I Like 'Like'

the "Like" stuff is great, Kier. I think you should not add anything to it as it will become only complicated for the user and we should not confuse the users. This is the main goal: Keep It Simple & Sexy.

Why don´t we have something as "Recommend to your friends" at which registered users enter an e-mail-address of their friends (who are not yet registered at the respective forum) and recommend a certain thread or a certain post to their friends?

This would help us webmasters to have some more viral marketing for our forums.
XenForo is great software, my only big issue with my forums is that it is very hard to get new users to my forums.

If you guys could develop anything ("Recommend to a friend" is the only thing which comes to my mind, probably there are some other ideas out there) which could help getting more users to the forums, then XenForo would be the killer-app.

http://xenforo.com/community/threads/suggestion-new-feature-send-this-thread-to-a-friend.2909/
 
** See post immediately below this one, it's everything Kier asked for IMO of course ;-) **

Kier specifically asked for suggestions about how the Like system could be extended without it's becoming a popularity contest. Tricky. I think part of the problem is that a Like system by it's very nature IS a popularity contest at least in part. Being able to use the information of what members like most to inform development and content creation decisions is very important. I'd also like the ability to specify individual forums in which the OP stays on the top so that it's easier for people coming in in the middle to see what the thread's about, and to like the OP specifically.

I "Like" the idea of having the option to provide visual recognition to members that have provided a lot of quality content that has been popular with/helpful to their peers. A lot of people really strive for that sort of recognition and it can lead to more time being spent on creation of quality posts. Yes, forum to forum that will vary, and in some cases it's more divisive than in others. In cases with a higher percentage of mature members, being able to use "Most Liked" content could be a very useful tool to help new members zero in on what's most likely to be informative and relevant.

I definitely enjoy/support the Like system, but I agree that there should be more ways to use it. One of the things we've frequently looked for is a way to winnow out the best content to use for the basis of articles etc. We've thought about having a voting system that's only visible to certain groups (moderators etc) so that a trusted part of the community can help identify posts/threads of note.
 
How about taking a page from Amazon/Netflix?

Keep track of what threads/posts individual members have been liked, and then match them up with other members who have "Liked" the same content to suggest other threads/posts that the currently logged in member might "Like"?

I REALLY *REALLY* like that idea! :)
 
How about taking a page from Amazon?

Keep track of what threads/posts individual members have been liked, and then match them up with other members who have "Liked" the same content to suggest other threads/posts that the currently logged in member might "Like"?

I REALLY *REALLY* like that idea! :)
This.
Perfect.

It's engaging, it's something that's already being done in many other genres of website so it will be intuitive. It's a clear way to improve the experience of the users by using what they have personally liked to suggest other things to them that may be of use/interest.

Social Media at it's finest. :)
 
It's not really clunky when in actual use, but I can see where you're coming from. If and when I develop something similar for XenForo it will be clean, light and unobtrusive :)

Would be nice to see. Thou not the best idea for a default module, it would be great for the option to be available.
 
As a user, I'd like to see options for 'like'. Not necessarily many, but even just a 'dislike' would be nice. It wouldn't have to be clunky if the options were chosen from a drop down selection.
If this was the setup, perhaps admins could approve or disable different selections available for the drop down and/or make their own as applicable for their own forum (for example, the 'prayer like' would be great on a religious forum).

As an admin I'd like to be able to see 'like' stats - the most liked post, the most liked poster. This option would be a great tool for gaming communities, suggestion style posts, development forums, etc.

As an admin I'd also like the ability to restrict or remove the ability to use the like feature per user. Just a little checkbox toggle on the user profile accessible by admin/mods that would prevent the user from using the feature. This would also remove that user's ability to earn likes with their own posts. This feature would encourage users wanting a competition, to do so honestly or risk losing the feature altogether. It would give the admin/mods a way to penalize abusers without removing the feature.
 
I use "like" more in my articles (CMS) and knowledge base...although it has use in forums too.
The beauty of it in static articles is that it:
1. Lets me see which content is NOT liked, which many mean it does not address the issue properly.
2. Report to my user a list of the "25 most liked" QA or stuff like that.

Forums are so dynamic that popularity and voting may not be as relevant.
The system I am using now is a simple AJAX add-on which does not refresh the page or anything - the user just clicks a like or dislike button and it is reported on the page.
Example:
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/burn_time_calculator
(see bottom of page)
This was a free add-on....in this case.
 
I use "like" more in my articles (CMS) and knowledge base...although it has use in forums too.

I love your information oriented site.
You might try XenCarta for your articles ! Did you know that you can embed an article into a forum post with bbcode ? or just embed a link to the article ?
I'd love to hear your "Wish List" to get your site over to Xenforo / XenCarta.
Mention to Jaxel in the XenCarta thread that you want "Likes" for Xencarta articles :)


Forums are so dynamic that popularity and voting may not be as relevant.
Good point.
But, ideally, you would keep your "articles" up to date as time goes on.
The system I am using now is a simple AJAX add-on which does not refresh the page or anything - the user just clicks a like or dislike button and it is reported on the page.
Example:
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/burn_time_calculator
(see bottom of page)
This was a free add-on....in this case.

Very effective. :)

I'd love to see an option for commenting at the bottom of the article as well ! I bet you'd learn alot about what people want from your articles. As well, I bet they give good suggestions ! The comments could be moderated, if you are cautious.

hearth.com - great site ! (I'm also hoping migrating to xenforo would make your site much cleaner). The search engines must love your site though (more important than looks). You'd have to be cautious changing anything. :)
 
I love your information oriented site.
You might try XenCarta for your articles ! Did you know that you can embed an article into a forum post with bbcode ? or just embed a link to the article ?
I'd love to hear your "Wish List" to get your site over to Xenforo / XenCarta.
Mention to Jaxel in the XenCarta thread that you want "Likes" for Xencarta articles :)

My wish list is pretty short.....at least for the forum to move.
It's a perfect import of all posts and users and passwords....but since I use a relatively rare Forum SW (EE), chances are that there will be no import module. Still, there are ways of doing it. One company already sells an add-on to EE which allows VBB to work in concert with it...but that does not import VBB, but rather syncs the users....if you sign up or are signed up for either, you can use either.......

Comments are a double edged sword...what people think or say they want and what they REALLY want and can use - can be different things.

Anyway, don't want to hijack the thread too much.......
 
That is correct but the way these systems are implemented/deployed can make a huge difference from one another.
Correct. I think displaying them on the post helps encourage the use of them. That (IMO) is one of the drawbacks of the vB reputation system, others cannot see if a post has received good (or bad) clicks.

The IPB system is better as it shows it per post, and allows (+) or (-) basically a post rating system. Like is a biased system (it has no dislike to balance it).
 
I actually prefer the vbulletin system over the ipb (which I think they have now abolished for a like system) over the + & - reputation system. I guess, for me personally these systems are opened to abuse and more often than not most sites have them disabled because of this abusement which defeats the point in having such a feature if it's locked away with the ability to be used. This is why I prefer the "like" system here, if you like what somebody has said that is good and if you feel strongly against what they said or simply dislike the post chances are that person will make a post and reply telling them.
 
How about taking a page from Amazon/Netflix?

Keep track of what threads/posts individual members have been liked, and then match them up with other members who have "Liked" the same content to suggest other threads/posts that the currently logged in member might "Like"?

I REALLY *REALLY* like that idea! :)
Heh. Kier saw and liked that post/idea. As my whole goal was to try and help Mike and Kier come up with more positive, engaging ways to use the "Like" system, I consider that a success.
smile.png


Seriously, I think having the system suggest other threads/posts to you based on what people that have liked what you liked have also liked (like statements get complex
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) is a perfect use. It works exceedingly well for Netflix and Amazon, and it would be a completely positive thing. Not open to abuse. Not likely to cause popularity wars. Just a way to help people find things they might be interested in, and thus make them more likely to both enjoy the experience and participate more.

Here's hoping that it finds it's way into XF at some point! I think it would be an distinct improvement, and would really leverage the "Like" system to make the XF experience even more superior to the other forum solutions out there.
 
Like is a biased system (it has no dislike to balance it).
Dislike/neg rep is very problematic, trust me been there done that. Unless you're going to keep it very anonymous like YouTube. But even then, on a forum it can quickly create a negative atmosphere, which you definitely do not want.

Like = positive. Either you like something or you don't. It's not giving a value to a post, it just says 'I like your post'. It can't be compared with a score, reputation or similar system, so it isn't biased. No one has a problem with it, because no one gets offended by it. That's what makes it good.
 
Here's hoping that it finds it's way into XF at some point! I think it would be an distinct improvement, and would really leverage the "Like" system to make the XF experience even more superior to the other forum solutions out there.
I would hope that would be a user option then as I really hate that in Amazon, Facebook, etc. when they try to guess what I may or may not be interested in.
 
I would hope that would be a user option then as I really hate that in Amazon, Facebook, etc. when they try to guess what I may or may not be interested in.
I would hope that anything like that would be admin controlled, not every forum/niche/community is the same after all ;). I'd kinda picture it as a sidebar block that you could either use or not use. But if the *capability* is there, it could be used in any number of different ways.

One different example: Many communities have good results from newsletters, NOT spammy irritating newsletters, but newsletters that try to provide members with useful info that they may or may not know about. Being able to include recent content that is tailored to the specific user based on their "like" patterns would allow the admin to provide some actual customization in a newsletter, instead of it being pure form letter.

It's like any tool... It's how you use it that determines whether it's good or bad. :)
 
Personally, I think agree/disagree is better terminology. Its more polite. Saying I don't like something you said causes people to be defensive. If you disagree with what they say, its not so personal.

Just my experience with Like and also reputation points (vb). Neg rep always gets people riled up.
 
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