# No, I will NOT 'like' your page just because you told me to! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 3, 2013, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869 "2013-09-03T07:01:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/21 "2013-09-03T15:23:17Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > When you “like” something it shows up in your other friends’ newsfeeds that you liked it, and your friends can click through on the “like” action and see what it’s all about. Subsequently, if you then “like” or comment on the page’s updates, those would show up in your friends’ newsfeeds and might also get people to click through. Fascinating. Thank you. So, if I liked your page, my friends would all see " **Procrustus** likes **Zipper’s** page. And perhaps they’d be curious and check you out. Forgive the Facebook 101 question, I don’t partake, but I do need to know the basics to be an American in the 21st Century. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/22 "2013-09-03T16:04:05Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Fascinating. Thank you. So, if I liked your page, my friends would all see " **Procrustus** likes **Zipper’s** page. And perhaps they’d be curious and check you out. Forgive the Facebook 101 question, I don’t partake, but I do need to know the basics to be an American in the 21st Century. Exactly. And, if you pay enough for advertising, an ad for your page might show up on the mobile newsfeed of the liker’s friends. For instance, if I am on the mobile Facebook app, I’ll see the latest news item and then the next news item is an ad for Wal Mart and underneath it says “Your friend X likes Wal Mart!” Friends’ likes also help create the data for the “recommendations” ad area on the desktop version of Facebook. Facebook will recommend pages for me to like based on not just what I like but what my friends like, similar to recommendations for people to become friends with. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/23 "2013-09-03T16:53:05Z")
Also, after a page gets a certain number of likes (I think it’s 100), the page manager can access free analytics information from Facebook. It’ll show them how many people are visiting their page, clicking links, organic vs viral sharing, etc. It’s really quite helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Mathematics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@Mathematics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathematics)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/24 "2013-09-03T17:14:32Z")
I don’t understand this because it can actually be counterproductive. When I go to a business’s page and I see that they have a ton of likes but no/few comments, I just roll my eyes and leave. I find this whole business of soliciting “false likes” quite shady. The local businesses I support seem to have no trouble getting real customers to like them and engage with the company on their page. That draws me in, because I can tell they have a lot of loyal customers, so they must be doing something right. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/25 "2013-09-03T17:48:10Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > No. There is no “legit reason” to solicit likes. You don’t build a brand by begging and harassing your friends. You build a brand by having a product or service that people genuinely need or want. If you really want to help a friend be more successful, then put your money where your mouth is. Jesus Christ, what’s your problem? “Begging and harassing”? And actually, I’m assuming you do not run a business, because the first thing you should do is talk to your friends and ask for help, no matter what the business. I have a friend from high school who makes fancy dog beds. I have no dog, so I will never “put my money where my mouth is” so to speak. But if I like a post on her business page, and it shows up to one of my friends, who then buys a dog bed, that’s supportive, right? Some people use FB poorly, and don’t have the content there to drive interest. But that’s not harrassment, that’s a marketing issue. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/26 "2013-09-03T17:48:33Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Instead of liking it, you should print out a screenshot, put it up on your fridge, and send the person an email of a picture of you next to the fridge with the picture on it giving a thumbs up and let them know that you don’t just like the page, you LOVE it. Awesome. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/27 "2013-09-03T18:43:17Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > What the hell is wrong with you? I have lots of friends who are running businesses, and every time they post a business message, I like it and then keep scrolling. It costs me nothing, may help a friend become more successful, and has no negative impact on my day. I think it’s very nice that you want to help your friends be successful, but just because I don’t want to participate in the same way doesn’t mean I’m heartless. I dislike the marketing machine of Facebook, so I choose not to participate in it. I would no more like someone’s Facebook page to help increase some algorithmic likelihood that their advertising will hit a few more eyeballs than I would mass-forward their email spam or cold-call people for them. I don’t want to see which brands my friends like. Now, if a friend is starting a business, and I meet someone else who seems to need that service, I’m happy to pass along a recommendation. I can help people out while connecting on a personal level and not blindly clicking a button. I’m also deeply suspicious of the claim that liking a page is actually helpful to the person requesting it. If it really is effortless, does it help? Why would anyone value Facebook recommendations if they’re just a measure of how many friends the page creator could convince to click a button? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/28 "2013-09-03T19:02:32Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I’m also deeply suspicious of the claim that liking a page is actually helpful to the person requesting it. If it really is effortless, does it help? Why would anyone value Facebook recommendations if they’re just a measure of how many friends the page creator could convince to click a button? If you can’t convince your friends to like you, you probably can’t do much of anything. That would be my take on a page with no likes. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/29 "2013-09-03T19:03:33Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I think it’s very nice that you want to help your friends be successful, but just because I don’t want to participate in the same way doesn’t mean I’m heartless. > > I dislike the marketing machine of Facebook, so I choose not to participate in it. I would no more like someone’s Facebook page to help increase some algorithmic likelihood that their advertising will hit a few more eyeballs than I would mass-forward their email spam or cold-call people for them. > > I don’t want to see which brands my friends like. > > Now, if a friend is starting a business, and I meet someone else who seems to need that service, I’m happy to pass along a recommendation. I can help people out while connecting on a personal level and not blindly clicking a button. > > I’m also deeply suspicious of the claim that liking a page is actually helpful to the person requesting it. If it really is effortless, does it help? Why would anyone value Facebook recommendations if they’re just a measure of how many friends the page creator could convince to click a button? You don’t run a business, do you? The more likes a post gets, the more likely it is to pop up on a Newsfeed. The more it pops up, the better chance someone who needs the service will see it, and potentially buy something. This is particularly important for small businesses, as it is free advertising. I don’t care about ads for Target, but if it’s someone who’s doing something to make their life better and follow a dream, more power to them. I bet you’re fun at parties… ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/30 "2013-09-03T19:12:46Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > I had my own little rant along these lines a bit earlier this week. There is apparently this site called “upworthy” that exists, as near as I can tell, to feed content to facebook posts. But the thing is, if you click on someone’s “upworthy” link to see their kitten video or whatever the fuck it is, “upworthy” makes you answer some insipid bullshit question before you can see it. I got, and I’m paraphrasing this only slightly, “It’s good to see the good in the world and we should see more of it. I AGREE / I DISAGREE”. You know what? Fuck you. I’m answering “I DISAGREE” to this just to fucking spite you for sending me to this site and “upworthy” for making me jump through this nauseating “feel-good” hoop in order to get to whatever the fuck it was I wanted to see. I don’t know what their game is, but fuck them with a rhino cock sideways. Grr. I hate these too, but isn’t there a little X up in the corner that you can click to make it go away without answering the question? Every one of these I’ve ever seen has that–I’ve never actually answered a question. They’re still annoying, I agree completely. But you don’t have to give them what they want. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/31 "2013-09-03T20:47:12Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > The more likes a post gets, the more likely it is to pop up on a Newsfeed. The more it pops up, the better chance someone who needs the service will see it, and potentially buy something. This is particularly important for small businesses, as it is free advertising. I don’t care about ads for Target, but if it’s someone who’s doing something to make their life better and follow a dream, more power to them. How is that different from any other sort of advertising spam? If I mass-emailed everyone when my friends had a new business venture, surely that would increase the chance that someone who needs the service would see it and potentially buy something, right? If a friend starting a business asked you to do that, would you? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/32 "2013-09-03T20:57:44Z")
> [@Gretel\_burps](#): > > Some acquiantence of mine from facebook are soliciting ‘likes’ to their own facebook page Don’t “friend” people on Facebook if you don’t know them outside of Facebook. Problem solved! ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/33 "2013-09-03T23:12:31Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > How is that different from any other sort of advertising spam? > > If I mass-emailed everyone when my friends had a new business venture, surely that would increase the chance that someone who needs the service would see it and potentially buy something, right? > > If a friend starting a business asked you to do that, would you? No, because that’s not what email is for. It’s what Facebook is, in part, for. They are different things with different functions. Mainly, Facebook isn’t private. If I wear a t-shirt of my friend’s band, am I somehow “spamming” you if you see it? Same thing with a Facebook post about my friend’s new novel or whatever. These, by the way, are both real examples, not hypotheticals. ---
**Author:** ![Gretel\_burps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Gretel\_burps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gretel_burps)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/34 "2013-09-04T02:51:30Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > Wow - you’re a great friend. > > There’s a legit reason people solicit likes on FB - it builds your brand. And more importantly, when individual posts for that business gets likes, that post ends up on more newsfeeds and hence gets more attention and hopefully business. > > What the hell is wrong with you? I have lots of friends who are running businesses, and every time they post a business message, I like it and then keep scrolling. It costs me nothing, may help a friend become more successful, and has no negative impact on my day. > > If it was something that I couldn’t support, like Nazi Bob’s Hamburger Joint, then I wouldn’t like it, but I probably wouldn’t be friends in the first place. > > You’re a idiot. So now I am an idiot just because I don’t ‘like’ a facebook page? Wow. Really? The PM message that I received, may I add, is a SCREENSHOT of the page that she asked me to like- yes, a screenshot, not even a link. Honestly I don’t even know if that acquaintance of mine owns that business page. So my answer is still no, I am not liking anything I have no knowledge of. Yes, I do only ‘like’ things I actually LIKE with reasons. Beat that. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/35 "2013-09-04T16:52:57Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > No, because that’s not what email is for. It’s what Facebook is, in part, for. I don’t quite understand where the distinction is coming from. For some people, email is a marketing channel. For some people, it’s for personal correspondence. For some, it’s for professional correspondence. There are probably other uses, too. I didn’t sign up for Facebook to see marketing. I signed up to keep track of my friends. Sure, I understand that Zuck needs to turn a profit, but that doesn’t mean I have any interest in _participating_ in the process. They are different things with different functions. Mainly, Facebook isn’t private. > [@](#): > > If I wear a t-shirt of my friend’s band, am I somehow “spamming” you if you see it? Same thing with a Facebook post about my friend’s new novel or whatever. These, by the way, are both real examples, not hypotheticals. I don’t object to anyone taking the time to personally recommend something, even on a site like Facebook. But that’s not what this OP is about. This isn’t a satisfied customer posting “I had a burger at Jim’s Burger Stand and it was delicious”. This is Jim asking everyone he knows to go click “Like” on his Burger Stand page so his advertisements will have better reach. Wearing a band’s tshirt is fine. Asking a bunch of people to wear your band’s tshirt is annoying (and kind of desperate). I feel like [The Oatmeal](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/facebook_likes) addressed this pretty well. You wouldn’t blatantly ask your friends to say nice things about you to others in real life, and you shouldn’t do it on the internet, either. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/36 "2013-09-04T20:24:07Z")
Think of it as vouching for the person who is running the business. If you don’t think they would run a business well then don’t “like” the page. They probably won’t even notice if you don’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/37 "2013-09-17T19:56:02Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Also, after a page gets a certain number of likes (I think it’s 100), the page manager can access free analytics information from Facebook. It’ll show them how many people are visiting their page, clicking links, organic vs viral sharing, etc. It’s really quite helpful. This really doesn’t matter and I’m only posting because I’m bored at work, but it’s less than 100: my musician page only has 80-something likes, and I can access all of that stuff. I dream about getting to 100 likes. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/38 "2013-09-17T22:21:00Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > This really doesn’t matter and I’m only posting because I’m bored at work, but it’s less than 100: my musician page only has 80-something likes, and I can access all of that stuff. I dream about getting to 100 likes. 😉 huh, something else happens at 100. . . then something else at 500. Each “milestone” gets you more accessibility, but I can’t remember what all it is. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/39 "2013-09-17T23:51:27Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > Wow - you’re a great friend. > > There’s a legit reason people solicit likes on FB - it builds your brand. And more importantly, when individual posts for that business gets likes, that post ends up on more newsfeeds and hence gets more attention and hopefully business. > > What the hell is wrong with you? I have lots of friends who are running businesses, and every time they post a business message, I like it and then keep scrolling. It costs me nothing, may help a friend become more successful, and has no negative impact on my day. > > If it was something that I couldn’t support, like Nazi Bob’s Hamburger Joint, then I wouldn’t like it, but I probably wouldn’t be friends in the first place. > > You’re a idiot. You’re an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Girlundone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Girlundone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girlundone)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869/40 "2013-09-18T00:18:17Z")
I’ve been educated on quite a few cool local businesses and charities through like requests on FB. And here’s the thing…if I like it, then decide I don’t really like it, I just unlike it. No bigs. When you get a like request, you can go to the page in question and _check it out first_. If you like what you see, like the page. If you don’t, don’t. Dude, it’s not rocket science. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-i-will-not-like-your-page-just-because-you-told-me-to/667869.md?page=3)