Now that MNHQ has given us a support emoji reaction can we have a laugh out loud one as well?

[IwantToRetire]

Not much good news, but was pleased to see that we can now "react" with a of support.

Such an important part of FWR.

But another positive would be able to tell someone they had made us laugh out loud.

So maybe have a react or .... ?

I can’t do reactions on the app other than “thanks”. That big launch of the new app and there’s still so much we can’t do!

People will always find a way to repurpose an emoji to fit their needs. If there isn't a way to disagree with people then the closest emoji, which is now the support one, will be used instead. A thumbs down might be a polite but unambiguous way to say that I don't agree with your perspective? Better than a sarcastic "support" which implies that you think the poster is unhinged.

It was being used against parents with children with special needs eg ‘my child has sn and is really suffering with school/friends/health because…’ then a laughing reaction was given, sometimes to every single post by a particular mumsnetter on one thread. It was spoken about on one thread I saw, the poster was very distressed about it obviously. I think it was right to remove it.

But @AprilinPortugal is also right - And yet people are allowed to continue to verbally abuse posters and that's hurtful too! The continued rudeness spoiling some threads is going to make some people leave, and attract people who just want to be a shit online and they don’t care who to or about what. They don’t want to discuss, they want to vent their anger.

So one shitty poster was repeatedly abusing the emoji on one thread and because of that all the other posters have to prevented from using it?

Maybe remove it from some family, health,and bereavement threads, but put it back everywhere else? I've made thousands of posts and never saw it used sarcastically, and was always rather pleased if I managed to make anyone laugh.

FWR definitely needs a bore-off emoji

No it wasn’t ’one’ shitty poster, it was more.

you said a laughing reaction was given, sometimes to every single post by a particular mumsnetter on one thread

a particular shitty mumsnetter, not more.

are you going to add them one at a time?

I’ll clarify.

It was being used against parents with children with special needs eg ‘my child has sn and is really suffering with school/friends/health because…’ then a laughing reaction was given, sometimes to every single post by a particular mumsnetter on one thread. It was spoken about on one thread I saw, the poster was very distressed about it obviously. I think it was right to remove it.

Multiple people said they were given the laughter emoji in a mocking way after they had revealed something sensitive. I read one thread involving sn where someone said a specific poster had posted this emoji on every comment she had made, and was asking why.

I’m sure there are people posting on mumsnet who think this is okay. I’m also sure people might think ‘I want this emoji therefore we should have that emoji.’ Mumsnet have chosen to remove it.

So what?! We are all adults here aren’t we? And honestly you don’t strike me as a particularly sensitive to others poster @Viviennemary 😁

Maybe if you received it on posts of your baby loss you'd see why MN removed it. It wasn't being used by one or two posters, if you looked on site stuff you'd see many posters were receiving this cowardly type of bullying from people. It takes more balls to publicly mock people's stories of loss or assault. I don't think being upset at someone cowardly laughing at people's personal experiences makes someone not an adult.

I did receive it. On posts about my autistic child. I couldn’t give less of a hoot tbh. And I noted that it was the same names doing it over again - I actually called one of them out for it. I think “whole class punishments” are inappropriate on a site for adults/parent and had it been left alone then the posters on the site would have overall moderated it till in time until it became Not The Done Thing and a handy guide to who the spiteful arseholes were.

Well good for you it didn't bother you, you don't get to tell other woman that they shouldn't give a hoot at someone laughing at their baby loss in a deliberate "I don't like you so I'm gonna do this" way. The whole point of the private reaction is that's it not possible for other posters to moderate it at all. Given how it was used by A LOT of posters given it had so many complaints, there's just not a good reason why a private laugh reaction is needed on a discussion board. If you find it funny, join the discussion and say so or just laugh to yourself? No one really needs a pat on the back for a joke, and it's just not worth it when it's not how it was being used.

🤣

I, quite clearly didn’t tell other women how to react to anything, don’t make things up. I spoke for myself and my own situation as is my right to do, and that, at least, is permitted, even if the laughing emoji is not.

Perhaps MN should just give up on the idea of these emoji reactions being secret.It is a bit weird. Like being in a pub and quietly collaring someone on the way to the toilet to whisper that you liked something they said back at the bar.

I know why MN did it this way. Users have historically moaned about the 'popularity contest' of public likes. But the correct response to the would just be not having a 'like' function (which is essentially what all these little reactions are). at all. We could just, you know, say that we enjoyed such and such a comment.

There would be more space for such words if threads weren't overstuffed with stupid pointless quoting of earlier replies. If a quote is needed, just C&P the relevant words.

TLDR: Lets go back to MN of the 00s.

It was being used to ridicule posters by laughing at their contributions when it was clear there was nothing remotely amusing about the post.

The reason it was taken away was it allowed this kind of ridicule to take place behind closed doors, as it were, ie; without being brave enough to say it in front of other posters.

If you find something funny, I don't know what is wrong with quoting and posting 😂. That way everyone shares in the amusement. Laughing doesn't need to be done privately unless you are a bit ashamed at some level to be laughing at it.

I think there is a case for none of them to be private - though agreeing is probably less problematic than laughing at someone.

I sometimes wonder what levels of feedback people actually get!

I never complained about it, but on certain boards if you expressed a non-sex positive/sex work is work perspective people used it to imply that you were stupid (and old-fashioned). I think we could do with a smiley face to say that's amusing in a nice way - but I doubt we'll get it because it will be used to put down people with unpopular/unfashionable opinions.

I know why they did it. I still think it's ridiculous though.

I agree.
and only the thanks one works on the app anyway, so the reactions have been a negative for me anyway versus people just posting if they found something funny or helpful or whatever. The latter doesn’t require everyone to acknowledge a good post.

So, if we can’t have the laugh reaction back and are expected to quote the post with a laugh emoji as the response, can we have a function where you can bookmark and quote a post but then be able to go straight back to that post. A ‘go back to last bookmark’ type thing?

That would be useful for other reasons too, not just to be able to show you found something funny.

Another emoji that might be helpful is a "puzzled" one.

Although of course the emoji that would prove the most popular would be "troll" - but can see that might just bring out the worst in us.

What about a thread hijacker emoji?

Should explain all the earlier debate about removing some emojis totally passed me by.

But at least this thread explains some of the history which some many find useful.

It is interesting the whole "behind the scenes feedback" function.

I had a poster going on and on at me about my opinion I had posted a few days ago, yet I had over 60 positive feedback acknowledgements for the statement that poster had taken issue with. I wasn't really sure if it was the right thing to mention that, but I did think the poster might have kept quiet had she realised there was such a strong tide of opposition to her view, and it made me wonder if the threads don't in fact work better when everyone can see the totality of interaction on the issue.

NO!!! Some of us fought so hard to get it removed. The only reason anyone used it was to mock a poster. Same as on facebook when people 'laugh' react to someone's post. There is absolutely no need for it, and I and others will fight any attempt to have it put back on again. It should never have been a function and as far as I'm concerned never will ever again.