# FB-Style "Like" Button? Oh C'mon! **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 4, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588 "2010-09-04T12:28:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/1 "2010-09-04T12:28:50Z")
I know we’re stoics over here, who post witticisms for the sheer joy of making them - but couldn’t we add some kind of “Like” button? To let people know their efforts are appreciated? Not a public scorecard for people to obsess over. And certainly not a rainbow scheme of multicolored applause. Just a wink. A quick nod. An online chuckle. And look, it could be a revenue driver - if it went only to their PM box, you’d be giving people a reason to pay to join and get the bigger capacity. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/2 "2010-09-04T16:21:38Z")
I like this idea. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/3 "2010-09-04T16:43:58Z")
Is it built into some version of vBulletin? If not, it’s not going to happen. If it is, I’d support it. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/4 "2010-09-04T19:18:29Z")
This is the kind of think a few years ago I would have been vehemently against. But I gotta say, lately sometimes I see a post I really like and for second look for a like or vote button, especially after being on Facebook or Yahoo Answers before here. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/5 "2010-09-04T19:56:26Z")
Is there something I’m not seeing here? If it’s supposed to be entirely private, why not just send them a PM? I don’t understand. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/6 "2010-09-04T19:58:48Z")
> [@Gukumatz](#): > > Is there something I’m not seeing here? If it’s supposed to be entirely private, why not just send them a PM? I don’t understand. This takes less effort? I think I’ve seen (but I could be wrong) other VB boards where there’s a thumbs up/thumbs down button. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/7 "2010-09-04T20:25:42Z")
Exactly - just a quick :). I like that about Facebook, being able to quickly acknowledge my friends’ posts. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/8 "2010-09-04T20:36:18Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I think I’ve seen (but I could be wrong) other VB boards where there’s a thumbs up/thumbs down button. Now that I think of it, it’s on one of the boards I moderate. 🙂 Yes, there’s a “reputation” button where you add rep to a poster based on specific posts. Or you can give them negative reputation. The problem is that it quickly became a popularity contest and a way to flame other posters in semi-private. While it can work, my guess is that it won’t work here without the mods getting involved policing things. I reluctantly change my vote to no. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/9 "2010-09-04T20:38:47Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > > [@Joey\_P](#): > > > > I think I’ve seen (but I could be wrong) other VB boards where there’s a thumbs up/thumbs down button. > > Now that I think of it, it’s on one of the boards I moderate. 🙂 Yes, there’s a “reputation” button where you add rep to a poster based on specific posts. Or you can give them negative reputation. The problem is that it quickly became a popularity contest and a way to flame other posters in semi-private. While it can work, my guess is that it won’t work here without the mods getting involved policing things. > > I reluctantly change my vote to no. I think for it to work here, it wouldn’t apply to individual posters, but rather individual posts or maybe even just OPs. Also I think it it would work better if there was only a positive (thumbs up/rep/etc) but no negative button…and with that, I think we would have to ban posts that (like facebook) are just “Don’t Like/Dislike.” ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/10 "2010-09-04T20:55:08Z")
[Digg V 4 suggests this is a bad, VERY BAD, idea.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digg#Digg_v4) ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/11 "2010-09-04T21:27:28Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > [Digg V 4 suggests this is a bad, VERY BAD, idea.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digg#Digg_v4) I don’t understand why – that section on Digg v4 doesn’t seem to mention problems with liking and disliking things. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/12 "2010-09-05T01:41:03Z")
+1 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/13 "2010-09-05T05:24:23Z")
I vote no. This is an extremely bad idea that will turn the Board into one giant popularity contest. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/14 "2010-09-05T07:44:59Z")
So then business as usual. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/15 "2010-09-05T11:38:55Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I vote no. This is an extremely bad idea that will turn the Board into one giant popularity contest. dislike > [@MeanOldLady](#): > > So then business as usual. like 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/16 "2010-09-06T03:22:02Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > > > I vote no. This is an extremely bad idea that will turn the Board into one giant popularity contest. > > dislike > > > [@MeanOldLady](#): > > > > So then business as usual. > > like > 😃 See??!? ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/17 "2010-09-06T03:39:52Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > > [@Meeko](#): > > > > [Digg V 4 suggests this is a bad, VERY BAD, idea.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digg#Digg_v4) > > I don’t understand why – that section on Digg v4 doesn’t seem to mention problems with liking and disliking things. 😕 In an open letter to Rose, Alexis Ohanian, founder of rival site Reddit, said : “ this new version of digg reeks of VC meddling. **It’s cobbling together features from more popular sites and departing from the core of digg,** which was to “give the power back to the people.”[29] Bold is mine. Substitute Digg here for SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/18 "2010-09-06T07:07:27Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > > [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > > > dislike > > > > like > > 😃 > > See??!? You make it so that you’re only voting for a post, not a poster, you also make it so that only positive votes are possible. It would just be a way of acknowledging a joke without having to post to the thread. It would save people doing the “I see what you did there” thing that seems popular at the moment. Meeko, the best things are cobbled together ideas from other things. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/19 "2010-09-06T07:42:08Z")
I know another board that has a “like” feature. After the post you see a big gap with the message, “The following users liked this post and wish to thank _user_ for this post”. Its ugly as sin, and as bad as any banner ads. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588/20 "2010-09-06T08:56:38Z")
For those that haven’t seen this before, here’s an example: > **[Temperamental tesco mastercard - help](https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2667581/temperamental-tesco-mastercard-help)** > > If this is in the wrong section, apologies in advance. It’s the bit after the post that says, “The Following User Says Thank You to Evilm For This Useful Post”. They are running vBulletin 3.8.4. I’m not sure whether you can amend the text to say something like ‘The following user liked this post.’ I must admit, it would be handy for those times when I read a thread and someone has posted exactly the same thing (only usually more eloquently) that I was going to say. I’m never really sure then whether I shoudl make my post anyway (and be accused of repeating someone else) or do the “+1” thing (which half the board seems to hate) or just not post at all (which is what I usually decide). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fb-style-like-button-oh-cmon/552588.md?page=2)