"like" and "thanks"button?

CancerStinks

would it be possible to add a "like" buttton or a thanks button top the end of someone's post?  Often someone responds to me and I want to say thanks, but don't want to add to the string with something that isn't substantive.  Or often someone will compose a really helpful post and I would love to "like" it. or let them know it helped me and again not add to the discussion when I'm not really adding to the discussion.  thanks!

marilyn113

"Like"

Moderators

CancerStinks, this is something we'd love to have too! It's on our technical wishlist for a future site update, and when budget and timing are right, it seems very likely you'll see exactly this kind of feature.

Thank you for the suggestion,

Judith and the Mods

jenlee

Like

Marple

It's a good idea but for now one can PM a 'like'.

mrsnjband

This would be a nice feature. I am on another forum that has it and I really like it!

Binney4

DON'T LIKE!!!

I can't think of anything less personal than a "like" button. Spare us! How hard is it to find the words to thank someone? It's not like you have to buy a card and a stamp and address the thing -- just type it, and add your own personal message. We need all the personal touches we can get, and the internet is impersonal enough without the added insult of a button to express distant gratitude.

Binney

Marple

Great post Binney.  Pressing the 'LIKE' button.  Hugs.

CancerStinks

Hi Binny and Marple:  It isn't that I don't want to take the time to write a post, but posts that are not  substantive take up alot of space and then it is harder to find that elusive substantive post I read and want to reread! (sometimes "thanks" and "you go girl" can go on for pages!) But everyone is different and I completely understand.  I also prefer text to a phone call and bet you don't due to how impersonal that is! (and with texts I have a record of what I'm supposed to do!) I really do appreciate it when people take the time to put so much information in a post: someone said I could send the poster a PM saying thanks and I agree that could be a good solution, but I'm not sure my thanks would be tied to the post I liked whereas if the like button was on the actual post then that would take care of that. 

michellej1980

I would love a 'like' button. Or a 'thumbs up' button.

malleycat

Add me to the would love a "like" button list! 

Moderators

Thank you for adding more thumbs-up and thumbs-down opinions to this question. Some variation of this is still on our list for a future update to the site.

• The Mods

malleycat

I was thinking about what Binney said a lot last night and would like to add a bit more to my comment- I fully agree that a PM is a much better way to say "thank you" to someone- I have done this and will continue to do so if someone's really helpful, etc.  But there are many times when someone simply makes me laugh and I'd like to hit "like" on their joke instead of writing out "gee, that was funny!" and make the thread needlessly longer like CancerStinks mentioned.  Also, there are times when someone writes a helpful hint and I'd like to acknowlege it in a way that further validates it for other members, sort of like being able to vote.  For instance, if we had a "like" button next to the first comment in this thread, we could instantly see that 6 other people agree with a "like" button, and we could instantly see that 1 agrees with Binney not liking it, and it would save us 7 posts on this one thread.  So, say someone says "it's a good idea to pin your drains after MX" and 30 people hit "like" on that comment, someone new looking at that thread would see that and know instantly that 30 people agree and it's probably a good hint.  That could be really helpful!  And lastly, there are times that I'm reading a thread that's pages long and see a post that I like, but by the time I get to the end it's an old post and commenting on it would just confuse people (or take a lot of explaining)- a "like" button would solve that.

Moderators

Thanks for your insight, Malleycat! We do have this request on our next tech "wish list" and are hoping we can implement it! We'll certainly keep all of your points in mind when presenting our requests!



Thanks!

--The Mods

pupmom

I like "like!"

whenlifegivesyoulemons

I think like is a great way to acknowledge someone else's post.  Sometimes a post doesn't warrent a comment or resonse, but a quick "like" would be for others to indicate they've read and appreciate/like the post.  I vote a BIG YES.  I'd also like to be able comment on someone's post.  What I don't like is having to respond to each post by naming the individual seperately, I'd rather like what they've posted (or "hug" or something like that).  Doing this would make the thread much more easy to navigate, and bring some sense to conversations between members that get lost between other posts. The way it's setup now makes it more likely that the same or similar information gets lost and therefore gets reposted creating unnecessary redundancies and making it difficult to keep track of conversations about similar topics. 

jacee

I vote yes!! While a PM is always appreciated, I tend to always feel the need to " thank them for thanking me". A "like" button doesn't require a response and yet lets you know your information helped someone....which is what we all hope to do after going through the paths of this disease .

Lou10

I've got mixed feelings about the "like" and "thanks" buttons. Thanking someone is a good thing, of course, but as others have pointed out, it can be done by PM. Or in a reply message ... is it really such a bad thing to have non-substantive messages of gratitude running through the threads?

The "like" button may encourage skipping over messages. Yet BC, its tx, and SEs are so individual (something newbies often don't realize ... I didn't). And there can be subtleties and hidden gems in responses.

It also seems the "like" button can become weirdly competitive in some contexts. 

Moderators

Thank you all for your thoughts about this idea! We continue to look for members' opinions, and are working with the tech team to see how this might be implemented in  future upgrade.