I don’t know about ‘no skin in the game’ … I, uh, like giving likes (and getting them, too … it’s addictive! ) but I’ve never yet run out, so part of me is thinking “y’all are too free and easy with your affections.” But on the other hand … WTF not^? Then again, it could just be that I’m conveniently located, timezone-wise, or I just don’t get to read as many threads as the rest of you
I do appreciate (which my thesaurus tells me is an appropriate synonym for ‘like’) that there aren’t any ‘dislike’ options here, apart from the collective cold shoulder. I often given an involuntary “ooooh” whenever someone posts something boneheaded in the midst of an otherwise busy thread chocka block with free love and gets … no likes. Burn, baby. Burn.
Jon
^ “WTF not” as in WTF not make them unlimited. I do understand the points you’re making, and have warm fuzzies for a universe that is highly inflationary when it comes to mutual admiration.
It’s nice to be shown in a concrete way that your contribution is welcomed. And being something of a socially anxious shut-in, it’s great to show my appreciation for others without it being misinterpreted. Mostly. Although when I run out, it can feel like I’m taking sides, or stalking a poster. This bothers me.
I think you’re with the majority there in that you give out as many as you feel you need to without ever running out.
I wouldn’t be here if there were. IME, people don’t need any help with hating. It’s possible to disagree and maintain respect and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen posters engaged in very heated discussion both mutually liking the other’s posts to show respect for their opponent’s position.
Me too. It’s even more amusing when they notice this and get upset because they’re being consistently ignored.
I stil don’t understand why the fifty/day limit is a big deal and I’d like to understand, even if it’s just one person’s perspective.
Yes, I’ve run out of likes. Some days the back-and-forth on BB is just that good. I like things that make me laugh, make me think, show compassion, open up the conversation (even if it’s something I don’t agree with), or whenever a commenter concedes a point or otherwise earnestly considers another’s point of view. And, of course, savage burns.
To me, a limit on likes makes sense. The top 5 ‘likers’ of my posts tell me that we may have more in common than that between any two random commenters. Ditto for my top 5 ‘liked’ commenters.
Like-bombing reduces this critical signal-to-noise ratio when suddenly your top 5 likers are those who seem to like everything. The unique constellation of your like-o-sphere has now reconfigured around a locus of those handing out the most likes.
Likes are literally the least you can do on Discourse to communicate your support or agreement. As Jeff once pointed out, replies are, in a way, an even greater ‘like’ because that commenter thought your post was worth taking their time to read, process, and respond to.
And that, after all, is what lower-case-d discourse is all about.
They are the least you can do, so what happens when that’s not an option? What if you want to give someone a nod, but instead have to disrupt the flow of conversation to say: “I agree with you”. I notice you haven’t been part of the “strike”. Try going 24 hours without liking a post.
Also, it’s not 50 a day for Regulars. The numbers don’t really matter though. I often find I stop reading BB when I run out of likes. If I’ve got my hands tied in a way where I can’t acknowledge a comment without unduly interrupting the flow of conversation, I stop participating. I think @anon67050589 has chosen to do this in a more permanent fashion.
I guess I’ve never had to actually wait for a refresh. I keep reading the discussions, mentally bookmark stuff to like later, maybe post a few things of my own, and go to bed. The really good posts are never lacking likes. For the person of that post, this show of support resonates even if a few regulars have to wait a bit to like it (if they haven’t already).
If raising the limit means getting back commenters like @anon67050589, I’m not opposed to it. I just don’t understand how running out of likes would discourage one from continuing to read and participate in discussions. That part is foreign to me. The discussions are enough to keep me engaged even once I’ve run out.
I’ll take the 24-hour challenge—once I’ve liked your post, of course.
Been trying to reply to this to explain but my post keeps getting out of hand and heading off the rails badly.
Different people use things in different ways is the best I can come up with. Will try again when Im a tad more focused.
I tend to enjoy and appreciate most of the comments I read here, I just don’t up-vote them all, hence I never run out of “likes” (and I still don’t have “regular” next to my name.)
I would probably just set huge multipliers for tl2/3/4 and leave defaults lowish. cause now tl0 and 1 which are super duper easy to get are going to be allowed to “like bomb” anyone. Ultimately your call, maybe I am imagining a problem that in practice does not happen.
I saw that @jlw raised it in another thread, I bet we’re OK now. I’m going to find the time soon to dig into Discourse – it’s been a while since I last did and there are many more things to tinker with!
Honestly, there are posts I write where the approval of specific people matters. Sometimes it’s general, where core users act as a sort of bellwether for reasonableness and reassuring me I’m not alone.
Other times it’s more context sensitive and it depends on the specifics of a discussion, where a like can mean that we’ve got a conversation happening and can function as a sort of nod or otherwise indicate we’re on the same page about something without having to get into a 6+ character reply that basically says, “Yeah.”
I’ve personally never run out of likes, despite trying a couple of times, But I also only half-understand how quickly people hit their like limits. Still I’ve come around to the point of view that likes are best left unlimited if only because they’ve taken on an important function that basically substitutes for an element in body language normally absent from text-based discussions. I think that now that the limit has been raised, it will be interesting to see how things work this way.
I’d be more than happy to see it close. I’m not sure we’re going to find anyone in here anymore, anyway. Also to you and @jlw: Thanks again, and apologies for being a bit militant near the end there.
Also, I’m gratified to know that many other posters were helped by this tempest that I inadvertently started. You didn’t just help me, you helped a lot of dedicated mutants.
) but I’ve never yet run out, so part of me is thinking “y’all are too free and easy with your affections.” But on the other hand … WTF not^? Then again, it could just be that I’m conveniently located, timezone-wise, or I just don’t get to read as many threads as the rest of you 
It’s even more amusing when they notice this and get upset because they’re being consistently ignored.
