There’s been a few times in my (limited) time on here when I wanted to thank someone who answered one of my queries, but it seemed selfish on a busy forum like this to bump a thread just to say “Thanks buddy!”
Other Vbulletin type threads I’ve been on have given me the option of a “Thanks” button to make an indiscreet thank you to someone. Has anyone ever considered a similar option on here?
That’s common and appreciated here. Plenty of people post a “thanks” when warranted.
Still seems easier and clutter-free to have a “thanks button” option!
It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad option, but I think people are so used to just bumping and adding a text “thanks.” I don’t know if it would catch on. Probably, but I’m just not sure.
One advantage to seeing a “thanks” post, as opposed to a a private “thanks” message is that other posters see that you seem to have gotten the info you were looking for and that conversation may have reached some resolution. It may prevent continuing conversations that are now redundant.
For a truly private comment you can send a PM of the poster has them activated. It’s as easy as clicking on the posters name and selecting “send a private message”. You can avoid cluttering up the thread if you so choose, that way.
Frankly, with as much heated debate that can occur around here, I like seeing the little niceties!
We’re a board that values articulate communication, so go ahead and post your thanks. That’s considered good manners around here, not post-padding or a waste of pixels.
My guess is that since the use of reputation buttons has been ruled out, thanks buttons would not be enabled either. I guess you’ll just have to adapt to our way of doing things.
Resistance is futile.
You’ll take our hive mind and like it!
Thanks!
In the past, I’ve sent PMs for this. I started a GQ thread some months ago that only had about four responses, one of which answered the question. By the time I saw the answer, the thread had dropped into near-oblivion, so instead of bumping a terribly unpopular thread, I just shot off a quick thanks. I’d like a Thank You button, but it doesn’t look like we’re gonna get one. Fair enough.
An “indiscreet thank you.” Never had one myself but whatever it is it sounds like fun. 
Not to flog a rotting Equine here, but the “thanks button” would be public. Underneath the thread you click, would read:
“The following users would like to thank IvoryTowerDenzien for this useful post:
antonio107 (today)”
So it would serve that same purpose. But anyway, speaking of poor etiquette, I should probably get at least 100 posts under my belt before I complain about the board.
Thank you to all who’ve replied!
I remember the first time I sent my grandmother a bought “thank you” card for a gift. She thanked me for the card, but then she told me that she really would have appreciated a note written by me, because she would know that I wanted to thank her, and not that my parents bought a card and had me sign it.
Sure, a “Thanks” button would be convenient…but so would a terse “I’m not going to explain-just read this link” post. I figure that if someone is going to go through the trouble to write a coherent post that brings knowledge and/or humor to my life, the very least I can do thank them personally.
is the thanks button the same as those “do you find this post useful?” thing i see elsewhere?
Now I’m befuddled. By “underneath the thread” do you mean as a new post, or somewhere else visible when you open the thread? Would this cause the thread to be bumped anyway?
This was the best example I could find on the old blackberry. I think it illustrates my point.
It does not bump the thread. In addition, if twenty other people want to descend upon a thread and offer the same answer, the “thanks” button can double as an “I agree with you” button (and as such, probably has no place in GD or Politics sub-forums, I concede), thereby saving on multiple copies of the same answer.
antonio107 said:
So, then, how would you ensure the person actually sees your thanks? With a PM, if they have PMs active they get it directly. With posting in the thread, the thread bumps to the top and shows new content, so if they are following the thread it gets their attention. With this, it seems if the thread is winding its way off the page and you post your thanks, there’s no guarantee anyone will see it. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?
That doesn’t look clutter free. That looks exactly like clutter to me - one more block of text for each post I have to skim over.
If it’s an indiscreet thank you that you wish to give, wouldn’t you want to give a personalized response? 
Oh, we want you to use your words. Most of you do a great job with them too.
Could there be separate buttons for sarcastic and non-sarcastic "Thanks buddy!"s?
While I agree that there is no need for this function, as a Thank you post does the job much better, I find the whole “use your words” thing to be needlessly condescending. It’s the type of thing a parent says to a child, and thus implies that the request itself was childish.
I assume that was not the intent. And I seriously doubt I can get anyone to change just because I think it sounds improper. But I thought I’d mention it.