Suggestion to ALL Members

[Ambient Mechanics]

Just wondering if everyone could make the effort to actually click on the "Thanks" button whenever you read a post that you like or agree with..or when somebody posts links, videos or articles that you find useful.

I know some forums don't really bother with this feature and some of us might even think it's kind of redundant..but it is a major way of showing everyone how active this forum is..and how active we each are individually. Not everyone likes to actively post..there are many who just like to read and that's fine..but if EVERYONE used the "thanks" button it would show those who post their posts are valued..and it would show non-members who visit that this is a place we are all proud to be members of and how much we support each other on here!

This is just a suggestion, but one I hope everyone reading this will think of taking on board and acting on.

[phoenstorm]

As of now, your post merited seven "thanks" & no reply I am a bit wary of these features who exchange a click of the mouse for communication - in the same way i'd prefer leaving comments over "liking" a sound on soundcloud. But that's a pet peeve of mine... I think it's worthwhile to think about how we can keep this a friendly and vibrant community. The thanks function might indeed help in fostering a friendly & helpful atmosphere of mutual respect, but I really think it's a nice addendum - we'll be fine as long as we keep having constructive discussions

Edit: I have to think about the shy-lurker-theorem a bit more - never thought about it that way

[Ambient Mechanics]

As of now, your post merited seven "thanks" & no reply I am a bit wary of these features who exchange a click of the mouse for communication - in the same way i'd prefer leaving comments over "liking" a sound on soundcloud. But that's a pet peeve of mine... I think it's worthwhile to think about how we can keep this a friendly and vibrant community. The thanks function might indeed help in fostering a friendly & helpful atmosphere of mutual respect, but I really think it's a nice addendum - we'll be fine as long as we keep having constructive discussions

Edit: I have to think about the shy-lurker-theorem a bit more - never thought about it that way

Thanks for the reply, phoenstorm..and I know what you mean about just clicking instead of making a post or reply about something..but I personally see it as a positive feature that serves two goals: a)..to let a poster know briefly what they posted was indeed valued or appreciated, as posting something and hearing nothing back can sometimes make the poster wonder why they bother posting in the first place..

and..b)..as a means of showing your basic appreciation for somebody else who took the time to keep the forum active and alive. It's not so much to ask folks to merely spend a second clicking once on a button if they liked what they read or appreciate something posted or linked..that is, after all, what it's there for in the first place.

I think it's really more of a reflection on the forum in general though..a sign of just how active it really is..and how supportive we all are of our fellow members. I know that might sound a bit naive of me..and that the feature is and has been clearly abused in the past elsewhere..but it's there for a reason and I think we should use it when we feel it's worth using. I'm not implying we all go "click-happy" on AO..that would defeat the whole point of it..and I think that's the kind of thing you are referring to in your reply.

Like I said, this is just a suggestion..a reminder of sorts..in the hope everyone here will continue helping keep this the great forum it has already become, thanks in no small part to both Dax and S1gns' combined efforts.

[S1gnsOfL1fe]

I'm all for this.

My vision for ambient online is to hopefully have more people (like yourself, Ambient Mechanics) take advantage of the social network features that this version of Vbulletin has to offer. The "Thanks" button is just one of those. Writing blogs, sharing links to threads on twitter and facebook (promotes new members) and building up your user profiles here are just some of the ways we can fully utilize this site.

So thanks goes to you ambient mechanics, for taking the time to write a thread that shows you really do care and want to see this site continue to grow and remain the engaging and active site it's become.

Keep it up!

Cheers,
-S1gns

[Nemo]

I think Phoenstorm has a very legitimate point, which is why I thanked him. But as long as we don't let it become an automatic mechanical reaction (like so many things that people do) and if we treat it as Signs and Ambient Mechanics say... as a starting point, I think it's a good thing. Okay, now off to explore and expand on the other options!