11 Likes
I agree with you on 1,2,3, and 5. I donāt do #4.
Iād also add
6. to encourage new users;
7. to acknowledge a long message that shows the poster put a lot of thought into it and presents an alternate point of view, even if I disagree with it;
8. to show support for a user who I disagree with but is being piled on (IMO) unjustly.
9 Likes
I go the other way on these. I flag them and never think of it again. If itās just me being a doofus or misinterpreting, it just sits there taunting me āyou flagged this as inappropriateā but far more often the requisite number of other flaggers agrees with me and it vanishes.
Iād actually prefer to do it your way, but there just isnāt enough time in my day to go back and revisit things. The endless river of posts rolls onā¦
4 Likes
I freely acknowledge that I have far too much idle time on my hands during my workday; how do you think I ended up on the BBS in the first place?
11 Likes
"But do they call me MacGregor the bar builder? No.ā
ETA: I generally like comments that make me laugh, make me think, or make me feel.
8 Likes
I try not to worry that much about it. As I said, I try to keep an eye on whom Iām agreeing with when it comes to a controversial opinion, but Iām generally not going to not Like a post just because So-and-So The Reliably Indefensible wrote it. There are a couple people on the BBS with whom Iāve had some pretty scorching arguments, and with whom Iām normally not argumentatively aligned, but Iāll Like 'em and even post supporting arguments, if I happen to agree with what I feel theyāre saying at that moment.
I can be something of a hair-splitter, and Iām always trying to support nuanced argument, shades of grey and the like, and sometimes I can be a real pain-in-the-ass moral relativist. I end up looking at the whole spectrum of evil as a part of the human condition, so sometimes Iāll take an unpopular stand (like defending the comedic and educational value of large chunks of Bill Cosbyās work, for example, and the arguable value of considering such ātaintedā work apart from the sins of its creator).
But Iām fortunate that I am able to defend my views, and that my feelings arenāt easily hurt, and that I donāt exist in a socially precarious space to begin with (which is why I use my real name here). Since I know that others arenāt always so fortunate, I take that into account when deciding how much weight to give other peopleās opinions of my opinions, as it were.
9 Likes
A lot. The new limits have removed a not-small source of worry. Itās very nice. 
ETA:
I use them for all sorts of reasons, most of which have been mentioned above. Most importantly,
I can feel like Iām adding to things, contributing to the greater community as a whole without, you know, stressing about what the right words to use are, whether my literacy or grammar skills are doing OK, that sort of thing.
FETA: The ability just to sit back and click away is a safe thing. Thereās little chance of being misread, or getting into any conflict. And that is by itself, a really positive thing if your prone to stress about interactions. Itās unambiguous, if you see what I mean.
10 Likes
Iāve been thinking about this issue over the last few days, and my motives largely agree with most of the other posters here. Basically, I give likes for:
The thoughts: āYou made me think about something more deeply than I had before, and maybe made me adjust my opinion a little.ā
The words: āYou expressed what I was thinking better than I could.ā
The feels: a) āYou opened up about something that touched me.ā This is tricky, because how do you ālikeā a story that may involve someone elseās pain? Best interpreted as sympathy, not enjoyment.
b) āAw, thatās cute and/or entertaining and/or makes me feel better about humanity.ā
The lols: āThatās the third worst pun Iāve ever heard. Bravo.ā
Then thereās the last category, which is simply a quicker way of saying ā+1ā, āThisā, etc. These are useful in showing support and reducing a lot of clutter in a thread, but to my mind are a different and lesser class of likes. Looking at my record, Iām a pretty stingy discriminating giver of likes, and I think itās because I donāt hand out as many in this class. Itās also clear that I have benefited from the exceptional generosity of other members who are much freer with their likes, some of whom are frustrated by always running into their daily quota.
Personally, Iād be in favour of two classes of likes, with no limit on the ā+1ā type (if there must be limits at all). How this would affect the rules around badges, I donāt know, but Iāve always had mixed feelings about badges anyway. It feels so good to get them that I have to fight against taking them too seriously, or Iāll start to tailor my comments to pander to the consensus on the BBS. (Not that it would do any good. The commenters here are much too intelligent and sophisticated to fall for that. 
)
9 Likes
Awards? BBS Oscars, style of thing?
1 Like
No, not at all. Note what I said about badges. Iād rather the commenting was about the discussion, with the likes supporting that, not the other way round.
Sorry, my bad. 
1 Like
The like I just gave you is a multi-level, highly nuanced one that says something like āNo need to apologize, I wasnāt offended, thanks for your reply which you neednāt have deleted, and can I get the next round?ā Itās a lot to pack into a simple little red heart, but thatās how I like my likes.
12 Likes
No worries. And I delete and edit posts my posts a lot. I mean loads. So like, aināt being passive aggressive or anything if it comes across like that. No harm, no foul. And as itās been quoted and I can still undeleteā¦
Viola!*
Drink always works for me! 
*Or possibly Viennetta. Music or ice-cream, your choice.
3 Likes
Ooh yeah- thatās a good one- Iāll absolutely do that. If someone drops their knowledge on those here assembled, or does some research and posts links to their evidence, then thatās getting a like.
Thatās a really good point. We need people willing to put forward their point of view, and someone who is prepared to talk about an issue and change their point of view deserves applause.
Also, now that I've had a bit more time to think, I would add:
'5. If someoneās main post is especially readable/informative then the whole topic gets a like.
6. If youāre responding to one of my comments and carrying on the discussion, that usually gets a like. I like people talking to me.
7. As a general principle I treat a like as āIād like to see more of thisā.
12 Likes
Do not assume this increase in ālikesā comes without a cost.
24 Likes
And one of those costs is personal: Iām petrified of writing any ārealā post, because I feel like the whole forum is watching me now!!!
21 Likes
Come now! Perform! Youāre back by popular demand, so give us some of that CHGOLIZ magic!! Perform!!!
(Nah, just havinā you around, beinā yourself, thatās what we didnāt want to lose. No pressure whatsoever, you know that.)
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