@nikki i had no idea that’s why people would like things! i genuinely thought everyone is just kind of thanking the author 🤯

@nikki I always resented how the like button propagated content to and from my timeline. That's what a RT is for!

@nikki I love the fact that liking something here does not automatically shove it into the face of my followers. Clear distinction between boost and favorite and lack of algorithms are all good things.

@nikki It's weird - I love the fact it does nothing algorithmic, that there is absolutely no agenda to it other than letting someone know they posted something you appreciated.

@nikki

I've always said that those people who post all about the 'good things/deeds' that they do, are not doing it because it's the right thing to do, but because they can use it to promote themselves and attempt to change others perceptions of them.

If I see posts like that... There's no way I'm going to boost or fave it.

I'm not helping some ones shallow self promotion. 🙂

@nikki exactly this 👍

@nikki or to put it another way, "use it like 2009 twitter"

@nikki Very good insight. Not acknowledging posts you like keeps the viewer and the author invisible. But, you’re right, it is like not saying thank you.

@nikki I agree and find it ironic that nobody favourited this post yet, so I'll be first 😉 My online writing started with Livejournal so I find novelty of "there is no algorithm!" quite funny. We used to find interesting people to follow in the comments, among followers of other people, later using tags and there was that feed that is called Explore here. Things just appearing in the feed out of nowhere _are_ the novelty.

@nikki Personally, the person that put time into a post sees it and motivates us to post more. (Or if there is no engagement we think we found the wrong instance for our ideas).

@nikki

Yup, I keep going on about it as well. John. 😎

@nikki So the favourite button on mastodon works they way that I, in my utter naivety, thought the like button on twitter did. I never even realised that likes were the input for some algorithm, rather than for saying something to the original poster. 😳

@nikki nicely put, thanks. And hello!

@nikki was that a thing? I’m not doubting it, but I like things because I like them, and I want OP to know that. The fact that it manipulates algorithms is at times frustrating. I sometimes second guess dropping that favorite because I don’t want to get stuck in the wrong algorithm corner.

@nikki A lot of people seems to get really upset about this 😆😆 ... there is nothing wrong with algorithms and visibility. I boost posts when I think people in my instance would like them, for example. And there's nothing wrong with it. Maybe stop telling people what they should do?

@nikki It’s interesting how the other sites have programmed users to treat social media as a constant battle to promote your and other’s content rather than just hang out and chat.

@nikki nail on the head. Couldn’t agree more

@nikki so much this!!! Chasing follower counts, likes, boosts, etc. that will have zero effect on anything, shows how entrenched that mindset really is. I love mastodon because none of that matters here!

@nikki This is important to me too. Like @bart suggests, it's nice to know things I ⭐ are not going to pollute someone else's timeline. I feel so much more in control of curating my own content whilst engaging with others and not having it curated for me by algorithms. And, as a result, you get a more positive, nicer and friendlier experience.

@nikki

Nikki,

I see what you mean.

My statements to "not favorite" were misguided. I've been editing those ISWYS toots to reflect that. I need to go farther back.

Thanks for speaking out and encouraging a social conscience.

Kitsy

@nikki I agree! I had gotten to the point where I didn't want to "like" anything on any social platform for fear I would soon be bombarded by things the algorithm considered to be similar.

@nikki oh! I wondered why all the posts had more reblogs than favorites. Now I see. I still favorite for the same reason. It just feels like a nice little thumbs up

@nikki Of course, the favorite button should also be a way of saying I read your comment, as a thank you.

@nikki dats one thing dat threw me off at first too being new on mastodon. i like often on twitter without thinking of its “impact” to the algorithm but rather just bcos i like the tweet. ppl here saying dat liking is “wrong” got me a lil confused for a bit.

@nikki 100% correct!

@nikki We're here to be social, not to game the algorithm :)

@nikki YES! So much this! I love giving those little hugs!

@nikki I can't think of a better way to waste oxygen and time on social media than to try and police other people not using social media functions.

😐

However I wonder if the fascist crowd is trying to get it out there to itself that hitting "LIKE" isn't going to get you a million views so they'll try to actually engage and boost more instead to get their nuttery out there 🤔

@nikki favorite button gives tiny internet hug

@nikki fun fact: favorite was on Twitter before algorithmic timelines, and it was used. Same /w the like on FB/YT. It feels good to get its original intended purpose back

@nikki it signals to the poster to post more similar content and influences the graynatter algorithm 🙂

@nikki I didn't know favourites didn't affect the algorithm here. I like that!

I never did participate in liking/favouriting things to add to an algorithm. I usually just favourite/like things as a, "Thanks for posting that! I liked it!" or "I agree," or "I might want to remember this later."

I've always seen it as being between me and the OP.

@nikki What would be great is if more people sent a reply instead of just favoriting a post. It might create more messages, but it would also encourage conversation.

@nikki Thank you! I get the algorithm point, but I'm confused by the fact that it almost seems like it's actively discouraged. If I like your toot, I want to say 'I like your toot' as well as saying to everyone else 'Hey, look at this great toot'.

@nikki thanks, i didn't understand. very new here.

@nikki OMG yes this! I use the favourtie button a lot on Mastodon to let the poster know that I enjoyed their post. It's a courtesy but I guess traditional social media has sucked all the courtesy out of folks.

@nikki I never even thought about that on Twitter. I'd get annoyed with all the times it would tell me that so-and-so person I followed liked a tweet by some rando, but I always thought of liking a tweet or toot as a way of letting the person know you liked it.

@nikki excellent point. I suppose for some, old habits are hard to shake off.

@nikki Favoriting a toot (😂I said toot!😂) is a great way to acknowledge what one has said, and a simple form of perhaps showing agreement with the statement.

@nikki I just want to interact without always commenting or boosting. A like does that job perfectly :)

@nikki what? You mean we should actually talk to people on social media instead of trying to monetize our every waking action. How anti-corporation of you! We aren’t supposed to discriminate against people for any reason on Mastodon

#WoeBeUntoMeWhenPeopleSayThisInEarnest

@nikki Star > Heart. I favorite posts just because they're good!

@nikki Isn't that the point though? If you add it to favourites that's just your super secret stash of dank memes you can look back on. Boosting causes the message to get spread through other instances, generating more social interactions.

I would have never seen this post if it wasn't boosted.

@nikki the reason old mast heads are telling people the favorite button doesn't do anything is that engagement grows the community and makes those new to mastodon feel included and exposed to others, which is what boosting others posts does, not favoriting. tip your waiters, try the veal, by all means, but boost too

@nikki excellent point. However I find myself wanting to “like” posts/replies as opposed to “favoriting” them. I’ve found meaningful functional distinction on other platforms…

@nikki I think of it as, "the reblog button is for sharing with others, stuff others might want to see, need to see" and the favorite is a high five to the poster, or maybe I'll want to visit that post later on. Usually, I smash both buttons, lol.

@nikki I'll always say like = appreciate, boost= spread the word. I use both depending on what the original post was/is.

@nikki I use favourites for things I like/enjoy and boosts to well, Boost the post.

@nikki newbie here, how do you boost something?

@nikki YES! I love seeing favorites, it doesn't matter to me that no one else sees it!

@nikki did I do it right?😉

@nikki

A THANK YOU button is what I wish I had.

@nikki The only thing all those well-meaning tips from birdsite addicts have taught me is that a lot of people read the birdsite via the "Home" feed and somehow didn't quit the site the first day the Home feed was introduced. I never liked that my favoriting and replies were pushed into other people's Home feeds after it was introduced

@nikki Will do so in the future for everyone. Lots of information here though. I am new here. Thanks for the suggestion.

@nikki how do you boost? Is it the repost button?

@nikki Aha, I was actually wondering whether or not the author could see when people favourited stuff - TIL!

@nikki I really like the framing of "Favorite" as "Thanks!" and honestly think it might be better as an explicitly named "Thanks" button

@nikki I favorite and boost often. But that’s not all I do. I also try to post relevant responses and original content were possible. smile. I want to share with all of you as much as you share with me for which I am thankful.

@nikki

@nikki it would be cool having the activity timeline here, like Tweetdeck has, that shows what people you follow likes. it's big for discovery. i know there is a local timeline here but it's unfiltered

@nikki I was frankly unaware that others even had this mentality with regard to likes on Twitter!

@nikki I always kind of used favorites it as a "thumbs up" function. I honestly never thought about favs in terms of the algorithm, I always saw it as "aww, someone appreciated something I said." It can definitely still mean that here.

@nikki In my opinion, favourite should be used sparingly. It's in the name - it's for your FAVOURITE toots, that you want to be able to easily look up later. It's not the Like button on Facebook, to be used for anything you agree with or like or to show support or whatever. It's not for the other person, it's for you. A bookmark. Your own personal Mastodon hall of fame.

@nikki a ‘favourite’ is also a respectful boost to another. Acknowledgment, solidarity …or whatever. Just do it …and BOOST too.

@nikki help im new to mastodon How do you boost?

@nikki If anything I LIKE the fact that it doesn't do anything for the person hitting fave?

It means faves are legitimately people saying they like your toot, not them doing so to try to game a badly-designed system.

@nikki great explanation 👍

@nikki Aye. It's like shouting acrass the fediverse

@nikki thanks !

@nikki It always amazes me that posts like this get lots of boosts, but no stars. Have a star!

@nikki I usually do both lol

@nikki The big reason people aren't leaving Twitter: they're addicted to the likes and clicks. It's highly relatable but also sad. Get clean, man!

@nikki is boost the star? I think it's like. No or yes?

@nikki but, that's what I've been doing with likes on twitter as well! What was everyone else doing, thinking it was RT? I mean I know it DID RT, but you can go around thinking like that! You'd go bonkers!

@nikki I like to hit both. The more buttons you can push, the more fun life is!

@nikki Yeah, I am always using the "Favorite" button as feedback to the author.

"I read this, and I liked it, though I don't necessarily have a reply.."

@nikki I'm old enough to remember when the like/favourite button on the bird site didn't affect any algorithm, so yeah.

@nikki
Agreed we need to develop a different mindset and leave the twitter 'instant gratification' behind

@nikki i like liking things. it's frequently to the only positive vibe i can put out on these networks

@nikki the people saying this are the same people who throw pennies in the garbage because "they're only worth 1 cent".

@nikki fave if you wanna fave, boost if you wanna boost.

@nikki I like things/toots/posts I like. I spread as much as I can. Not much of anybody likes/spreads back. But that's ok. I still like/spread 😊😊

@nikki I agree. I appreciate every star, but it makes it somehow more special if I know the person liked my toot enough to share it with their followers.

@nikki Yes! Its always nice to receive a favorite. It doesn't do anything, sure, but its still nice. I think comparing it to a thank you is a good analogy.

@nikki
Not having to think about the algorithm suits me better
@Elemjay1

@nikki Since I only ever look at my timeline in 'Latest' mode, Likes never did anything for me algorithm wise. I use the Like button to let the user know I saw their tweet and liked it. I suspect I'll use it much the same here. But clearly Boosting is what matters most for getting engagements going. So if you're going to favorite something, boost it too!

@nikki Agree. Think its simple act I’ve read it, like what you said, its a good point. It’s kind of like giving someone a smile or some polite facial expression

@nikki I actually always used social media like this in the first place. Mastodon is the first social media platform where I feel comfortable. It's like seeing humanity again.

@nikki If I boosted *everything* I favourited and/or bookmarked on here, the TL would become a confusing mess, and it'd be a lot more difficult for people to find the self-written content!

@nikki people were hitting favorite and like on things to affect their algorithm??? Jesus that’s bleak

@nikki This is the same reason I tell Siri "Thank You" after she does what I ask her to! 😂

@nikki See What I Did There?

@nikki I totally agree!

@nikki love this! I'm going to take this mindset on. Thanks.❤️

@nikki I always think of favorite as “I like this thing” and boost as “I want other people to see this thing”. For some things it doesn’t matter, but it definitely feels weird to blast your friend’s personal post to a wider audience

@nikki

All this!

<eyes my own timeline>

okay, fine, sometimes a boost is about sharing the groan. But still!

@nikki indeed, I think the favourite button is great way of showing your appreciation for (or just acknowledging) what an OP said, even if you don't think it's worth resharing. I don't expect people to boost my toots but if no one favourites anything I say it can feel like I'm adding nothing of value and might as well be tooting into the void. This seems to be the current trend and IMO it will quickly alienate new users.