Originally Posted by
Flyertall
those bars are for the most part well deserved, because the likes cannot all come from the same people. Here's why:
Suppose Jackal genuinely liked my post on this thread, and clicked the button and told me so, and then Jackal also just so happened to genuinely like another post I made on another thread in a different section of FT. Jackal would be prevented from liking me again, until he liked enough other posts by other users first. This prevents friends from liking each other back and forth over and over.
Not really. We're talking about a board where people have thousands of posts. They just have to like <x> number of other posts before they like a post from this person again. If anything, it encourages them to vote on a bunch of garbage content just because they have to use a bunch of votes up. I have seen this in action on other boards.
And when that happens, how do you "prove" clique-y behavior (which is often a violation of the rules)?
because presumably other people who found it useful would like it, which is how the system balances itself.
That assumes a lot. Look at the number of obvious reposts or things posted in the wrong forum. Those are actual problems for the mods today. They are user education issues. Those things are FAR more discoverable than something such as the like button.
I've been on forums where people didn't know for some time that this functionality existed. Hell, I was on this forum for some time before I realized the voting on a thread DIDN'T matter
I don't think that the system would balance itself out as well as you think it would. Is that something that could be addressed with user education of some kind? Sure. But the other 2 problems I mention would be far more important to tackle first.
I no longer believe a like system of any kind should be introduced on this forum.
At least we can agree on this
^
people who fly a lot are typically A type personalities. They are outspoken. Assertive. Aggressive.
I have a different A word that I used for most of those folks. (Thanks IB for keeping the ignore list)