Thanks and Like (1 Viewer)

deletedT

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I've been thinking about this for quite some time and even wrote this idea about the site several time, and I ended up not submitting the thread at last.

But I can't stop thinking about it. Though I know it possibly would be rejected, I'll give it a go. A reject is far better than never being mentioned.

In simple, I think a lot of members need a Like button under each post.

I know there's a Thanks button, and I know why it's sitting there, But I've also noticed it's not being used as frequently as it should.

I'm aware a lot of main members here don't use social network apps (Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook,....), and may not care about it, but for those of us who social network is more necessary than the air we need to breath, we feel a big hole there.

There's a huge difference between Thanks and Like.
There's been a lot of situations that I would have clicked the Like button (if there was any) but will not use the thanks.

Not anything that I like, I'm grateful for. Though I may like whatever I'm thankful for. It's very hard for me to explain the difference between a Like and a Thanks button. I appreciate if anyone come to rescue and clarify the difference.

I believe if there was a Like button, it would be used much more than thanks.
It also can show how many experts support the idea given by another expert in response to a question.
 
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NauticalGent

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Hello Tera,

For the record, I agree with you 100% on the difference between Thanks and Like. There are many times someone will post something I agree with and I would like to show them that I appreciate their post but do not really want to say thank you.

With the ever-changing nature of social media and the amount of time spent on-line, I think it would be prudent to "roll with the changes"

I DO see a bit of a problem with this on one point. "Thanks" has a positive effect on your status in the AWF community, "Likes" will not. Some newer members may be inclined to hit the "Like" instead of "Thanks" because that is what they are familiar with.

A minor detail and to me it is insignificant, but to other it may be a point of contention...
 

isladogs

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Hi Tera
I do understand the idea but it may not be possible with the current forum software. There are some members who thank frequently (including yourself...for which thanks!) whilst others do so rarely and some do not use the Thanks button at all.

I suspect that a Like button would get a similar response though I may be wrong about that. In any case, it may not be possible to do with the current forum software. Hopefully Jon will advise.

There is already another alternative which is to issue reputation points (using the 'scales' button). For those who are unaware, this works on a sliding scale where long standing members with many RPs themselves will award many points when they use the system. In contrast, new members can't award any rep points until they have received some themselves. There is another restriction in that you cannot repeatedly issue RPs to the same person...you have to 'spread them around a bit first'. More discussion on RPs in this thread https://www.access-programmers.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=284571
The RP system isn't perfect but its another useful indicator about the quality of responses from various members.

Not sure whether having 3 systems is overkill? But perhaps we could rename the Thanks button as a Like button?

BTW yesterday a member with zero posts since 2014 clicked 827 thanks in a few hours. Now that is clearly absurd.
 

deletedT

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There are some members who thank frequently (including yourself...for which thanks!) whilst others do so rarely and some do not use the Thanks button at all.

I use the thanks button whenever I feel the post gives a good response to the question, weather it's addressed to me or not, But obviously there are a lot of times I feel "If only there was a like button...."

As I mentioned, I guessed it would be impossible, but I had to mention the gap we feel when we read a post.

Not trying to insist on implementing the idea, and just for the record, I've seen a lot of sites that run on old versions of a software, but they have edited the php files to their need and do a lot more than the most recent versions of the same software. I don't think editing the software is illegal as long as it's been purchased. There are a lot of PHP programmers around who would be happy to put their private time for the changes AWF needs to edit the software without expecting anything.
 
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vba_php

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BTW yesterday a member with zero posts since 2014 clicked 827 thanks in a few hours. Now that is clearly absurd.
I know you probably ignored my PM about that guy colin, but did you and the other mods do any investigating as to whether that guy was actually a human being or a piece of automation? I was one of his "victims" regarding the receipt of "thanked posts"
There are a lot of PHP programmers around who would be happy to put their private time for the changes AWF needs to edit the software without expecting anything.
I might be one of those people, but seriously doubt that the mods would advise Jon to utilize me in that regard, even if Jon *does* like me. He doesn't seem to have a disdain for me like the mods do.
 

NauticalGent

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I know you probably ignored my PM about that guy colin, ... but seriously doubt that the mods would advise Jon to utilize me in that regard, even if Jon *does* like me. He doesn't seem to have a disdain for me like the mods do.

Young Blood, you REALLY need to stop singing this sad song. It is boring and exhausting and will yield the exact opposite results you are hoping for.

Another "pearl" I am casting for free...don't be a swine
 

vba_php

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Young Blood, you REALLY need to stop singing this sad song. It is boring and exhausting and will yield the exact opposite results you are hoping for.
what do you mean Gent? I'm not expecting any results because there are so many here that think I'm casting a negative shadow on the place. and hey, the "young Blood" assignor you've given me doesn't really apply. I'm almost 40 years old now. That's certainly not 20's!
 

Grumm

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Am i seeing a trend in all the posts of vba_php ?

I think it is a great idea of a like button. I would hit that button more often than the thank you one. It feels like some personal button and sometimes I hesitate. I like the solution, but will not use it personally so giving a thanks for it is kind of weird no ?

Like a car seller comes with an awesome car and you go all "whaa thank you for showing it to me... But no thanks, I'm not gonna buy it"
 

NauticalGent

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I'm not expecting any results because there are so many here that think I'm casting a negative shadow on the place.

Sadly, yet another wasted pearl. Not to worry, there will NOT be another.
 

vba_php

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Sadly, yet another wasted pearl. Not to worry, there will NOT be another.
I guess I didn't get it. sorry sir. Maybe I'm just not as wise as you guys. Hopefully I will get better with age.
 

AccessBlaster

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Tera,

I think you nailed it when you alluded to social media vs a technical forum like this. By design technical forums can be cold and harsh. Having a place like the watercooler does not change that reality.

I know we could all do better in being more civil, myself included. That would go along way.

I agree, the "like" button would be a positive move.
 

The_Doc_Man

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The difference between a "Thanks" button and a "Like" button is a discussion in shades of gray. If we are discussing shades of gray, I am slightly gray-shaded against the idea because of what it would imply.

The "reputation" scales might be a better way to show likes and dislikes, but the real issue for me is that I'm seeing industry trends to do away with the "Like" button in its current form and limit how it is used. For instance, removing the public visibility of someone's "Like" count.

The social media industry, which invented the "Like" button and concept, is slowly beginning to not "Like" the "Like" button. The eternal quest for being liked leads (in my not-so-humble and frequently acerbic opinion) to shallowness and insincerity. Further, the asymmetry of a "Like" button has always bothered me. Is there a "Dislike" component? Is there a "neutral" component?

For social media, I don't actually care. But for technical forums, it makes us something we are not and were never meant to be. If I help you, thank me. If you think my post was of value outside of the "Thanks" protocols, click the scales and boost or drop my reputation. That's two ways right there. Then there is such a thing as replying to the good or bad post with direct comments. That, I have done.

The forum tracks two of those methods already and keeps reply-type comments around unless an entire thread goes away. How many nuances of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly do we need? (Apologies to Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone, with a nod to Ennio Morricone.)

I respect that Tera feels it is useful due to his familiarity with other media that have such a a thing. However, I find no cause to modify the forum to track yet another factor that was not part of its original design.

What I fear is the insidious nature of such a change because IF this is going to be done, you have to modify each user's records to track likes (at least one more field per user) and you have to track each post's history to track likes (at least one more field per post). There is the issue of updating the User CP displays and another question comes up. Will you show "most LIKED user" along with "most THANKED user" at the bottom of the page on the master topics page?

What about the user records for long-term idle users? Would Jon have to go back to retrofit archived records? All of these things need to be considered in the project that this would become. Most of us who have some experience in project design can see that in terms of scope, this is a widely pervasive change.

In closing, I would not fight against this change and intend to leave it alone afterwards, but I wish to express, at the very least, some reservations regarding the suggested change. It is something I would probably not use.
 

Jon

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I understand why some might want a Like button. It has become commonplace.

My view is that the Like and Thanks buttons are rather like a Venn diagram, where there is an overlap. The Like button can dilute the Thanks feature, and vice-versa. There is an element of interference, or noise if you like. The size of that overlap depends on your subjective interpretation of what Like and Thanks mean to you.

So, for some people, they are rather distinct, while for others they are nearly identical. Where you lie on this spectrum may seem persuasive to yourself that your interpretation is the best one, but I have to aggregate the grey matter of hundreds or thousands of people to give a "best-fit" experience for the majority.

My inclination is to not mess with a system that has worked for 20 years.
 

sonic8

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There's a huge difference between Thanks and Like.
I don't think the difference is that huge.



I believe if there was a Like button, it would be used much more than thanks.

It also can show how many experts support the idea given by another expert in response to a question.
I frequently use the thanks button to indicate that I feel a post was a valuable contribution. - Even though the info posted does not benefit me personally in any way.
 

vba_php

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but I have to aggregate the grey matter of hundreds or thousands of people to give a "best-fit" experience for the majority.
I would bet that the fact that everyone is different would constitute a need for "best-fit" as it relates to the many differing opinions we see in so many threads nowadays around here. Surely this method (whether it's new or not) works for most people who ask questions, as I would believe that how ever they look at a problem, they're covered by at least 1 person who answers.
My inclination is to not mess with a system that has worked for 20 years.
that's probably directly related to Colin's comment a while back about why credit card systems still operate in an archaic way. if it's not broken, don't fix it?
 

isladogs

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that's probably directly related to Colin's comment a while back about why credit card systems still operate in an archaic way. if it's not broken, don't fix it?

IIRC, whoever said that, it wasn't me
 

isladogs

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Ah I see why you 'accredited' that to me.

Universal Credit is nothing to do with credit cards.
For the record, it is a new benefit system which has slowly been rolled out in the UK over the past 5 years or so. It is intended to simplify the benefits system by replacing multiple separate benefits with one single payment.

In theory a good idea but in practice has been deeply flawed, massively delayed, phenomenally complex and expensive to implement and has led to real hardship.
 

vba_php

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Well i certainly wouldnt know anything bout uk benefits system colin...but what bout the credit card systems. Are they really archaic? Just the opposite i would say is this concept of bitcoin. Which ill never understand. Actually i believe someone in the usa just recently tried to lobby hard for congress to recognize bitcoin as a legitimate currency to be used legitimate marketplace. I believe its been used quite extensively for some time now on the underground economy and black markets.
 

The_Doc_Man

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if it's not broken, don't fix it?

Adam, there was a thread on this subject not terribly long ago. That is the well-remembered half of a longer quote that you should understand - the Serenity Prayer (as paraphrased for modern business, of course). Give me the resources to change that which must be change, the patience to live with what cannot be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Something that isn't broken DOESN'T need fixing. Which doesn't rule out a new version that addresses multiple items at once INCLUDING the one that wasn't broken. Or, since you are religious, "All things in their season." (More precisely, ECCL 3:1 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:")
 

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