AIBU to think a "like" button would be great on the threads?

[strawberrisc]

I have a very strange sleep pattern and often wake up at unsociable hours. I love reading through AIBU but by this time most of the discussions have run their course. I'm currently crying laughing at comments on the "Breastfed Baby on Board" and "Husband Hobbies" threads. There's no point replying to the funny comments near the beginning as the posters will probably not see them but I'd love to give them a thumbs up for brightening my day (night!). I'm thinking along the lines of the (whispers) Daily Mail arrow system. Please don't hate me!

I kind of get it OP -but maybe an 'agree' or 'seconded' button or something to just highlight you have the same response. There's so many threads with pages and pages of the same answer, its sometimes hard to spot those that go against the grain and see a different perspective.

I don't like the idea.

Personally what I like about MN is that there is equality of posting.

If a post gets loads of likes it gives it more "weight".

Not having this allows/forces to to take each post on its own merit without prejudice about how many other people liked/disliked it.

I also think it promotes lurking rather than active participation.

Every time this comes up I say a big fat NO THANKS. The good thing about MN is that it isn't FB or the comments section of the Daily Mail.

Fortunately MNHQ have so far agreed because it's called MN Talk for a reason.

No, let's keep this forum different from many others.

It would take the place of " I agree with X "
No big deal really.

Here's what MNHQ generally post on these threads-

Hi - thanks for the suggestion. As you can see, it's not the most popular idea and we don't really feel it would be appropriate for the site as we're all about discussion and debate.

I'd like one.i cba to post much these days. So a quick like would suit me.

It would take the place of 'this' which is all over the site now, so I can't see how it would make much difference to the site.

I use Reddit (are we allowed to name other forums? Sorry if not!) and they have an upvote system for threads and comments. It works well over there but it's been that way for as long as I can remember so people are used to It, probably different to just introduce it.

I sometimes get confused and after reading a helpful comment on here I try and upvote it then remember I'm on MN

It would get all competitive and backslappy. I'd hate it. Mind you I'd spend less time on here so that might be a bonus.

I am not sure why people want all the sites they go on to be exactly the same.

If you can't think of anything to say, you can write "I like your post Someone".

But hopefully you will think of something to say, and will make a more specific or meaningful contribution , e.g. "I like your post Someone, I too suffer from guineapig cuteness overload, you are not alone".

People would just click like/dislike instead of actually posting what they think so the conversation and debate element of MN would be diminshed.

Also you'd have someone post, get a load of likes and then someone will click dislike. OK will ask "who disliked it? Who would be so heartless as to dislike this thing that I've posted? Why? WHY!?" followed by five hundred posts speculating on reasons for the single dislike ranging from "that poster must be having a bad day, buy her a creme egg" to "what a twat badger", it won't even reach the end of page one before someone suggests the rogue disliker possibly has SN of some sort. After a huge argument, three flounces, a strongly worded "ahem!" from MNHQ, and several accusations of sock puppeting, the disliker sheepishly posts to say that she was holding the baby while reading and while it was flailing it's pudgy little hands around it accidentally connected with the dislike button. Debate then follows about whether it's right or wrong to post with the baby on your lap.

If you quote, people will quote quotes and quote quotes in quotes, and there will be posts like this:

Sarah, 27th June 2017 08:24 am

Ruth said on 27th June 2017 08:22 am

Joan said on 27th June 2017 08:20 am

Maggie said on 27th June 08:18 am
I really like Poldark
Yeah, he is hawt
Poldark is great but not just because he is hawt
Even if you don't think he is hawt it's still a good show

This has been discussed many times. It would just change the nature of mumsnet too much. The usp of mumsnet is how simple it is. Post something- discuss with people. No tickers, no quotes, no likes, no dancing emojis, no avatars, barely any graphics at all. Just conversation.
There are plenty of sites with all that stuff. Mumsnet doesn't need to try to be like them.

That's how I feel Adalinde. It's bad enough that the non MN emojis are used. I like that it's plain IYKWIM.

I don't like the competitiveness of like buttons, but many times I wish I could have an 'I agree' button. Others are so much better at saying things and if I agree I can contribute without clumsily answering.

I find I'm often automatically looking to click 'Like' because that's what we're used to in other places, but I haven't added the 'Like' option to my own internet discussion forum, and I don't think it's a great idea for Mumsnet.

As others have said, it would tend to stifle conversation rather than anything. You click Like and then don't feel the need to post.

As for a Quote function, the lack of it often causes confusion - people copying and pasting from each other to reply to a specific comment, but often without adding any quotation marks, or bolding the quote, or giving any other indication it wasn't their own comment/opinion. It gets very muddly and sometimes leads to discord!

On my board we have a function where you highlight a phrase in your post (eg one copied from the previous poster which you are planning to reply to), click 'Quote' from the same range of options as Bold or Italic, and it appears in a neat little box, unmistakably a quote. But MN is a different sort of board and doesn't have those sort of options (here, we have to type in characters to give Bold, for example) so it wouldn't work the same here.

I just bold the poster's name and reply directly to them. There's that weird '@' thing where they get an email but I never bother with it and I have it switched off for myself.

God no, I'd hate to see a like button.

No, no, no, no, no!

This comes up regularly.

MN have even had user polls about it. They said 'no' too.

The pain in the arse thing about having no quote function is frequently having to scroll back to see what it is someone is agreeing with. Or disagreeing for that matter.

@Bearfrills

Brilliant post!

Definitely no to a like button. I do think though, that MN could be improved with:

1. A better search function (ever since I reregged, searching for someone's username only yields results if their post is within the first 100 of a thread)

1. The ability to view our personal post history

1. Numbered posts

1. Quoted posts and a tab next to "threads I'm on" titled "posts I've been quoted in" (with the current system sometimes people use different parts of your username e.g. AnnaWinter being called Anna and then Winter by different folks, making it difficult to keep track of everything)

How my fingers have itched to like, arrow up or cryingwithlaughter emoji some of your responses!