So lets talk about a "Like Button" :)

[Sean Thomas]

[/quote]

hey how come I still look/act like the first guy in line?


Honestly I would be be happy either way, like button or not. But maybe a "two thums up" button would be the best for this site Then some people could think of me when they press the new button


Also whats up with all the "nice TR" haters in these threads? Whats wrong with saying, "hey, great TR" or "nice job so and so" and leaving it at that? Sometimes the smallest showings of appreciation can mean a lot, especialy if its from folks you look up to and idolize. For example I know DN/EP often comment on my TR's saying things like, "nice TR" and it always means a lot to me. These guys are uber legends of PH but they've become good friends of mine outside of the forum, so it means a lot when to me when they show appreciation of any kind, even if its not some lengthy/involved comment or doesnt ignite some ground breaking discussion about firearms or like buttons

[Peder]

No like like button.

This is my take too - write a comment if you wish or otherwise just move on! This is not some kind of popularity competition; if you really like something, you can take a minute or two to respond.

[Peder]

Karl - If it was not you, I would write GENIUS! Anyhow, super hilarious! It almost matches my shirt from our Mt Venus hike...

[Eric Peterson]

Actually, what Peder said I really LIKE a lot!

However, maybe just some sort of way to 'remember' popular TR's without using a BM on the users end?

You know, kind of like how the Home page of PH will show what the current popular TR's are in the
Trip Reports area. Maybe some other page that shows the all time most clicked on TR's? Not really
a popularity contest just a fact of life

I really like what Peder said though!

write a comment if you wish or otherwise just move on! This is not some kind of popularity competition

[Waffle Stomper]

A view doesn't show appreciation.

And a Like does? A Like is cheap, so easy to do you don't even have to look at the post to click it. It's yet another mechanosocial concoction that encourages frivolous clatter at the expense of meaningful interaction.

(I apparently feel stronger about it than I thought when the topic first came up. )

I am now drifting to the other side LOL. Although there is a small leaning towards a "thank you" button that appears only after the post is viewed.

[Aardvark]

I'm not on here too much, but won't let that stop me from chiming in -

I don't favor the idea of a cheap, gratuitous "like" button. As others said before - if you genuinely appreciate a post - a quick "thank you" in text is much more meaningful.

So what happens if a post gets 300 views and only 50 "likes"? does that mean 250 people didn't like it?

Conversely - if you get 300 likes on same post, you know at least some people are just being generous - which may be nice, but doesn't offer any worthwhile feedback.

opens up a whole can o worms IMO

[vibramhead]

Okay, Karl has won this debate, hands down. Nothing more need be said.

[kepPNW]

Also whats up with all the "nice TR" haters in these threads? Whats wrong with saying, "hey, great TR" or "nice job so and so" and leaving it at that? Sometimes the smallest showings of appreciation can mean a lot,

I actually do agree fully here. All except the "haters" bit. Could be some feelings that such short acknowledgements might be seen as insincere? I dunno. It's possible I've moved away from making really short replies like that for just that reason? Like you, though, I do appreciate *all* comments to my TRs, and I'd probably feel the same way about folks clicking a Like/Whatever button if there were one. At first I was really strongly in favor of adding an "easy button" acknowledgement. After hearing all the replies, I'm good either way, I guess.

Anyhow, super hilarious! It almost matches my shirt from our Mt Venus hike...

When I stumbled across that one, I just knew it had to be here. (Always thought the graphic on your shirt was a classic!)

[sprengers4jc]

Karl, that graphic is genius! Y'all always make me laugh with your cleverness .

<soapbox>
What I will say is, as a tail-end Gen Xer, I understand the thinking behind adding features such as a 'like' or 'thank you' button. It's a quick and easy way to show someone you have read what they posted. But I dislike the impersonal 'Facebookization' (thanks for that word, Adam!) of everything on the interwebs. I highly prefer (as others said) when people take the time to leave a message instead and do that myself on a very regular basis. It all comes down to this: what is our motive for posting reports? Is it not to generate discussion in this forum and share the special places of the Northwest with others? Or is it a popularity contest? If it's a popularity contest, I am surely losing that contest to people like Sean and the Nat/Ben duo, who always generate a ton of views on their epic reports . But personally, I post to share easier but worthwhile hikes that others may not usually consider doing, to update on current conditions of a popular place, or share some off-the-beaten-path places that we have discovered that I think others might enjoy. And if no one stumbles across the post because I posted it on a Saturday morning of a holiday weekend and it gets lost in the shuffle, who cares? Someone will see it eventually and maybe it will be just the info he or she is looking for. None of us really need validation from anyone else here but if someone does take the time to read it, then he or she can always leave a quick message acknowledging it so you know that taking the time out of one's increasingly-busy life to create the report is appreciated. The world needs more people willing to actually interact with each other and fewer impersonal buttons to click.
</soapbox>

[BigBear]

The "like" button or the red-yellow-green management reports (something some organizations are doing to avoid actual numbers) will have us grunting like Neanderthal cavemen in no time. Feedback is more than a thumbs up or thumbs down. If someone posts a dozen pictures and the feedback is "like" the obvious question is: what did you like about them?

Personally, I "like" all trip reports with pictures because I can see the view, the weather conditions (esp. snow), etc. I really like the posts where the pictures are vibrant and make me think either (a) I wish I took that picture or (2) I had that poster framed on my wall. And, the "like" key would not be able to differentiate between those two reactions (like and really like).