IBobi

"There was never a massive outpouring/clamoring for the feature"

Not really true. The reason this feature keeps coming up is because it is so desired. When we poll FTers on feature requests, "likes" is always near the top.

"FT had rating system here years ago and it did not go well"

This is not remotely that system and in fairness, a previous failure can't really be considered a "Con" for this one.

"System can be gamed/cliques develop"

It is true that people will be able to "like" the posts of others. Just as they can currently "+1" or "hear hear" etc etc etc the posts of others in their clique. As such, the "likes" system creates no additional cliquiness or gameability than the current, no-"likes" system.

Likewise, "Posts that have inaccurate info can also get likes/doesn't mean poster is knowledgable" and "If FTers post info & it doesn't get likes/helpfuls, less incentive to post more" are situations that do not change at all, whether "likes" is implemented or not, so they do not belong in the "pro" or "con" side at all.

"Clutters up posts/takes up valuable screen space"

Far, far less space than a "+1."

"Those with more likes/helpfuls are considered knowledgable"

In the current implementation being tested, there is no user "like" total, so this metric cannot be considered a "Pro." Only posts have totals.

Also a very big missing "Pro" (the biggest, by far in my opinion) is described very aptly below by txrish...


Questions/answered:

* If implemented, can FTers who prefer not to utilize the like/helpful button turn it off so that they don't see it at all?

I doubt we would implement the "like" feature at all if it were not "always on," since making it user-selectable would largely defeat its purpose. Users can choose not to "like" anything.

* Is there a software way to separate likes of posts from posters? (Limited trial indicates no; don't know if software can be changed to do so)

Likely it can be developed to exclude the "like"-er's username. We anticipate that including the username is actually a deterrent to any "abuse," as it is public.

* Can certain forums have it turned off such as Omni? (No, current software is it's either all forums or none)

Actually, yes, as tested we announced that it can be tailored forum by forum.

* If a sitewide trial is created, what are the metrics for success or failure?

Usage/adoption vs. issues created (if any), I would imagine.

* What is the goal of this/how will the data be used?

We have proposed adding a user-clickable "sort thread by likes" feature that would allow anyone to easily see the most-liked posts in a thread topic; as far as I know this is the only "use" for this that has been proposed.

* If customization of current software is required, will this take away from development on other projects such as a better mobile app?

There is no mobile FT app, nor are there any plans for one. We have a mobile skin, which is developed by a separate group of developers from those who work directly on FT. Apart from that, yes, development of any custom FT features is shared by the same pool of programmers.

* Will or can there be a dislike/unhelpful button?

No.

* What happens if a post that is "liked" gets its content edited and ends up having a different meaning than it initially had at the time the post was "liked"?

The same thing that happens when someone replies to a post under the same conditions today, without a "like" button. This is an issue with the post edit window, not with "likes".

* Can threads or individual posts deemed helpful be bookmarked/saved?

"Subscribe to thread" is unchanged.

Thanks all!