HealthUnlocked have just released an enhancement of the 'Recommend' feature. If you've recently submitted a post or replied and someone has 'clicked/pressed' on the associated recommend button, you've probably noticed a red indication near the menu bell icon informing you that there's a message stating who recommended your contribution.
This feature has resulted in considerable comment in the HU Admin community, with many concerned that this is not a desirable enhancement due to the loss of anonymity when someone recommends a contribution. One administrator commented "I don't want anyone to feel slighted if I do not recommend their every contribution. I don't want anyone to expect recommendations from me. My recommendation is worth neither more nor less than anyone else's."
Another commented "Please HU, leave the social networking to Facebook, Twitter etc. and let us all continue to direct our energies and focus to helping and supporting our members with their health issues. We do not need to know who has recommended our posts. Neither do we wish to know who hasn't, which might actually become the more important issue for some members at least."
Yet another commented "I currently feel that the recommend feature is under-utilised and that engagement in many communities has been declining (from what I have heard), so this feature may encourage more people to contribute high quality comments and support for people - the purpose of this platform!"
What do you think?
Neil
Photo: How do ants get notification that flooding rains are on the way? Do they get a recommendation from their neighbours if their entrance is better protected?
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AussieNeil
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I like this enhancement and think it is a positive step.
I believe HU has three user classifications (admin, volunteer and member), I happen to be lassified as volunteer in the CLLSA community, but in terms of recommendations I see my classification 'value' as exeactly the same as any other person in the community.
I agree with the option to kerp things in the community or making them publically available but do not really like the idea anonimity in the community (nothing bugs me more on Linkedin than anonymous members looking at my profile).
I think if someone has written a post you like and you are prepared to say so with a recommend for them to see who you are causes no harm. If someone I know does well I'm happy to say well done and shake their hand, I dont put a paper bag over my head first.
I am surprised apby the social networking comment, forums(like HU) and blogs are forms of social networking. Most have specific targets. It is a bit sad that facebook has become so al-pervasive (sorry so all-invasive) and that people think thats the start and end of social networking
Rob
Sorry folks wrote more than I intended there. Bottom line If you like it say so, we are all equal so I cant see why the person cant be told you liked their post.
I agree with you Chris with the exception of spell checking. Firefox has provided that for ages (there are dictionaries available for many languages including various versions of English and you can add additional words to your dictionary). I'm most surprised that Apple browsers don't offer a spell checker as standard.
Have to agree with Chris here, lets get the interface working before the nice things. For instance, they still haven't added watch and wait to the treatment options so we cannot complete our profile fully, yes I know I keep bringing this up but it is a simple fix and it gets ignored because they are more interested in doing nice (matter of opinion, I should say software tweaks) instead of the more mundane getting the interface right and fixing the broken bits!
Just want to add that this new feature is a bit unpredictable...
I first noticed it a few days ago, when I got a notification (in the bell icon - not via an email), saying that someone (giving their name) had recommended a response I'd made. Well that was very nice, though I was very surprised - never had a notification like that before.
Then a bit later I noticed there were 2 "recommends" for that same response of mine. But I never got a notification about that second person, or anything to tell me who they were. A day or so later, I got another notification (via the bell icon), informing me that someone (again, the name was given) had "recommended" another reply I'd made, to another post.
So, HU picked up two "recommends" but not the third. (I don't usually count such things, but I was interested to see what was happening).
I just thought I'd point this out, to let people know that if they don't get any notifications that anyone has "recommended" their post, it doesn't mean it hasn't happened...
But I don't think we need to get too hung up about this recommending business... When I read some of the comments from admin people that Neil has quoted in his original post, I was rather surprised, especially by the first one. I really don't think people in our community will feel slighted if a particular person doesn't officially "recommend" their post. Yes it's good to know when we're being appreciated, but people don't have time to read everything, and don't always think of "recommending" even if they did appreciate a post.
I completely agree with those of you who are saying that there are far more important things for HU to work on, than refining the "recommend" feature.
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