posts to a thread are really useful and there's very little noise in our signal-to-noise ratio. So most posts are "like" able.

3) cause I have to know this stuff for my day job, I'm not a big fan of "like" culture in online media (I was going to say social media, but this forum predates that). "Likes" in online tribes leads to bad habits, bad conditioning, dopamine addiction and fractured social communication. So I try not to make a "habit" of liking posts here on this forum. But I don't always succeed LOL

4) I think your posts and contributions here are very useful, Tom. Don't take the lack of "likes" here to mean anything personal. It's not personal, Sonny, it's just business. (I don't think that movie quote works here.

 

Tim

[Bill H.]

I like the like because it allows me to show approval for someone's video of their band or pic of their setup - without clogging the thread up with the video quote and a thumbs up or something. So I'd like to keep it around.

 

Like many, I wasn't aware of it's existence for a long time, or even how it worked - thinking the likes were for that specific post and not cumulative. So I was scratching my head for awhile - wondering someone's offhanded response could have generated dozens of likes.

[Old No7]

Although I love this great forum very much, I am considering to stop posting and to read only in the future. After 700 posts I received two likes. That does not exactly show that my contributions are of interest to anyone. On the other hand, if everyone felt this way, any forum would be dead. Am I being too sensitive with regards to likes?

Like others, I'd worry less about the "likes" and look at the number of views, or especially of replies -- 2 to 20 or each? (That tells you the level of interest, or not) -- or whether the post comes back after a few weeks or months (years?) because it was found and deemed to be relevant yet again.

 

I think it also depends on whether 90% of your posts were replies -- versus starting new topics. I think it's more likely to get a "like" on a new topic than a reply (just my gut sense). Posts with good pictures of popular boards tend to generate more "likes" too. (Think vintage "Hammond"...)

 

There's another forum I am on where the "Posting Leader" (who is way TOO PROUD of that status) only "earned" that title by responding to each and every post with 1- to 3-word responses. Yeah, "Great input -- thanks for your contributions -- NOT!".

 

I'd say KEEP POSTING please.

 

Old No7

[drawback]

I like the like because it allows me to show approval for someone's video of their band or pic of their setup - without clogging the thread up with the video quote and a thumbs up or something. So I'd like to keep it around. .

 

I do, too.

 

If I'm an OP, I use 'like' to let posters know that I'm paying attention and appreciate their posts in my thread. I get slightly miffed when someone starts a thread and disappears, so liking someone's contribution seems the best option to say "I'm here, I listen, I apprecate what you have to say."

 

What's not to like?

[KenElevenShadows]

I think the forum has been a place of interaction rather than "likes". That's been the culture behind it. The "likes" thing seems to be more of a social media thing (IG, FB, etc.). I would think you would be more interested in engagement and interaction, something like what you've got going on in this thread, no?

[RABid]

I've been here 20 years and am closing in on 14,000 posts. For 19 years this forum did not have likes. I'm too old to start paying attention to them now. I just threw you a like, but it was more of a pat on the back. I've done maybe 10 likes since it started, and honestly don't remember any of the posts. Oh, and for my 13,750 posts I have 99 likes. Not a big ratio at all. I notice only DB has a lot of likes, over 500. I'm guessing there is a moderator tool that lets you adjust the number.

[Docbop]

Am I being too sensitive with regards to likes?

 

I think you're reading too much into the Likes. I use the sometimes just as a way of supporting a post instead of making another post to just say "+1" or "ditto". My posting on internet attitude since retiring is I say what I want and move on, I try not reply, but I do.

[Adan]

People get likes for stuff like happy birthday greetings. That's all well and good but let's not confuse that with actual contribution to the cumulative wisdom of the group.

[ChiefDanG]

Not important at all. Doesn"t matter how many I have, nor how many others have.

It helps that the very few jerks that show up, don"t last long. Instead of 'liking' hundreds of non-jerks ( can"t dislike anybody ) I just don"t like anybody.

 

(That sounds weird now that I read it)

[vonnor]

What are "Likes?"

 

 

notice the wink ^^^

 

~ vonnor

[El Lobo]

Pay no attention to the likes

[Floyd Tatum]

I, like, like those who don't like the like. I'll repeat what others have said, because it deserves repeating - this ain't faceBook and thank goodness for that. Social media sites are addictive by design (the designers have admitted this). They have done nothing but make people more angry, more divided, and more mob-like, in my humble opinion. They are bad for society, bad for individuals, and should be avoided.

 

If I answer someone's post, that shows that I like it - I think that's enough "liking" for Keyboard Corner. I personally don't give a rat's how many likes I get. I believe I have zero, and that's fine with me.

 

Can I get a G__D___ like, people!!!????? Can I get a witness?

 

I'm kidding, please don't. Really.

[DJkeys]

Completely and utterly non-important.

 

-dj

[eric]

I've been here nearly 20 years and only recently stumbled upon this fairly new feature within the past few months. I think I noticed someone had "liked" a post of mine and I was like, "hmm, what is that?" Then I tried it, realized it is not very user friendly, so I think I liked one or two things in the moment as a test and completely forgot about it.

[CowboyNQ]

Agree with the gang here. The way the culture of this forum is, not getting a like is not synonymous with 'your post has no value'.

 

This being said, I actually quite like the 'like' function as I"m not a great believer in backing the truck over someone else"s opinion if I 100% agree but have nothing further to add. Therefore I will 'like' a post to quickly show I"m of identical mind.

 

I also use it if I"m really impressed with a piece of work someone has shared (theirs or someone else"s).

 

In other words, likes can be a good way for the time poor to give a tip o" the hat.

 

However in answer to the question ultimately posed by OP: Yes reading way too much into it, IMO.