Over the past few years most of us have become familiar with various ways of saying that we like things we see on the internet. Facebook’s Like. Recommend on the Guardian’s site. Thumbs up and Thumbs down symbols on the Daily Mail. And probably at least dozens of other things around the untold millions of sites out there.
Here on HU, since the great upgrade, we have had a Recommend button by our questions, posts, responses and replies. This was something quite a number of people had asked to be in the upgrade.
Sadly, though they are there, hardly anyone seems to be using the Recommend buttons.
Maybe some people think that clicking on Recommend is saying something more than Like? Really, it isn’t. It is simply the word that the HU people decided to use. It can apply if you appreciated the information, the support, even the laugh when someone manages to post something amusing. It means that you are happier that the item was posted than if it had not been posted.
Maybe some people have not really noticed the Recommend buttons?
Maybe some people think there is absolutely nothing that deserves a click of the Recommend button? Sad if it is true. But entirely your opinion.
Racking up lots of Recommend clicks is absolutely NOT meant to be competitive. It is simply a way of expressing appreciation or approval when you don’t feel moved to write your own response or reply.
If you read something that you feel positive about, please do Recommend it. You might make the poster happy – especially if they were feeling worried about their first posting. You might help to draw the attention of others to a particularly good item.
Rod