RE: fediverse time down, leisure time up.

Cutting down on phone times sounds great! I don’t have a phone.

A half-hearted defense of “Like”

The following isn’t to say whether or not the pros of “Like” outweigh it’s cons. It’s just a reminder of some oft-forgotten pros of “Like”.

“Like” is a way to see “I hear you, I get you, thanks, that’s good”, without having to write a full post. It can be a great way to deescalate a discussion too, if you write something the other person might be of the “always have to get the last word in” personality type and a “Like” instead of a full written reply short-circuits that instinct nicely.

Kvothe wrote: “It’s not how we talk to each other face-to-face or on other protocols like e-mail and IRC.”

It’s definitely how we talk to each other, not on 1-on-1 email but on IRC I’ve seen the “^” convention, in IRL groups or video flashing someone a nod or thumbs up is a great way to communicate quickly, silently, efficiently and unambiguously without being disruptive to other conversations going on in the same room.

Even in 1-on-1 conversations we see people doing the “mm-hmm!”, nodds, smiles etc. All kinds of “Like”-style cues.

I like “Like”!

What I don’t like is “chasing an audience” instead of writing from my heart, for myself, or for my friends.