QUESTION: What does it mean when someone likes my post? ANSWER: That depends on the person who clicked the like button. I will "like" a post for a lot of different reasons. The most obvious would be that I liked what that person had to say. That doesn't mean that I necessarily agree with it. Perhaps because I'm the administrator of the forum, I like it when people have a good discussion so I will often like a post when I can see that someone put some thought into it, which is why you might see me liking both sides of an argument. Of course, being a human being, I am probably more likely to like something that I agree with. I might also like posts in which people are relating to one another in ways that I might consider to be healthy for the forum. I might like a post because it included something that I hadn't already known about. I am also more generous with my likes when it comes to new members, as a way of encouraging them to feel comfortable here. I imagine that others here have their own reasons for clicking the like button.
I like a post when I agree with what's said, or when I enjoy the post for whatever reason, or just to acknowledge that I have seen someone's response to me. I'm usually in a quandary when someone posts that they are unwell or have had something unfortunate happen... I want them to know I see the post but I don't actually "like" that they are having difficulty.
@Beth Gallagher - yep, I don't put a like if its a bad day post, a reply is best for me to acknowledge As for likes - I have to like the post
To me a "like" can express a number of things e.g.: I like the whole post, (quite often I like (only) part of it , I have seen or read the post, and a "Like" can also express a Thank you for something smeone else has done/posted. It all depends on the context.
I press the like button for reasons very similar to what you have stated @Ken Anderson . Sometime I press the like button when I feel I owe a like to a certain person for several likes to my own self. I press the like button when I like what they said or sometime when i like the way they said something. On occasion, I like something I do not agree with simply because I feel the person is quite sincere and has conviction about a subject. I, too, press the like button on occasion for a new person's comment, to encourage them to participate.I often don't press the like button because I think something is trivial or better left unsaid. or I simply do not understand the subject being discussed or do not know enough about it. I think we all have different reasons, some are simple, and sometime they are difficult to explain,
I pretty much agree with all the above. One thing I do look for in a post, especially a very long post, is the structure. It’s a given that we no longer indent the first word of a paragraph but some folks have a hard time simply making a paragraph or possibly do not know what paragraphs are for. I’m not saying that the structure of a post is the make or break item that causes me to put a like on a post but if the presentation is there, chances are I will not only read it in its entirety but also provide the merit reward as well. Reading a post is like partaking of a meal. If it starts out looking good, I will probably enjoy reading it even if I might perchance dislike some of its content. Note: There is one thing I mention though. No matter how good the structure is and even if I might agree with the premise, if the post is rude and / or contains a myriad of off color words, it will Never get a like out of me.
I 'like' a post because it's interesting whether or not I agree with the content. I feel that I am getting to know the contributor a little bit too especially if our interests are similar.
Structure is immaterial to me since we're posting on the fly here, and what gets presented may not get an "A" from Mrs. Murphy's English Composition class. As long as it's interesting, I'm interested.
Most people on the fly aren’t writing long posts or reading them which is why I specified “long posts”. I’m kinda freaky about search engines and if the subject is substantial enough, it needs to be presented in such a way that anyone, anywhere in the world can glean something out of it. But again, the thread is all about the likes and isn’t asking why I write the way I do but instead, is asking why I like another’s material.