World of Banished

For the next 7 days this poll will be up to determine what the preference is for adding a Like / Dislike feature to World of Banished.  Please vote and then add some discussion in a post if you wish to provide more compelling reasons for supporting or not supporting this idea. 

The request has been made and I will weigh all options and provide more details for any changes that might occur.
Adding this feature should not cause much of an admin headache.
I had this feature originally but decided not to use it because I find discussion to be more helpful in the long run.

Convince me!  And the others who are fine with the status quo!

If you have other suggestions or ideas, feel free to post in the Suggestions area already setup for that!

Could you add in an "indifferent" or "im good either way" choice as It doesnt really matter one way or the other to me but I have no poll option for that. Thanks in advance.

How's that? 

Quote from: Nominix on February 08, 2017, 07:12:59 AM
Could you add in an "indifferent" or "im good either way" choice as It doesnt really matter one way or the other to me but I have no poll option for that. Thanks in advance.

awesome , thanks.

I chose either way is fine with me.
I never use them myself as I prefer to post my comments regarding liking or disliking something (to better explain my thoughts) but I wouldn't want to stand in the way of others having access to the option(s).

Hi all,
Being that I was one of the ones that asked for it, I should provide my explanation :)
Often times I read a topic and think a post, comment, image etc funny, excellently worded, or helpful, and I would like to let the author know that it's a good post.  I don't always get the time to react to each comment in the thread (my post count says otherwise, haha), but a quick read through of a topic, a quick "like" as I go, and there you have it I've told the poster "good job", with a button click.

I won't stop posting in threads, but there are some days where time is the enemy, where I can't reply to everyone who has posted, and I like to give a little "high five".

I don't like the idea of a dislike button, I don't think someone should casually come through, dislike a bunch of content, then waltz out, whilst not all would do that, I just feel off thinking that someone could do that.
Also, I don't like the idea of a "dislike" button because I feel it adds a competition element that just doesn't fit this forum, we're not here to compete, we're not here to put people down, we're here to support the modders, the moderators, the community as a whole.  We're not here to rubbish peoples ideas.
Any bad posts, that would be worthy of a "dislike" should be reported to the moderator anyway, not "disliked".
Also, we're not reddit.

I find also too, and especially it's painful, is when I'm in download announcement forum section, and I click on the link and there are 100 views, 20 downloads, but only 2 comments, but no feedback, few people use the "rate download" feature, and I think by having the "like" function in the forum post (as well as the rating system), may be a quick solution for getting positive feedback to the modder when they may not have gotten much feedback initially.

Not everyone has time to post, and I just think it's nice to have the visual boost of a person's "happy".

As a case in point, re the like & run, versus, posting their view, this poll.  @The Big Chihuahua asked for feedback, but there are more poll responses than there are comments :)  People "liked & run".  (tongue in cheek, not disparaging those that didn't post).  There are 10 respondents, but only 4 posters, but, the visual and initial feedback is there, and is still valid, and it shows that people are engaging on the forum, even if the posts aren't there. :)

I hope that clears things up for people :)


(EDIT), just so I know I've made myself clear, brain wandered, sorry - I'm referring to a like / upvote system, rather than a Facebook "Like".  :)
Facebook & Pinterest sharing would be cool, but, in this instance, "upvoting", is what I mean by "Like".

I have blanked out each response number as I don't want to 'skew' the polls by people reading comments before voting and see what the current responses are. :)

Nice post!

Thumbs Up!  :)

i voted either way, because it's actually up to the people running the board and i personally wouldn't use it (much), however
i can understand people wanting to 'like' a certain post i.e. new mod/idea etc. though this ain't facebook ;)

to show your appreciation for a certain mod, you should download and rate it at the download page...


if this gets implemented, i would vote for a like only though ... there's enough negativity on the net already.
and if a certain mod/idea isn't something you'd hope for you could just ignore it..  or explain in decent wording as reply on that post.

I voted no and will simply not use the feature if eventualy implemented. It's becoming a trend lately to add this function to forums. Feels too "Facebooky" for my taste though.

i agree with what QUERY said. if the like has to come with a dislike option then noo. a dislike would be disrespectful to the modders and their hard work. we may not all always agree on the types of mods we want,but we shouldn't dislike what they do.

Yeah... It's more of a conversation ender - it's polite but impossible to respond to, guaranteeing a quick end to the exchange.

When composing a comment, I'm compelled to actually think about why I feel a need to respond to an image or a message. Liking a post allows me to bypass this thought process.

In this age of cliched abbreviations, a "like" button feels like another oversimplification of more complex and meaningful conversations. It's much easier to "like" a post than to write a comment - but hitting a "like" button, we are no longer being creative, crafting a witty or insightful response to post. A "like" is nothing but a canned response lining up neatly next to the six other identical "likes" on any given post.


So sorry - I feel rather strongly about this... But don't mind me, if a "like" system gets installed, I'll simply ignore it  ;)

Another aspect of Likes is that they always have an influence on content. It can lead to unification and mainstreaming. Innovative and unusual ideas or opinions are often unpopular and will be easily displaced. That's normal, but it is increased by constantly visualized statistics of popularity where mass counts and not good arguments. This also can affect mods. If a modder is sensitive to Likes, he may tend to release something pretty and simple (100 Likes) rather than creating a complex project on long term, important balancing changes or even things that make the game harder (0 Likes). I mean that in general. I would not care about Like statistics, when doing such things. ;D

I am strongly against it when it becomes as @Tom Sawyer said - 'mainstreaming'
It's easy to push a button and don't think twice. If you have an opinion - Voice it!

Real input is important for me while making mods. If I know people like it but not why
I will feel crippled and sort of lose contact with the community. That would be bad.

I just voted "No".

I have followed this discussion the past few days but not said anything about it. To me it was not a big question. If there were such buttons, I would not use them anyway. I'm not a frequent user of social medias and even if I sometimes read something, I like, I rarely use these buttons. (Maybe if my young nieces or my old mother put a picture on Facebook, I might press the like button, but more often I write "nice picture" or another small comment). As this poll came, I gave this question some more thoughts. And this made me more and more dislike the effects, that such buttons might have on a small website and a small community like this.

It looks like all agree, that we don't want a dislike button. I'm a person, who dare to say, if I dislike something. It's not disrespect! Contrary, if I would disrespect someone/something, I wouldn't care to comment anything. But if I say something negative, I want to say something more. Maybe start a discussion or wake some thoughts. A dislike button would never have that effect.

What effect has a like button. I don't buy the argument, that you sometimes want to give positive feedback and don't have time to write a normal comment @QueryEverything. How long does it take to write "Nice" or "Good"? I rather agree with @Tom Sawyer, that a simple "like" button might lead to a strange competition between modders, between testers/bloggers to get many likes, that it might lead to less diversity in mods, in comments, in threads. Not everyone would be much influenced, but I think some and what good would it bring, to risk this? I've been thinking and I can't really find anything.

And what is, if one mod/suggestion/comment/picture/blog.... gets no likes? Isn't that the same as a number of dislikes?

We have a rating system for the mods in the downlad section. But it looks like few people use it. I can confess; I can't remember, that I ever rated a mod. I don't know how I can. How could I compare a mod like the big NMT or the North with a small like the waterlilies or a small/big port? I can understand, that it might have a purpose, if someone comes to the site and want to download some good mods. There are 100s of them. Impossible to randomly find the "best". Maybe we should at least try to use this a bit more. And people like me, who have issues giving a note, at least write some comments, after we've tested a mod.

I voted NO , so where is this button so I don't have to give you my reasons?

Well said @Nilla thanks for the detailed and thoughtful response!

I voted yes, I like the option to scroll through a topic and 'like' a comment that I, well, like even if I have nothing to add to it.

However, I then read though these posts and I have been convinced the other way, now I wish I could change my vote! It seems a 'like' feature just isn't what this forum is about. I agree with the comments about mainstreaming and slowing conversation when people can simply like something rather than reply.

Another factor is, when do 'likes' become pointless? Due to facebook, redit, etc., it seems a instinctual response these days just to like something, not because you necessarily like it, but more of a point that you have read that comment, or even not in some cases. I've seen plenty of likes on comments in other forums where the like is really pointless, because there is nothing really to like in that comment, it seems that people hit like just out of instinct rather than to add anything meaningful to the post.

So in the short, if you count the votes, move one from yes to no for me :)

@Necora, I have edited the poll to allow you to change your vote.

Thanks to all those who have added to the discussion.

guess the world has become too PC. now we are all afraid to give helpful criticism so not to hurt peoples feelings.we especially don't want to say things and upset modders. if they quit on us ,we would be lost. the tightrope is a double edged sword.

Personally i voted yes ....

but i ll respect the vote :)

/cheer

@brads3, a good mature discussion of the pros and cons of a mod or feature should never offend a modder.  Most modders are looking for constructive criticism to help them make the most users happy.  There may be some that are offering up mods they like but are not interested in changing.  Criticism of these mods shouldn't be taken personally but as an offer to show how they appear to others and hopefully encourage someone else to create that feature or function in their own mods. 

As long as everyone is trying to be objective and express likes and dislikes as opinions, there's no need to get upset.

Now saying someone's mod is cr@p might get a reaction, but if you go on to explain why you think that, maybe the modder can overlook the flavor of the post by looking for the "helpful" explanation!  :)

Don't worry Red, we Like you!

;D

Quote from: RedKetchup on February 09, 2017, 08:00:29 AM
Personally i voted yes ....

but i ll respect the vote :)

/cheer

I initially voted either way was fine with me, but after reading through this topic and others thoughts on this matter, I have changed my vote to No (thank you Big Chihuahua for allowing that option  :) ).

I agree that a Like button really doesn't help the modders to understand what folks like about their mod; only that they like it, or the post about it, or....

What does that Like click actually say? I like the mod? I like the post? I like a comment in a post? I like the person that made the post/comment/mod?

Quote from: The Big Chihuahua on February 09, 2017, 08:20:58 AM
@brads3, a good mature discussion of the pros and cons of a mod or feature should never offend a modder.  Most modders are looking for constructive criticism to help them make the most users happy.  There may be some that are offering up mods they like but are not interested in changing.  Criticism of these mods shouldn't be taken personally but as an offer to show how they appear to others and hopefully encourage someone else to create that feature or function in their own mods. 

As long as everyone is trying to be objective and express likes and dislikes as opinions, there's no need to get upset.

Now saying someone's mod is cr@p might get a reaction, but if you go on to explain why you think that, maybe the modder can overlook the flavor of the post by looking for the "helpful" explanation!  :)

true but sometimes we say things and it can be interpreted wrong especially with language barriers.  then the modder instead of taking a joke,tell me to wlk the plank or something.