Likes

[Lucky]

When the "likes this" function began, I didn't quite understand it. Did I click on it since I liked my post, or did I only click on it for others' posts?

I now see that it is a way for others to say they liked someone's post without actually using a reply. It's also a bit of a popularity contest and, I think, a motivator. If you get into it, you arguably will be motivated to post stuff that will get some like clicks.

That's not so easy as some are pretty tight with their likes. Others will respond that they like, but not click the "Likes This" button. Likes are just a way of knowing some feedback about how interesting others are seeing our posts. Of course, the more that you post, the more likes you are bound to get.

I did err the other day in saying that I didn't get many likes. They often are clicked after I have posted and signed off, so I don't see them, but later I see my "likes" count going up.

You get 25 likes a day to give out,so no reason not to use them. I am not soliciting likes here; they only have some meaning if they are given when you truly do like something. So I suggest you like a lot, and make several guys happy each day.

[JKane]

I also like that if a post/reply gets enough of them it becomes 'popular', just wish it was easier to see without going into a thread... for example I don't always keep up with the pornification section, but would love to see at a glance the 'best of'--threads so liked they've become popular, without going into each one.

But overall I like 'likes' too. Some of my posts don't get many responses but at least I know they're read and somebody agrees!

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

ok, ok, i admit I am competitive.. I am proud to be one of the top "liked" posters, behind Oz and Expat, if I am not mistaken.

I just keep thinking of Sally Field=="They like me, they really really like me"

[Guest FourAces]

I too like the Likes however I think if used too often the over all post count will go down. We must be balanced between posts and likes ... now excuse me I still have some likes to use before the end of the day here

[Lucky]

"I think if used too often the over all post count will go down"

I'll admit that I hadn't thought of that, but some people will not reply, just say to themselves, "oh, that was nice." Now they have an opportunity to click and say they liked it.Positive feedback we might not otherwise have gotten.

[MsGuy]

....Positive feedback we might not otherwise have gotten.

Just gave you a little of both, Lucky.

[Lucky]

LurkerSpeaks has every right to be proud of his 215 likes! EXPAT leads with a virtually unpassable 630, then Oz with 238.

In the 100's are Four Aces at 158, lookin at135, Adam Smith at 133. I am slightly ahead of Tampa Yankee, who has 100 to my 117.

Reminder: Giving a "likes this" costs you nothing! You have the power to put Adam Smith ahead of lookin with just a few clicks!

[Guest FourAces]

You have the power to put Adam Smith ahead of lookin with just a few clicks!

But why would we want to?

[AdamSmith]

But why would we want to?

I would never complain about the view from just behind lookin.

[Lucky]

But why would we want to?

I offer no opinion on that! Several of Lookin's likes have been from me.

[lookin]

I would never complain about the view from just behind lookin.

Likewise, I'd follow you anywhere! And, in the case of at least one delightful escort, have. Plus, I just gave you a well-deserved 'like' that ties us up, so to speak. Not for long, I'll wager, as I'm sure you've got a couple of doozies in the queue.

Agree with my fellow posters that 'likes' are fun. I think it's a very convenient way to give a 'thumbs up' to a person's post. And, for me, it's a good way to learn if one of my posts that I thought was funny or interesting turned out, in fact, to be a stinker. I don't think it's a perfect substitute for actually telling someone you liked his post, but it's useful all the same.

The only snag is that I don't always log in when I read posts so I can't give or see 'likes' unless I go back and re-read all the posts when I do finally log in. Over the years, I've had to do that in order to see some pictures too, so it's not the end of the world. But I know I miss some.

Another interesting feature is that you can look at your profile, or someone else's, and see a list of the posts that they have given likes to and another list of posts that they have received likes for. In some cases, where a person likes his own posts, the same post will show up on both lists. I haven't yet got around to liking my own posts, although it seems like a handy feature if one is looking to show how much he likes himself.

If you're a numbers guy, it's a lot easier to see how many likes you've received than how many likes you've given. However, you can see on your profile how many 'pages' of likes you've given. I'm on page ten so, at fifteen likes per page, I know I've given a few more likes than I've received, which seems about right in my book.

All this talk about 'likes' has got me humming an old tune from the Kingston Trio called The Merry Minuet. Hope you like it!

THE KINGSTON TRIO

"The Merry Minuet"

(Sheldon Harnick)

They're rioting in Africa. They're starving in Spain. There's hurricanes in Florida and Texas needs rain.

The whole world is festering with unhappy souls. The French hate the Germans. The Germans hate the Poles.

Italians hate Yugoslavs. South Africans hate the Dutch and I don't like anybody very much!

But we can be tranquil and thankful and proud for man's been endowed with a mushroom shaped cloud.

And we know for certain that some lovely day someone will set the spark off and we will all be blown away.

They're rioting in Africa. There's strife in Iran. What nature doesn't do to us will be done by our fellow man.

[Suckrates]

Once competitiveness comes into play, it takes the fun out of posting and makes it more like a chore with an end result instead of just FUN..... You should post because you WANT to, not because you HAVE TO win..... I know that SOME of the Top posters do it because they LOVE it, while a few of the others simply do it just to make it to the top and boast about it. As they say, its not the quantity, but the quality that make your posts interesting and relevant. To those who post QUALITY, I look forward to your continued contributions....

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

Not sure who you are commenting about, Suckrates.. but sure hope it isnt me. I post only what I find interesting and/or think others will like as well. That is why my posts cum in spurts.. many posts in a row, then none for a few days..but I always like to think that at least I am not "shooting blanks" like SOME people around here.

[Lucky]

Well, golly gosh, it sure couldn't be me he is talking about. After all, he promised Oz to stop haranguing me here. I let him have the last word in an attack on me, and he told Oz:

"With all due respect TOz, I have said my piece and am now done with it. You may delete my post if you choose. I will respect the goals of your site."

And it couldn't be because has no "likes" because he does. So, I guess we can blame someone else for lacking quality. Is it Oz, Lord?

[Suckrates]

Well, golly gosh, it sure couldn't be me he is talking about. After all, he promised Oz to stop haranguing me here. I let him have the last word in an attack on me, and he told Oz:

"With all due respect TOz, I have said my piece and am now done with it. You may delete my post if you choose. I will respect the goals of your site."

And it couldn't be because has no "likes" because he does. So, I guess we can blame someone else for lacking quality. Is it Oz, Lord?

"Your so Vain, I bet you think this song is about you" ???? :whistle:

[Suckrates]

Not sure who you are commenting about, Suckrates.. but sure hope it isnt me. I post only what I find interesting and/or think others will like as well. That is why my posts cum in spurts.. many posts in a row, then none for a few days..but I always like to think that at least I am not "shooting blanks" like SOME people around here.

No lurker, its NOT !

[Lucky]

Okay, then. It is not about me, but who are those guys who only post so they can get to the top? The most-liked ones? That would be ironic. We like what they post!

Let's see, we've ruled out Lucky and lurkerspeaks...

[lookin]

When the "likes this" function began, I didn't quite understand it. Did I click on it since I liked my post, or did I only click on it for others' posts?

I now see that it is a way for others to say they liked someone's post without actually using a reply. It's also a bit of a popularity contest and, I think, a motivator. If you get into it, you arguably will be motivated to post stuff that will get some like clicks.

So one would think.

Yesterday, cbnick shared an experience with a pole dancer in Phoenix. Not only did I like the post but I thought, like Lucky, it might give a little encouragement to a new poster if I were to sign in and actually 'like' the post. So that's what I did. I remember how much I enjoyed my first 'like' and wanted to pass the experience on.

Imagine my surprise when the 'like' count for the new poster didn't budge. I could see the 'like' in his 'received' list, and I could see it in my 'given' list, but still the 'like' counter didn't move one iota.

Just to make sure, I opened the post again this morning, logged in, 'unliked' it, and then 'liked' it again. Same thing. It shows up in his 'received' list, and it shows up in my 'given' list, but it doesn't show up in the poster's total number of 'likes'. As I mentioned, this is a new poster with only a couple of posts, so it's not like the numbers have become too large to keep track of.

Is it possible that there is a glitch in the 'likes' software? Or maybe the programmers have decided that some posts, or some posters, or some likers, are just unlikeable? Very odd, whatever the reason, and I'd like to think that it will be fixed.

It was also interesting to note that, after a good night's sleep, I was able to open a post and 'unlike' it the next day. Even though this was just an experiment, and I immediately 're-liked' it again, it was nevertheless noteworthy that I was able to 'unlike' a 'like' even after several hours and, presumably, after several days, weeks, or months. That seems to open the door not only for undoing any inadvertent 'likes' one may have given oneself, but also to 'unlike' the posts of others should either the post or the poster not withstand the test of time.

While we may start looking forward to seeing our 'like' totals go up as the years roll by, is it likely there will come a time when we notice them starting to go down, just as if some strange presence sits noodling at the keyboard of our self-esteem?

[AdamSmith]

"... Myyy ... sweet ... Victoria ...!"

Talk about a like.

[Lucky]

Oh, you mean I could go back and "unlike" the posts of mine that I checked "like" on before I understood that it was for others to say, not me? I wish I didn't know that...