Nickle, funny how digital tech ages, vs manual machines. Short lifespans without major attention. Which is the reason they are used by me so little -- the very problem for me is I don't use them except very occasionally -- and that's when they tend to evidence aging problems, so the broken machine then becomes another project in itself. Right now it's the need to change over to something free without need of a parallel port, so it looks like GRBL is the way to get some use out of them for me. I have a box of Arduino Unos, so nothing fancy or more expensive or modern is going to happen here.
Dwayne, Andrew, Tom, funny, I never used the "Like" feature when it was here because it required allowing online tracking scripts to run in my browser that I normally block. As a result I did not either see the likes (my own or anybody else's) or have available a "Like" button. Also, the best most lively time here was the time before likes. I think they ushered in the decline, it wasn't their removal that caused it.
But from a larger perspective, When I participate as a forum member, I don't want personal votes (which is what a Like is) I want conversations. To me, Likes are just one more way of automating communication. It doesn't take effort, and it doesn't do anything except kind of indicate popularity. You can look at hits on a topic to judge that, anyway.
I see a forum like a pub. A place where people talk. If they're not talking and just pushing buttons, there's no point to the forum. A forum's great strength compared to a video, is that it is an active form of communication, instead of passive. You can discuss things at length. You can ask questions. You can co-create projects. And it's focused on an area of interest, and presents things in a very readable way. Like articles in a collaborative magazine.
This combination is very different to anything else, and I'd hate to see this forum in particular disappear. It has a very egalitarian feel compared to others I've participated in. It has never been filled with "experts and dunces" or, "the right way and the wrong way." Rather there was always a deep respect for individuality and experimentation -- and that also is rare these days. This thread itself would not exist if I felt otherwise. This is the place for me.
Oh, one other thing about "Likes," you have to be a member, and signed in to push the button. There were 500 anonymous visitors the other day when I looked, and 3 members signed in -- one of which was me. I don't think likes are going to make a dent in that. I think good conversations and good will is.
People want to be around other people with shared interests.
