POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

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POLL: What does the "thumbs up" button on comments mean to you?

I "like" you or your comment, I "agree with" you or your comment, "high-five!"/"Amen!"
51
61%
I don't necessarily "agree with" your comment but "thank you" anyway
27
32%
I disagree with your comment, but I like you as a person
2
2%
It doesn't mean anything, I press it indiscriminately
4
5%
 
Total votes: 84
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Jonesy
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Jonesy »

Jesef wrote: January 12th, 2019, 1:22 pm I'm finding people's use of options 2 & 3 very interesting. It's a "thumbs up" folks! In music, on Instagram, in sign language, it means "Agree"/"Like"/"Vote for". I'm not telling you what to mean, but this sure explains a lot of misinterpretation on my part (& many others I've seen who assumed "thumbs up" meant "I like" the comment/content itself). We all like each other as people, right? Why do we need to affirm we "like" the person, even if we fundamentally disagree with what they said? Maybe just say that in a comment or a PM?
Where do you see a “thumbs up”? All I see is a “thanks” button. It literally is a button that says “thanks”. And after you press it, it says “These users thanked the author [whoever] for the post”.
Last edited by Jonesy on January 12th, 2019, 5:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Jesef
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Jesef »

Ah, you may have exposed another variation here: could be browser or OS difference, but I think it's those viewing the "new" version of the forum vs the "old" - the new version is a "thumbs up" symbol. When you click it, it says the same thing "[you & others] thanked [that person" - that's the same.

Finrock
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Finrock »

Thanks for communicating with me (whether I agree or not). I appreciate your sincerity (whether I agree or not). I agree with you; I think this is great. That made me laugh. Thank you for participating in my thread. No hard feelings; nothing personal. Thought provoking; great insight.

These are probably all of the different reasons that I can think of right now as to how/when/why I use the "Thanks" button.

-Finrock

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Jesef
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Jesef »

Since all communication is "symbols" (words, emojis, etc.) that are interpreted by a receiver (reader, in the case of an online forum), it is interesting to me that only 50% of the time (in our current voting sample of 32) does a "thumbs up" or "thanks" mean agreement/like/high-five. It makes more sense if many of you are seeing "thanks" instead of "thumbs up" too. I apologize to Jonesy & anyone else for whom I may have misinterpreted their "thanks" as agreeing with something derogatory or mistaking that as their position also!

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Jonesy
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Jonesy »

Not even a problem, Jesef. No harm done. I wouldn’t be sad if “thumbs up/thanks” were done away with.

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Rose Garden
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Rose Garden »

Jesef wrote: January 12th, 2019, 3:59 pm Thanks, Meili. I think #2 can mean the "partial agreement" one as well. The "I read your comment & am choosing not to reply" is a new one!
I use it generally to end an argument. If there's been a lot of back and forth on an issue and it's getting no where, I'll sometimes just hit thumbs up to let the other person know that I did actually read their comment rather than just overlooking it. Then when I don't reply, they aren't left wondering.

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Jesef
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Jesef »

That's pretty awesome, Meili - thanks for that - I like it!

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Silver Pie
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Silver Pie »

POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

How about - "I disagree with your conclusions, but I appreciate the effort you put into your thoughtful (and usually well-researched) reply."

This is in addition to - "I agree with you."
"Good rebuttal" (I thank both sides of arguments/debates when I see a good rebuttal. It has nothing to do with whether I agree or not.)
"I like what you said here."
"You have made me think. Thank you."
"Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question/concern/opinion."


There are probably other reasons I post a thanks. And, oftentimes I may post it in response to one or two things in the post even though I totally would not for some other part of the post.

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Silver Pie
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Silver Pie »

When thumbs up were first talked about here, I was all for it because often someone would make a really good post but I could not think of anything to say in response. The thumbs up option gave me (and a lot of people, according to the discussions we had) the opportunity to let people know their posts had been useful, enlightening, etc. Up to that time, many people were hurt because they felt their posts were being ignored when they weren't.

And, like what was said above, another reason I post "thanks" is if someone says something funny. (Or even if they are trying to be funny in an effort to defuse someone's anger, like FFA used to do sometimes.)

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Jesef
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Jesef »

This poll has been eye-opening for me as a blogger. Only about half of the time does a person mean option 1 - I "like" you or your comment, I "agree with" you or your comment, "high-five!"/"Amen!" - when they give a thumbs up (or "thank you" if they're still seeing the old version of the forum). Don't make assumptions!

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Silver Pie
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Silver Pie »

Bump - in case someone who hasn't seen the poll wants to take it.

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ori
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by ori »

I quite often (most of the time) use it to mean "I agree with the general sentiment - but not necessarily every little statement". I also really like to use it as a "Thanks for providing that viewpoint. It is a perspective I did not know about, or you showed it in a new light. Or you provided new information." Sometimes it just means, "I appreciate you taking the time to comment on this." It almost never means "I disagree with your comment but like you as a person." I wish there was a button for that, I'd use it quite frequently with "justme". I don't agree with him often but for some reason I really like him. Haha :D

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creator
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by creator »

In my mind, the "thumbs up" was always intended as a positive or neutral indicator, directed towards the content of the post and not the person who wrote it. I don't always 100% agree on posts that I thumbs up but I at least agree with enough of it that I'm willing to express thanks. FWIW.

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Silver Pie
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Silver Pie »

I agree. The thumbs up should be acknowledging the content, not the person who wrote it.

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Silver Pie
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Silver Pie »

Bump.

I think the poll would be better with double the options. There are many reasons to use it, including acknowledging someone quoting you when you don't have anything to say in return (you want them to know you've read their response). Also, a good post that you don't see how to add to, but they should know they're not being ignored by those who read it.

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Gadianton Slayer
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Gadianton Slayer »

Image

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FoxMammaWisdom
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by FoxMammaWisdom »

Craig Johnson wrote: January 12th, 2019, 2:00 pm To me it means, "I am sending you a dopamine rush."

I gave you a thumbs up because I don't necessarily "agree with" your comment but "thank you" anyway. Made me laugh :lol: :lol:

CuriousThinker
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by CuriousThinker »

For me it can mean I agree, but other times it is thanking for new information or showing me a side of something I never thought about, even if i don't necessarily agree.

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Reluctant Watchman
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Reluctant Watchman »

I'm always elated when someone removes a thumbs up. That brings on the warm fuzzies. Usually this is brought about because they hit the thumbs up and not the quote button in order to berate me. 🙂

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Niemand
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Niemand »

You've seen the gladiator films... it means someone is not to be put to death. 😂👍

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Silver Pie
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Silver Pie »

Reluctant Watchman wrote: August 7th, 2022, 10:03 pm I'm always elated when someone removes a thumbs up. That brings on the warm fuzzies. Usually this is brought about because they hit the thumbs up and not the quote button in order to berate me. 🙂
I have removed thumbs up for that reason - sort of. I thought I was hitting the quote button, but I wasn't going to berate anyone in my reply. 😁

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Silver Pie
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Silver Pie »

It is much easier to actually hit the quote button on a laptop than on a phone.

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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Reluctant Watchman »

Silver Pie wrote: August 8th, 2022, 2:13 pm
Reluctant Watchman wrote: August 7th, 2022, 10:03 pm I'm always elated when someone removes a thumbs up. That brings on the warm fuzzies. Usually this is brought about because they hit the thumbs up and not the quote button in order to berate me. 🙂
I have removed thumbs up for that reason - sort of. I thought I was hitting the quote button, but I wasn't going to berate anyone in my reply. 😁
A good censure once in a while isn't always a bad thing... :)

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Silver Pie
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Silver Pie »

Reluctant Watchman wrote: August 8th, 2022, 2:33 pm A good censure once in a while isn't always a bad thing... :)
😆

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Wolfwoman
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Re: POLL: What does the "thumbs up" on a comment mean to you?

Post by Wolfwoman »

Here it is a few years later...

And I'm seeing people on Facebook say that a thumbs up doesn't mean much to them, or it's a 'meh'. Which I think is ridiculous.
They would rather see a Heart or a Haha. Anything less is horrible, apparently. I guess I should stop giving out so many likes. But it's hard for me to not give them out. LOL!

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