# Is "liking" a post too intimidating?

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-liking-a-post-too-intimidating/37695>\
**Category:** UX\
**Created:** [10 يناير 2016، 2:53ص UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-liking-a-post-too-intimidating/37695 "2016-01-10T02:53:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 15

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**Author:** ![ccdw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/ccdw/32/51564_2.png) [@ccdw](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ccdw)\
**Post date:** [10 يناير 2016، 3:13م UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-liking-a-post-too-intimidating/37695/15 "2016-01-10T15:13:46Z")

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> [@purldator](#):
>
> That is Human Nature. Give a Human a tool, and their ability to think independently outside its pre-established context defined by the group will show in time. That is what separates Man from Ape.

I’m not sure we understanding differentiation fully at any level, probably least of all between ape and man - although I offer this input having followed both Dawkins and Fukuyama and consequently sit somewhere between knowledge and confusion. Not wishing to deviate off topic, perhaps a discussion for another time?

> [@purldator](#):
>
> As to the car forum mentioned, those moderators should have those behaviors pointed out to them.

Yes, it has been.

> [@purldator](#):
>
> Example: if user A opens a topic, is ignored; user B replies with same topic, gets attention. **I would be the one to link to the OP as a reply and gently steer it, meld it into the current discussion so that user A now has an opening to reply and join the topic fully with their words.**

That’s all very well, but isn’t the aim to develop a mechanism that guides the user’s behaviour rather than relying on human intervention?

> [@erlend\_sh](#):
>
> I believe Meta is quite an excellent example of Likes Done Right

Indeed, but the same functionality running within a different, perhaps more cynical environment, may not fair so well. The car forum I quoted being an example. It runs VB, but the like functionality is (almost?) identical.

> [@erlend\_sh](#):
>
> (p.s., cool feature of Likes: In my reply to you I’m expressing some disagreement, but I still Liked your post, because I think you added value to this discussion. Granted, a user more personally & competitively invested in a discussion might not use Likes that way, which that brings us back to healthy norms and setting good examples.)

Yes, I saw and it was appreciated. But again, that’s an example of a multi-use tool being used well in the hands of a skilled, uncynical, operator.

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