A Request to Amend the new Exchange Like Button Policy

[David Mary]

Good morning Bladeforums members, mods, supermods, and Spark .

I was recently browsing the exchange, for sale by maker section, and hit the like button that still appears for moderators on a few knives. At the time I thought "how has nobody else hit like on these, they are great!"

Then our good friend Jack O'Neill sent me a message asking me where the like button went, and I had no idea what he was talking about, until he directed me to this thread: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/has-the-like-button-been-removed.1923075/

I understand the reasoning for removing the like button from the for sale by individual section, as I have seen many times some apparently unappreciated reactions to postings. My question is as follows: Do makers in the for sale by maker sections also experience this issue sufficiently that removing the like button from that section saves the mods time and effort? If not so much, I'd like to request a partial reinstatement of the exchange like button, limited to the for sale by makers section.

Thanks for your time.

 

[benchwarmer380]

If possible, the GBU too.

 

[Bloodloss]

I understand removing the negative reaction buttons, but like and love are useful to holla at yer homies who have the same interests and it also lets folks know you're viewing their threads. The exchange feels like a lonely place right now.

 

[King of the Cheese]

I guess I don’t understand what people think they are losing. You can get your daily dose of positive affirmation from the multitude of picture posting threads, who cares if it’s in the exchange? If brought back at all, I’d vote GBU.. but honestly I don’t care and don’t miss it. I don’t need “likes” and “love” reacts on sales posts. It does nothing objectively beneficial. It’s just some “feel good” confidence booster junk.

 

[Blues]

Makers can allow comments in their Exchange listings per the guidelines...so the fact that emojis are missing doesn't stop your fans or potential customers from commenting.

Frankly, it's been a huge blessing for those of us who have to perform "cleanup on aisle five" multiple times per day because someone that posted a sale or trade has been ridiculed via someone(s) who didn't like the price or the terms.

It may seem trivial to many, but Boru13 , rycen , knarfeng and I spend hours per day addressing issues on the site. Some of us, (not me), have actual lives and jobs and responsibilities. Me, well, there's no excuse for me. (At least that's what my wife and dog tell me.)

So, my vote, for what it's worth, would be to keep the system as it is currently, unless there was a way for Spark to modify only the portion of the Exchange that deals with sales by makers and dealers...since we don't get much crying or gnashing of teeth in those arenas.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Makers can allow comments in their Exchange listings per the guidelines...so the fact that emojis are missing doesn't stop your fans or potential customers from commenting.

Frankly, it's been a huge blessing for those of us who have to perform "cleanup on aisle five" multiple times per day because someone that posted a sale or trade has been ridiculed via someone(s) who didn't like the price or the terms.

It may seem trivial to many, but Boru13 , rycen , knarfeng and I spend hours per day addressing issues on the site. Some of us, (not me), have actual lives and jobs and responsibilities. Me, well, there's no excuse for me. (At least that's what my wife and dog tell me.)

So, my vote, for what it's worth, would be to keep the system as it is currently, unless there was a way for Spark to modify only the portion of the Exchange that deals with sales by makers and dealers...since we don't get much crying or gnashing of teeth in those arenas.

I did not know about that extra work behind the scenes.... Thank you for that.

However, I too miss the Like button.
I liked it how it was before, including the possibility of some negativity, if required.

My one sale, so far as a Maker, I asked for both.... The like button before, freed up the need to not leave comments.
Now the sales look empty.

 

[benchwarmer380]

I did not know about that extra work behind the scenes.... Thank you for that.

However, I too miss the Like button.
I liked it how it was before, including the possibility of some negativity, if required.

It was that negativity that got it canned.
It's pretty much in the realm of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

As nice as it is to have people "like" the stuff your selling, I would imagine it could be annoying/frustrating to want to sell something and you get 5,10, 15 or more notifications and all of them are people that "like" the thing but dont actually have any interest in purchasing.

My one sale, so far as a Maker, I asked for both.... The like button before, freed up the need to not leave comments.
Now the sales look empty.

If I recall correctly, that didn't use to be the case. Many makers sales threads had a fair amount of comments. The like system has been in place for the last 5-6 years and I think that changed people's approach of showing appreciation for fine work. Give it sometime for people to get used to not using "likes" and I think the comments in the makers section will pick back up.

 

[David Mary]

I think some makers would prefer not to have chatter in their sales threads, so that they don't constantly need to check to see if the comment was "I'll take it". I assume if they have not said something like "comments welcome" that comments are not welcome, and I adhere to the following:

Do not post in a person's thread unless you have an implicit interest in buying the item. Posts like, "Nice knife!", "Why is the price so high/low?", "I wish I had funds" are not allowed. This means absolutely no commentary or feedback in someone's sales thread. Seriously, if you stomp on someone's ad, your account can and will be locked. The only exception to this is in the Knife Makers Market areas (if the maker/craftsman requests and welcomes feedback).

Since technically, a maker can report any chatter in sales threads to the mods, I think that this might be part of why some people are more inclined to like than comment. Personally, I don't really care for comments in sales threads, for the aforementioned reason, but I also don't begrudge them, and do appreciate the kindness that prompts them.

 

[Peter Hartwig]

It is only in the GBU that I miss it. It gives me a way to affirm a good reply without re-writting basically the same . In the makers area it might be more beneficial to comment your views(if welcomed by maker). On the individual exchange very little need. The objective there is just to sell it.