Wouldn't a "Like" button improve the forum

[Bobskink]

...A "like" button can also discourage off-topic posting. Suppose someone makes a witty response to another post that makes you laugh. You don't want to derail the original topic of discussion by posting just to say "Great joke" or "LOL". A "like" button allows you to express approval of posts without the meta-conversation detracting from the main conversation...

Another point I was trying to make, (but found to hard to explain without typping multiple gramatical and spelling mistakes)

Agreed. I't will be very disappointing and discouraging for builders who will not get a lot of likes. And I think a big part of this forum is encouraging people to build (and help to improve).

You're the first non-englisch person who is against. My point is that this is an international forum, not everybody is as good with the language used over here, English. A like button is like a smiley, everybody understands it.

I just think it's somekind of natural internet evolution, maybe we could get a step further than Facebook and other and also have an "I don't agree" button.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Bobskink

[Peppermint_M]

It isn't that hard or harmful to make a post saying "I like your MOC because:-----" or any sight of a room for improvement. Places with "likes" are not geared towards discussion so much as shallow adding of approval.

While I agree that deeper or more estoric points are harder to share when the main language of the forum is not your own, the sort of surface touching that a "like" button would allow would not help with it. Even broken english can be used to approve of a MOC and what you like about it and be much more valuable than a tally or list with (possibly) a username attatched.

[RaincloudDustbin]

Almost everyone on here is mature enough to use the button responsibly so what's the harm of a BETA test if you like?

[Bobskink]

I got another argument :)

What about the people doing revieuws. They should deffenaitly have a "excellent revieuw" button.

[Grimmbeard]

maybe we could get a step further than Facebook and other and also have an "I don't agree" button.

I don't like that idea. It would just foster more trolling. If a person doesn't like something they could just explain why.

[Captain Green Hair]

NO, the whole point of a forum is to discuss things. What would be next, a big dislike button?

[Vindicare]

Almost everyone on here is mature enough to use the button responsibly so what's the harm of a BETA test if you like?

Like.

I don't see why everyone is "afraid"(I know...not really) of a like button. The other forum I frequent that has this(RC car forum) has had it for awhile now and the discussions aren't any different then they were before. I don't think there would be an issue here, either.

[Lordofdragonss]

I like this idea as long we will make Don't like button too.

[Big Cam]

I think many people are not reading the original thread from 2011. Captain Red Hat nailed it on the head, a forum is meant for discussion, not nameless likes.

[Capt. Stabbin]

I personally am anti-facebook. We are a unique place and do not need to imitate what other forums or websites do. In a couple of years the facebook fad will be over, going to the wayside like Myspace, we would look pretty lame then.

[Bobskink]

Facebook is really taboo it seems. Luckly there aren't any other symilarities at all ;)

Anyway, seems that democracy has chosen against a "Like" button for now.

[Jipay]

Facebook isn't a taboo. You can share a thread via the like buttons at the bottom of the page. This also works for the frontpage, so you can share news and discussions on facebook in order to promote them.

[Aanchir]

It isn't that hard or harmful to make a post saying "I like your MOC because:-----" or any sight of a room for improvement. Places with "likes" are not geared towards discussion so much as shallow adding of approval.

This is the kind of opinion I dislike. There's no reason "generic approval" and "in-depth discussion" have to be an "either/or". Outside the Internet, there's certainly room for both things. Why should a website be any different?

I think it's silly people think a "like" button would turn the site into a contentless Facebook clone. Even more bizarre since I HAVE had plenty of thoughtful conversations on Facebook, and a like button has done nothing to prevent that. If the people you know on Facebook don't use it for meaningful discussion, that's hardly the fault of the website. It's just the nature of the people in question, or perhaps the fact that there's literally nothing worth discussing about the topics in question (a picture of a cute kitten or an image macro with a funny caption hardly demands in-depth discussion, after all). Another site I use which has a frequently-used "like" button is the Brickset forum, and there are still dozens of long, thoughtful posts added every day. In fact, the Brickset forum has a lot of lengthy discussion topics I don't even have the time or patience to keep up with.

[RaincloudDustbin]

If the like button didn't count as a post, there would be discouragement to use it all the time so perhaps that would work. Aanchir's post was a good explanation of why a like button doesn't turn this into a Facebook clone.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

I like the idea of a 'Like' button

I have used forums for more than 10 years, post counts mean nothing to me

but I am a new AFOL, so I have not much advice to give to seasoned MOC builders

I see lots of MOCs I like, but never post in the thread as I have nothing to add other than I like the model

A 'LIKE' button I could show my appreciation without spamming the forum

[Leo604]

I like the idea of a 'Like' button

I have used forums for more than 10 years, post counts mean nothing to me

but I am a new AFOL, so I have not much advice to give to seasoned MOC builders

I see lots of MOCs I like, but never post in the thread as I have nothing to add other than I like the model

A 'LIKE' button I could show my appreciation without spamming the forum

I wouldn't exactly call posting a reply to someone's MOC thread 'spamming'; if anything it has more meaning for the approval to be in words than through a simple 1up.

[Oky]

I think I'm in the same camp as people like Cornelius and Big Cam here. I find Likes to be rather meaningless as people will "like" pretty much anything nowadays, and I always prefer an actual comment over a Like any day, no matter how short it may be.

For example, many people on Flickr seem to be using the Favorite button as a Like button whereas I actually use it to mark my absolute favorite pictures on Flickr. Sometimes people go through my photostream favoriting every single one of my pictures, which can be a bit annoying. While I appreciate that they like my work, I would much prefer it if they just left me a message or comment saying so instead of hitting a button a hundred times.

I do see how a Like button would make it easier for people here to show their approval of something, especially for the non-English speaking members, but I think it would make it too easy and might reduce the amount of posted comments, which would be a bad thing. It is of my opinion that things like Like buttons are making people lazy nowadays, and I don't like that. We need people to comment more, not less. So in conclusion, I think a Like button would do more harm than good.

However, that's just a theory and I'm an open-minded person, so if there are enough people who are in favor of the addition of one, and if it's not too much work for the admins, I guess it couldn't hurt to add one and see how it goes. If it doesn't slow down the discussions on the forum during the trial period, we could keep it. In fact, why don't we add a poll to this topic and see how many actually want one and how many don't?

On a side note, I find it funny how much controversy one little button can create.

[Bobskink]

....

On a side note, I find it funny how much controversy one little button can create.

You have no idea how lame I feel for staring this discussion again. I really love a little controversy, but on something as trivial as this.

I'm not even a fan of a like button myself, I'm also a little oldfashioned, but I do find it usefulll tool on a lot of occasions.

[Hrw-Amen]

On a personal note, I usually get to look at this forum when I get home from work. I get about an hour or so of internet time per evening among other stuff, I look on here. I try to follow the Historical, Sci-Fi and Train-Tech threads and sometimes the Town thread.

Now I have quick glance through to see if anyone has come up with something I like. I do like to look and see the pictures as it gives me ideas of my own or inspiration.

However I find that often I do 'Like' something but feel I have nothing to add that has not already been said and also if I stayed and commented on every single thread I would soon use up all of my time and I would be torn away from my PC (By the wife yelling at me that tea is ready.) long before I had got through all the things I wanted to do. A simple 'Like' button would enable me to add my approval without the need to write something along the lines of 'I like the look of this,' which would mean the same thing and not add anything to the thread overall. Often then I find I do not add a comment even though I would like to show my appreciation I feel I cannot as what I have to say is meaningless beyond that I liked it and would take up time that I could be using to look at other threads. That would then leave me free to just add comments to those i felt I could in some way contribute more positively towards beyond just giving my approval of it. Therefore although I do not like 'like' buttons generally, here it would be a useful tool.

I don't think a 'dislike' button would be a good idea at all though. I do feel if you are going to put something down, then you should at least have the balls to tell someone why you don't like it and that in a way (Depending on how you word it.) would still be constructive to the thread as it may give the poster some insight that they had not considered beforehand, rather than simply putting them down without a reason.

[Xeen-ia]

Even though im new to this forum, i would really be unhappy with seeing a like button incorporated here.

One of the reasons i joined this forum is, that theres always something going on somewhere in the forums. A short post, telling someone that you like their creation is accepted - even though you yourself dont have much to add to the discussion.

I often see creations here that i like, but i dont have either the experience or the knowledge to tell another builder what i would do differently. But i can ask questions about the build, and that way get new ideas to my own creations. Other people might ask different questions, and that way we all learn both from unexperienced and experienced builders.

And i dont see the problem with short post such as "great build", "love the design" etc. - perhaps because i myself like to both recieve and give simple appreciation without everything being analyzed to death.

Another discussion forum i used to use a lot, got the "like" button. As a result, half the "old gang" quit in protest, and the rest are still back there, liking eachothers more and more shortlined posts. I haven't seen a real discussion in there for more than a year. You post your problem, 2-3 persons answer and the rest just likes the answers. And the answers are focussing on being "funny one-liners" because that gets more likes, than well thought answers that kicks the ball rather than the player. It has basically gone from an interesting, lively forum to a closed backpatting club in a very short time.

I would hate to see this place go from what it is today, to a picture collection with one-liners and like hunters.

[timmyc1983]

I agree with what seems to be a majority: a like button would be a bad idea.

Altho i am somewhat anti-Facebook, this is not the reason for my opinion. Like others have said, if i like something here, i like to tell the person why, even if I don't have any way for the person to improve their creation (which i never do, cos i'm too new) i feel a comment explaining why like it is worth a hundred "likes"....

And when i finally get around to being able to afford the bricks for my MOCs i want people to tell me why they like/dislike my creations so i can improve my building. A bunch of "likes" won't help me build better MOCs....

And at the end of the day, a forum is for expression of opinion, and there's no better way to do that than with words!

Edited May 2, 2013 by timmyc1983

[Bobskink]

Another discussion forum i used to use a lot, got the "like" button. As a result, half the "old gang" quit in protest, and the rest are still back there, liking eachothers more and more shortlined posts. I haven't seen a real discussion in there for more than a year. You post your problem, 2-3 persons answer and the rest just likes the answers. And the answers are focussing on being "funny one-liners" because that gets more likes, than well thought answers that kicks the ball rather than the player. It has basically gone from an interesting, lively forum to a closed backpatting club in a very short time.

That sounds quite depressing.

I think that in theory a like button would be good, but that over here it could do more bad than good.

[Cammy]

Since this forum uses the same software as some of the others I frequent which do have "Like" buttons, I think it would be a trivial matter for the administrators to add the feature. Personally I have always wanted something like this, I'm too introverted to leave comments on people's creations but I do wish I could show my appreciation in my own way and a "Like" button would do that.

I don't know why some people insist on comparing this forum to Facebook, Facebook consists of all the idiots of the world, of course they randomly "Like" everything they see posted in a column on their Facebook page, they have nothing better to do with their lives! But this is Eurobricks, and I like to think we're a little more intelligent and critical here than your average Facebook addict, so I don't think we'll see a problem with people who randomly "Like" everything they see even if they don't.

[Brickdoctor]

I don't know why some people insist on comparing this forum to Facebook, Facebook consists of all the idiots of the world, of course they randomly "Like" everything they see posted in a column on their Facebook page, they have nothing better to do with their lives! But this is Eurobricks, and I like to think we're a little more intelligent and critical here than your average Facebook addict, so I don't think we'll see a problem with people who randomly "Like" everything they see even if they don't.

The concern is not that members will "Like" something when the don't. The concern is that members will just use the "Like" button instead of commenting.

[Cammy]

Then the ones concerned about such things are projecting their own personalities on people. The option for a Like button simply allows the forum to include the opinions of the silent introverts who don't post often anyway, but are always lurking and reading, and might want to let someone know they care without saying anything... like smiling at someone. The extroverts who already make a single, short post to compliment someone on their MOC or review won't switch to using a Like button, their instinct is to say something so they will.

Including a Like button won't result in less posts, it will result in more overall input from forum users.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Cammy