The "Like" Button on PuritanBoard

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Ryan&Amber2013

Puritan Board Senior
Just a thought for me to gain perspective:

What is the good and the bad for having the "like" button and other responsive icons to rate people's posts here? And not just in theory, but in reality, considering how they make you feel and may make others feel, etc.

Smash that "like" button if you like my post :p
 
Great question. The good is that you can quickly show support or react without having to add words which might not add much to the conversation.

The bad...I imagine you could think of lots of reasons.
In my observation it tends to turn into a voting scheme or encourage party spirit (I will like that guy because he's on my side on this issue, but won't like that person's even though he made great points, lest I look like I'm supporting his side). On controversial topics, it's almost funny how the distribution of likes from one team or the other looks.

Sometimes it can be ambiguous. What does the "sad" icon mean? Say you post an article with some commentary. Someone marks it "sad". Are they commenting that the article is sad? The state of the world is sad? Or they are just sad that you are so deluded as to believe what you do. A sort of Trump "sad"?

It's also not specific and applies to the whole post. I might think one phrase of your post really resonates so I'm going to like it. But I vehemently disagree with another part. What do I do? I find myself using the "informative" icon more than anything because I can find something informative without wholeheartedly agreeing with it or endorsing every word.
 
Shouldn't there be an "I" in front of "thank you" for it to make sense? Otherwise we're telling people to thank themselves :scratch:
 
I personally think the bad outweighs the good. I see it as too much of a temptation on the pride of man.
As someone that doesn't have any social media, I don't have an issue with the system here. I like the fact that I can quickly agree with someone without having to type out a message. Sometimes it can seem like we are 'beating a dead horse' if everyone repeats the same reply. The "like" system is a good option to allow interaction with the topic at hand without having to necessarily reply.

As for the "bad of the system", I personally am not tempted in any manner when someone agrees with or disagrees with me. I am not so sure that a system that is in place to agree or disagree with someone is a bad thing on a board that is supposed to be populated with confessing Christians. There are many things out there that we are tempted by daily. I don't think that someone liking my post is something that I will allow to overtake me with pride. But then again, I am not a social media type person either.
 
I've used the like button to mean agreement, like, thank you, etc. Mods and Admins dismissed the idea of a dislike button long ago. I'm glad for the better class of folks on PB who have not turned the laugh react into a put down react which is so common on Facebook it is disgusting.
 
In those 'tense' PB discussions I've always recalled old movie scenes of noisy Parliament members thumping their canes and gavels and yelling "hear hear" (PB version of "likes") at each other from across the aisle at various points being made. :)
 
I turned off notifications for that for myself. I learned from a very dear sister in Christ who had been on this board and is now at home with the Lord; she tried to give away as many "likes" as she could; she didn't get many herself (nor did she care).
 
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I've used the like button to mean agreement, like, thank you, etc.
It's also a good way to end a contentious debate. Acknowledge the other person's last response was seen and read, but not engaging with them further. I consider it a bit nicer than just ignoring them and going away.

At work it is used for 'seen and read'. Or 'seen, read, and will obey'.
 
I turned off notifications for that for myself. I learned from a very dear sister in Christ who had been on this board and is now at home with the Lord; she tried to give as many "likes" away as she could and had no care about getting them.
How is that done?
 
Good: When you're skimming through threads, a proliferation of "likes" on a single post is often a good indication that a particular post is noteworthy, interesting, well-stated, an effective summary, or otherwise worth reading.

Bad: Social-signaling, affirmation-hunting, etc. and all their attendant vices.
 
There are other unforeseen issues. I was using Tapatalk to access PB on my phone. When I'd scroll down, I'd often hit the like button accidentally, and then couldn't "unlike."

So you never know. Maybe I didn't like a particular comment. Maybe my fingers are too big.
 
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