I think so, or, at least, that’s the impression that I get. Why? It’s because I hardly see any likes on the articles here on Persona Paper.
What about me, you ask? Well, if you must know, I definitely prefer to comment than to like. In fact, I comment much more than I like. Maybe it’s just me, but, to me, the like button isn’t something to just be blindly clicked on or pressed.
If I click the like button on something then, to me, it really means that I like the article enough to click the like button. I guess I just have higher standards when it comes to liking articles. What about you?
Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:
SLGarcia wrote on July 31, 2014, 3:30 PM:
I generally read the articles that interest me. If I like it but have nothing to say, I will hit the like button. If I comment on an article I also hit the like button (unless I forget to).
MegL replied to SLGarcia on July 31, 2014, 5:07 PM:
Me too. That was why I asked for a "like" button to be placed at the BOTTOM of the article, so I could like it AFTER reading and wouldn't forget to return to the top. But there didn't seem to be much interest in it.
FreyaYuki replied to SLGarcia on August 1, 2014, 3:16 PM:
I also usually only read articles that interest me. I generally usually leave a comment on the articles that I read. If it's an article about something that interests me or that I find interesting, it's easy enough to think of a relevant comment to post.
LoudMan wrote on July 31, 2014, 4:31 PM:
That word "like" has been forever ruined.
Ruby3881 replied to LoudMan on July 31, 2014, 7:23 PM:
So true! But before anyone blames some writing site, I think we need to recognize the contribution of Facebook to that phenomenon. It seems these days "like" just means "I saw it."
FreyaYuki replied to LoudMan on August 1, 2014, 3:18 PM:
You're welcome. And, yeah, I think that word has become really hyped up and overrated. It's like it has lost all meaning since pretty much everyone just randomly make use of it, all seemingly without thinking about it, as if it doesn't matter if they really like it or not, they still just blindly and randomly click the like button anyway, just because.
BarbRad wrote on July 31, 2014, 5:55 PM:
Automatic liking is a hard habit to break. But I'm starting to break it here. I do think a comment gives better feedback though, since you know what reader actually did or didn't like.
FreyaYuki replied to BarbRad on August 1, 2014, 3:26 PM:
I agree about comments giving the authors better feedback and they also encourage interaction. We don't get paid for likes here so I guess it doesn't matter if people randomly like posts though it seems that no one is doing that here, considering the low like counts. Either way, I still prefer to comment than to like.
paigea wrote on July 31, 2014, 7:11 PM:
Sorry, since the like button doesn't pay the poster and they don't even know I like it, I use it to remind myself I already read an article. They will surely know by my comments whether I liked their article and what my opinion is on any manner of things.
Even if I only clicked like on things I really really liked, it wouldn't indicate that the poster was a good writer or that they had said something particularly well, it would only indicate that I liked it.
FreyaYuki replied to paigea on August 1, 2014, 3:35 PM:
Yeah, since we don't get paid for likes here, it wouldn't really matter if people randomly like articles or not since no one would know anyway. This must be why there's a low like count on the articles here. I hadn't thought of making use of the like button to remind myself that I've already read an article.
For me, what I do is check to see if I've already commented on the article since I almost always comment on articles that I've read so that would serve as an indication that I'd already read that particular article.
Yes, the problem with the like button is that people can have different criteria as to what would get them to click said button (some just randomly click it, others have higher standards, etc) so it couldn't really be a good or reliable way to be able to tell if the article was really well-written or if those likes had been obtained for another reason.
bestwriter wrote on July 31, 2014, 8:05 PM:
I choose what interests me and not because I am an elite liker :) I like less as likes do not pay.
FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on August 1, 2014, 3:38 PM:
Yeah, likes don't pay here so it must be why there are less likes on the articles here. I also prefer to comment than to like. I mostly read or prefer to read articles that interest me and those are the articles I comment on.
Scorpie wrote on August 2, 2014, 8:26 AM:
People feel good about likes. Why not give it to them?
FreyaYuki replied to Scorpie on August 2, 2014, 4:57 PM:
Some people probably wouldn't mind just randomly going around liking articles. But others would want to have a reason before deciding to click on the like button. People have their own standards and set of criteria as to what would get them to click on the like button.
Others might like because they really like the article or because they agree with what the author has said even if it wasn't written in the best way, etc.
*Notes:
- Image is by pixelbuddha (CC:BY) from Wikimedia Commons
- This was previously published elsewhere
