what a LIKE means to me
In short, it means I read it. When I hit the ‘like’ button on a blog post, that means that I read the blog post. It means that I read the title, I was intrigued, I clicked on the link, and read the post, or watched the video, or looked at the photos.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that I enjoyed the content, or that I agree with it. But I was interested enough to read from start to finish. If I thought it was interesting, but it was really, really long and I only read half or a quarter, that won’t get a like. Because that would feel disingenuous to give someone a like if I didn’t even finish reading all the words they took the time to put down. If I thought it was interesting, but I certainly didn’t agree, or it even made me angry or disappointed or confused, that will still get a like. Because I finished reading it and it gave me food for thought.
What does a like mean to you?
61 comments on “what a LIKE means to me”
Honk at me:
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The Honking Goose 
I “liked” your comment on that post about legalized weed. Well said! Well said indeed. 🙂
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TY I’m also trying to destroy the confidence of that guy whose anti-marijuana kids book you shared today, hope you don’t mind. 😀
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Feel free. It is his book.
You probably didn’t know this, but I wrote a long post on marijuana use. In it I let people know that I personally smoke, regularly. I also laid out my claim that weed isn’t a gateway drug and challenged anyone to compare brain waves. No one took me up on the challenge, but I got tons of emails hahahaha. Negative ones. 😉
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I don’t know if I saw that post, I’ll look for it. Link?
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This was a while ago and is probably not on my page anymore. This was back when Nancy Grace called all weed users losers and dumb. So I wrote a retort to her ignorant ass. 😄
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Pingback: Sunday Round Up #9 | Laidig's Broadway
I don’t mind if others skim my posts, but the likes I get from my family are kind of important.
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I don’t share this blog with my family. 😉
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I should have been smart and not started off that way. 🙂
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Oh, I started out that way too. This isn’t my first rodeo.
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Agreed
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Oddly, I view it the other way. A like means I have seen something but didn’t really read or whatever, a comment is what I associate with your like. I comment if I read the entire post and it resonated, negatively or positively.
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Interesting that you ‘like’ things you haven’t read. I can’t bring myself to do that. It would be like putting a stamp of approval on something of possibly questionable merit. And that is not to judge how you interact at all, just saying where I’m at with it.
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Yikes, I didn’t know there was an etiquette to these sort of things. Maybe my standards are too high. I can only describe it as if I was eating a meal. It might be a very nice dinner even though I haven’t complimented you on your cooking…but sometimes you can’t help but blurt out, ‘Yum’ when you get something that suits your particular taste. Sometimes your food is just the back drop to great conversation and company, sometimes it steals the show…that’s a LIKE
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I like the food analogy. Even more on point because I have been working in a (mediocre) restaurant kitchen for the past year.
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I often Like things just to support a blogger that I think well of, especially for book rvs, if it isn’t a book I’m interested in but I I appreciate the time and thought that’s gone into the rv. If I’m really interested I’ll make a comment too. And there are people I’m sure never actually read my posts who who regularly give me Likes, so if I possibly can I’ll give them a Like too. Sometimes in all conscience I just can’t.
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I too have found blogs where I just can’t bring myself to give them a like, but luckily those are rare.
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I agree with that. I’ve often gone to another’s site which doesn’t share my political or religious belief, but if it is interesting/thought-provoking, my like means it was worth the read. It’s hard to visit someone’s blog and go through half a dozen posts and not remotely like one thing and then feel the guilt of leaving because you don’t want to give a disingenuous like. But fake likes are no good. Sometimes you just have to shrug and come back later.
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Yes, BTDT
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Same as you
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Jumped over from the reblog on Ann’s Corner – copying the comment I left for her as well.
Speaking for more than myself, I’m fairly certain
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I follow many bloggers, so there aren’t enough minutes in the day to comment on each post of every single one every single time (especially since there are more than a few who post daily or several a day.) I don’t expect it from my followers either – although I’m always thrilled to find a comment from one of them, and try to respond in an authentic manner.
FIRST – and several times most days – I click like from new posts in the reader to help their stats (and truly appreciate same) – and then go back to jump over to scan quickly more posts than I can really justify, given what else I have to do. So if your post is at the top – JUST sent – you’re right, I haven’t read it YET. Doesn’t mean I won’t.
I spend about an hour (or more) every single day sprinkling comments on the blogs of my buds – in addition to the hours I spend answering them on my own blog, jumping over to return the favor by leaving one on theirs – after finding and reading a post that inspires me to comment more than “I was here – thanks for your comment on my turf.”
I still have to find time to research and write my own content, bathe, house-keep, walk, groom and play with my puppy, and -oh yeah- reserve SOME time for activities that keep a roof over our heads and food on our tables. And THEN there are those who want to correspond by email or on Facebook as well. I wish I had more than 24 hours each day, but none of us do – and all of us have to sleep for a goodly portion of them.
My advice? Don’t personalize engagement – especially infrequent. The fact that they are liking and reading AT ALL means you are doing something right. If you truly need the feedback, you might think about hiring an editor – very few of your blog buddies will have the time to fill that role.
I’m have now jumped over to copy my comment on the source. Even tho’ it’s 6:15 PM on a Sat., I have about 8 hours of actual income-producing WORK to do before I can sleep — and my puppy got sick, so he needs a bath.
My two cents. Hope this illuminates some of the actions of others as well.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
– ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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I agree with your statement “don’t personalize engagement – especially infrequent”. If I ever do get sucked into that, it is not the norm. And certainly it is much more rewarding to have personal engagement with regular readers/commenters.
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Any engagement is welcome engagement in my book. I live for community.
Some of my “regulars” comment only a couple of times a year, and others say something like, “I’ve been reading for years but this is my first comment.” Some of my posts have very few “likes” but a bunch of rating stars, so I surmise that what I write is being read by people looking for help. That’s why I blog.
xx,
mgh
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Same except sometimes I like to support.
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Pingback: The Value of a “LIKE” | Ann's Corner
Likes mean different things. I might like and agree with the content. Or I might appreciate the phrases and the way words are strung together like pearls.
And I struggle too with numbers of likes. If I get a high number, does that mean I should keep writing more of the same? If I get a low number, should I stop that kind of piece.
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Oh man, really? I never take that into consideration when deciding what to write about.
Just do your thing.
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If it intrigues me, I “like” it. I’m a little surprised by how few people make comments that object to things I wrote but maybe they just move on. As to whether or not I agree with the content, that’s not relevant and if I strongly disagree I’ll say so.
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I like to hear from the other side too, keeps things interesting.
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I hit like if I enjoyed what was in the post but have nothing to say or maybe I do have something to say and I’m about to comment
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I’m much the same as you, although I can tell that many people just click ‘like’ willy-nilly because of the timing between the ‘liked’ posts that I see in my inbox! While it adds support in the general scheme of things and is, I believe, taken note of by Google in terms of popularity, it’s disappointing not to know whether someone has actually read and appreciated the full post. I’ve been cheating recently because of the current state of my eyesight but told my followers so. I wanted to try and show my usual support even while it’s been a struggle to read. I guess, a little like they say regarding publicity, a ‘like’ is a ‘like’ is a ‘like’!
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That gets under my skin too. Occasionally I have called out someone who ‘liked’ a post before there was any time to read it. Always that person will then read the post and comment to prove they’ve read it – LOL.
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I did that once in the early days and never saw them again!
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That’s fine too!
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I’ve had “likes” immediately after posting a long detailed post. It does make you wonder….do some people see the pic and an initial comment in the reader and like it from there without clicking through to read the post?
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It seems pretty obvious they do. What is the point of that? IDK
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Maybe WordPress needs to make a button pop up that says “WHY?” after you click like, so that you HAVE to say something decent about why you like it 😉 😛
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I’m sure they do!
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Well, that certainly devalues a “like”…… 😦
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Yup.
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When read a post, I hope I can genuinely “like ” It. If I do, I press like, unless I can’t rightly “like” the content for some reason. If that’s the case, I try to leave a comment so that the person will know I read the post. I would like people to do the same for me 😉
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That seems like a good approach.
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It works for me.
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It works for me 🙂
I’m I think if someone “likes” my post for some particular reason, other than agreeing with it, I’d like to know more about that. Otherwise, I’m left thinking that the person is in agreement.
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Me too, I’m always open to hearing from people who disagree with what I write.
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I’m always open to criticism and opinions and suggestions too
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Excuse all these typos, please, or fix them!
Haha!!!! 😉
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Hi Honk, I pretty much feel the same way insanity feels. I don’t get many likes, maybe because of the nature of my posts, which is poetry, or my attempt at it. I would like to write more pieces like you do, but not sure I have the writing chops to do that kind of material.
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Well, I’m never sure if I do either. And I’ve taken some missteps along the way, and I mean that I have done so publicly, on this blog. When I realize I’ve made a mistake, I admit it, learn from it, and move on. 🙂
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I think part of my problem is that I am afraid that I wont be able to express what I want to say in a way that I really want to. I think your outlook about it is very good. I just need to apply myself and write what I feel, and take the chance.
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I also write a lot of draft posts and save them for later if they need more work, but there is a seed of something good there.
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I have a question that I have been wondering about, what is the difference between a blog and a page? When I post should I put it on both?
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My blog has just two pages, the HOME page with all my blog posts, and an ABOUT page which is ‘static’ doesn’t change. I have comments turned off on the about page, too (personal preference). I don’t know if that answers your question?
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No, not really. I will have to look it up.It is like an option to the actual blog post, it says pages, so I am assuming it may show up somewhere else.
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I could do that to, that’s a good piece of advice.
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I like to say hi, to leave a sign that I was here and I read you. Sometimes I just have nothing to say. 🙂
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That’s cool with me!
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Likewise…
like your article but don’t have a comment for you
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Sometimes I hate to “like” a post because I don’t necessarily agree with the post. I click like just to show support and like you said, as an acknowledgement that I was intrigued enough to read the article 😊👍
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Makes sense to me!
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Me too..
I love ❤️ to show support which is encouraging and motivational..
And because I’m hoping to get the same in return
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