Overstepping? - board idea

[johnnyswitzerland]

Hi all,

 

So, I'm a new member (well, not a new member, but rather a formerly lurking, newly interacting member) and I have an idea for the board...

 

What if there were a "like" button for each post?

 

This way if something's particularly informative or hysterically funny or simply useful, users could "like" it (as on facebook)? Then members could have their number of "likes" included on their profile. People could establish some board cred with their "likes".

 

What do you think? Is there a feedback or suggestions place/e-mail contact that would be more appropriate for this question?

 

Thank you. Loving this HAL CC board and the wonderful folks who've been so helpful to me.

 

John

[Sailkeywest]

Welcome out of 'lurking' Johnny :) I like the idea of 'liking' people's posts too!

[johnnyswitzerland]

Welcome out of 'lurking' Johnny :) I like the idea of 'liking' people's posts too!

 

THANKS, SailKeyWest! I appreciate it. And I see that you're a veteran with almost a thousand posts! :) Cool!

 

Still, should I ask this question elsewhere? Not sure what's the right place. (P.S. Did I mention I love this forum?)

 

John

[KirkNC]

Welcome to the posting part of CC.

 

Kirk

[kazu]

John, I like the idea, but let's be honest - there are some posts that are just asking for help - I don't know if they can all be tagged as like or dislike

 

And that is what we are here for. To share info and help.

 

I'm probably not much help here - but I like the idea very much. I don't know if the cc board can handle it the additional stuff. (we have had some issues)

 

As long as the "don't like" button doesn't turn off those looking for help or we could find a way around it, I think it would be great. :D:D:D

[johnnyswitzerland]

Thanks, Kirk and Kazu!

 

I totally agree that simplicity is smart. And I would not support the idea of a "dislike" button. It wouldn't help anyone and could only serve to discourage posters. It wouldn't be a mandatory like or dislike, but rather, if you thought a certain post was extraordinary, you could "like" it. This would give that particular poster some positive feedback (and credibility). And if you didn't want to hit "like" you would absolutely be under no obligation to click it.

 

Thanks again for your feedback!

 

John

[johnnyswitzerland]

BTW, I meant for individual posts/replies (à la facebook), not whole threads. I'm not sure I made that clear. Some people just have such great insight (or senses of humor!) that I'd like to "like" their particular posts for one reason or another.

 

John

[kazu]

Thanks, Kirk and Kazu!

 

I totally agree that simplicity is smart. And I would not support the idea of a "dislike" button. It wouldn't help anyone and could only serve to discourage posters. It wouldn't be a mandatory like or dislike, but rather, if you thought a certain post was extraordinary, you could "like" it. This would give that particular poster some positive feedback (and credibility). And if you didn't want to hit "like" you would absolutely be under no obligation to click it.

 

Thanks again for your feedback!

 

John

 

 

Based on this then, IMO, it would be a great idea - what does everyone else think?

[sail7seas]

Hi Johnny and happy you came out of lurking. Welcome.

 

Same as it's great cruise lines don't all have to be the same, postings on different boards don't have to all be the same either.

 

IMO

 

I'm not sure 'like' would work really well here. It's great on Facebook but CC doesn't have to be like Facebook, does it? That's what Facebook is for. :D

 

In any case, not a big deal and if the Moderators here like the idea and others do as well, it certainly wouldn't 'ruin my day'. :)

 

[johnnyswitzerland]

Glad to hear it wouldn't ruin your day, Sail7Seas! :) It wouldn't ruin mine either if it didn't happen. Just thought it might be worth discussing.

 

I was thinking that in each post's header, where it currently says Join Date, Posts, Location, etc. (on the top right), there could be a line for "Likes: XX" with a small, unobtrusive button to "like" that specific post... Not the user or the thread as a whole, but that post particularly.

 

I'm a social media guy, so this is the sort of thing I think about... for better or worse! Thanks for replying! :)

 

John

[johnnyswitzerland]

Again, I'm afraid I'm doing a bad job at clarity tonight (cocktails? :D)...

 

I meant the "Likes: XX" line would show that user's number of likes total, while the button would be for liking the specific post. This way, readers might see how many likes a poster has had over their membership while reading their posts. Perhaps I'm making this too complicated.....

 

John

[CowPrincess]

I think this board has enough volume and functionality issues as it is, without adding to the load.

[johnnyswitzerland]

I think this board has enough volume and functionality issues as it is, without adding to the load.

 

I hear you completely, CowPrincess, but with the weight of the reputable TripAdvisor group, surely the possibility exists... Still, I've myself experienced the ongoing speed problems, even as a new guy. Maybe they're working on all the technical issues behind the scenes as we speak (er, type).

 

John

[Winters in NZ]

Those without too many "likes" could develop self-esteem issues.

[RuthC]

People already give too much credence to number of posts. We don't need another measure that really doesn't offer worthwhile information. It's easy enough to get to know how a poster is without adding what could easily become a popularity contest.

Besides, by the time you see the poster's number on a post, you've already read it!

Nice try. Back to the drawing board. ;)

[johnnyswitzerland]

Thanks for your feedback, Ruth. Fair enough. I would argue that adding another dimension probably couldn't hurt... but again, I'm not the most versed in the dynamics of this crowd. Just an idea. Thanks for your reply!

 

John

[johnnyswitzerland]

...plus, I imagine having a number of "likes" would, in fact, be far more valuable than the number of posts overall. Anyone can write a ton of worthless posts, but posts that people find useful are harder to come by. And giving users a means to acknowledge helpful posts might be helpful in itself. Again, just thinking out loud.

 

We should be discussing the soon-to-emerge Maasdam instead!!! :)

[tcook052]

IMHO such a system would serve as more of a popularity contest than a usefull way to recognize informative posts as I believe you intend. After all when more junior members see a post from a more senior poster they may just hit the "Like" button to acknowledge that person without really weighing the post itself.

 

I'm with the others that this is a solution to a problem that I don't feel exists.

[RuthC]

We should be discussing the soon-to-emerge Maasdam instead!!! :)

Good idea!

Or even the Stanley Cup playoffs. Or favorite cocktails. How do they make those yummy lemondrops anyway? ;)

[Hlitner]

Your idea might work well on the various Port posts and some of the other fluff topics. But when it comes to the cruise line boards it would be pure trouble. Every cruise line has their share of board "cheerleaders" who would quickly flame anyone who said anything negative.

 

Hank

[bcd2010]

I'm with the others that this is a solution to a problem that I don't feel exists.

 

Exactly, and quite frankly it's meaningless to me - I can determine whether a post is helpful myself without knowing if it's liked by others.

 

Those without too many "likes" could develop self-esteem issues.

 

And then there are those who may be looking for ego-boosting.

 

I think this board has enough volume and functionality issues as it is, without adding to the load.

 

This is my biggest concern.

[NancyJewel92]

There's another site I frequent is City-Data, wherein the board interface looks like CC's. [http://www.city-data.com/forum/] One difference is that City Data's Forum boards have a "reputation" function which allows users to "rate this post positively" and, in turn, users accumulate "rep" points. It's similar to what JohnnySiwtzerland has described.

 

(One nuance to the reputation tool is the choice to do a "quick rep" or an alternative "add to poster's reputation" which gives the opportunity to write a comment that only the user can see.)

 

Given the design similarities between CC and CD's boards, I've always assumed that Cruse Critic made a design decision to not offer the "reputation" feature. There have been many times, though, that I wanted to click the "add to user's reputation" button on CC. :p

 

As much as the reputation tool is nice on City-Data, I agree with RuthC -- CC users probably don't need another measuring tool and with others who have mentione the additional overhead such a device would add.

 

Nice idea, Johnny. I've been wondering when someone would suggest it. :D

[NMLady]

IMHO such a system would serve as more of a popularity contest than a usefull way to recognize informative posts as I believe you intend. ....

 

That's what I think too. People would spend time 'liking' their favorite

post-er regardless of whether or not one of the particular posts was helpful or not.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hi all,

 

So, I'm a new member (well, not a new member, but rather a formerly lurking, newly interacting member) and I have an idea for the board...

 

What if there were a "like" button for each post?

 

This way if something's particularly informative or hysterically funny or simply useful, users could "like" it (as on facebook)? Then members could have their number of "likes" included on their profile. People could establish some board cred with their "likes".

 

What do you think? Is there a feedback or suggestions place/e-mail contact that would be more appropriate for this question?

 

Thank you. Loving this HAL CC board and the wonderful folks who've been so helpful to me.

 

John

 

we have this on another site that i belong to

i don't like it because the 'cliques' keep hitting the 'like' button for each other -- much of them on dumb things

[Mary Ellen]

IMHO such a system would serve as more of a popularity contest than a usefull way to recognize informative posts as I believe you intend.

My thoughts exactly. I'd hate to see the CC turn into a popularity contest.