How important do you think likes are?

Over on our so-called sister site they're using VBulletin, which tracks not only likes received but also likes given. Some members of this forum are, well, more generous than others in their dispensation of likes. Not sure how that would factor into how I actually viewed someone or not, but it would certainly have an effect on the dynamics here.

 

I suppose that is not a moderator comment but a "random dude in a board has an opinion" -type comment so that I do not have a duty to answer it?

 

I give a 'Like' when I agree with a post. I may or may not have something further to say in the thread, which would mean I reply or not. If I don't write a reply, I feel like my opinion has been expressed in the thread as a whole. I'm not a vocal person, so I only reply if I feel like I have something new to say that's missing in that particular thread.

That said, I tend to give more 'Likes' when I notice that a particular member is new. That's because I think that 'Likes' can make someone comfortable, like 'Hey, someone listens to what I say!' and new members are more prone to feel excluded.

My own 'Likes'... well I don't pay too much attention to them. But I do notice who often/sometimes/never gives me 'Likes'; rather as if going out to a social event and then finding that this person over in that corner also loves classical music. It might give you a conversation starter and later on, maybe a friend. And yes, it's a bias, but it's one I am conscious of. I also know that there are people who as a rule only ever give very few 'Likes' (like the admins) or who simply dislike using 'Likes' .

 

I'm a Liker! Like, I see what I Like, and I Like, just Like it.
It's Like, Hey, be a Liker not Like, a Like hater.

(I wonder how many Likes I've clicked)

 

I can't help myself—I Like almost everything Some Guy says even when I can't understand it.

 

I use likes for multiple reasons. Sometimes, I'm just interested in the comment, sometimes I'm laughing my head off, sometimes I'm showing solidarity with another, sometimes I'm being thankful, sometimes I appreciate the workings of their mind.

 

Although - and I realize this is a rather rando aberration - I have seen forums directed at the interests of edgelords and their allies where the negative rep is viewed as positive rep. A bazillion years ago there was a forum that gave us a spot of bother for a few months that was called something like igotbanned.dildobags and I popped into their little tidepool of Barbarella Matmos, and that was the case.

 

Hah! I remember the Matmos. I also remember that zero-G striptease at the beginning of the movie. And the shag carpeting all over inside her spaceship. Groovy, baby!

 

Great film. Everyone's eyes on Babs or Pygar; I had eyes only for Mark Hand (Ugo Tognazzi). Shades of things to come...

 

For a moment I thought that was the illimitable Duran Duran, but I see it's the Catchman in his fur suit (both the exterior one and the permanent one underneath). Yeah, the guy's pretty studly in that 60's Italian way. Are you saying you look like him?

I didn't realize until this thread made me start watching it again that Barbarella was the original template for—was it Missionary Man, with Stallone and Sandra Bullock? They lived in a Future Utopia with no Murder/Death/Kill until they thawed out Dennis Rodman and Stallone to show them what real men are and to show Sandra what real sex is. I do love some of those 60's flicks, especially the Italian ones.

... And yeah, Likes are pretty cool too (sorry to veer so far off topic).

 

1960's Missionary?

LOL upon LOL!

 

It was Wesley Snipes, not Rodman. And it was Demonlition Man.

 

D'Oh!!

 

I was talking about Barbarella.

 

LOL!!

 

OMG Barbarella! Jane Fonda workout!

 

But you gave me a few, and I doubt I said anything intelligent. [obviously fishing for another "like"]

 

Oh, okay. Bait taken.

 

I feel like they have different vibes on different sites. On here I use them mainly because I liked what someone said or wrote (in the critique section) or maybe someone has tagged me or answered me in a dialogue and I've used it to let them know I read their comment.

On another site I frequent I feel like they're used to bolster certain viewpoints and squeeze out opposing viewpoints, steering the discussions down very lets-all-pat-each-other-on-the-backs conclusions making it very cliquey and almost obnoxious.

 

I was thinking about how I use 'likes' here.

When I receive a 'like', I know that person has seen what I wrote. It's not important to give out tons of 'likes' in an overall discussion, like this one, but I think it's important when it's a more focused (and maybe more personal) discussion. (Such as a Workshop critique.)

I'm fairly generous with 'likes,' although I wouldn't give a 'like' to something I really detested, just because I'd read it. But I hope when people get a 'like' from me, I hope their reaction is, 'jannert saw this one!'

I often find myself giving 'likes' when I'm participating in a discussion. I've had people assume that the 'like' meant I agreed with their view. Not always ...usually, but not always. It does always mean that I agree with the way they expressed their view, though. I would never give a 'like' to something rude or unpleasant.

I would actually be a lot happier if 'like' was changed to 'read.' That's a more neutral way to say, 'I've seen what you wrote.' But hey....

 

I like to believe that 'likes' don't matter, but if that is true then why do I work so hard to edit my posts and replies? It's because I trust the folks on here to read my comment and take a short time to consider my point of view. I am pretty robust and can take alternate views but if someone just plain agrees, a like will do just fine.