Like?

/ Jeff Cann

likeWhen you read a blog post do you hit Like? I do, almost every time. If I make it to the end, and I wasn’t offended—no sexism, or racism, or intolerance—I click the Like button. I see it as a marker, a tag. Like I’m a graffiti artist with a can of spray paint; I’ve been here, I’ll let you know.

Sometimes posts are boring, or confusing, or simply stupid, I don’t make it to the end. These I don’t Like. And when the subject matter is something I just can’t support—posts applauding heavy drinking or thoughts of suicide, guns—I sneak away. You won’t know I’ve been there.

Otherwise, you get a Like. I benefit as well as you. I’m leaving a trail, breadcrumbs back to my blog, I hope you come to visit. I understand when you don’t.

Yesterday I posted a short essay: (Angry) Thoughts and (Hopeful) Prayers. This was my highest number of pageviews in almost two years. Four times above normal. But I didn’t get any Likes. Well, no more than usual, maybe a little less. This makes me curious. Was I offensive? Confusing? Stupid? Did I write something where readers don’t agree? I wrote about guns, I’m sure I pissed someone off.

So, tell me what you do. Do you “Like” what you like? Or do you read and move on, like you would on CNN?

24 thoughts on “Like?”

  1. Awesome read Jeff! I do the same, I like a post, if it related to me i’ll comment. I started my blog up April 2019. I can’t work to brachial plexus injury (right arm doesn’t work) & severe head injury in 2013. Since then, I had a baby in 2017, married 2018, another kid 2019. I would love to interact if you get a chance! aquoonline.com or https://www.facebook.com/aquoonline/ 🙂 have a lovely day! Xx

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  2. Hi Jeff, I avidly read and enjoy all your posts. The problem, as I see it, is that your whole post is sent out in the email I’ve signed up too. If I don’t have a lot of time I read the email and don’t access your site on WordPress. Some other bloggers just send a “taster” on the email with a link to continue reading. If you could do this I think the number of Likes you receive would increase enormously

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  3. My system of likes is similar to yours. I usually don’t read posts that are about things in the news. I looked at your post via link and remembered that I had skipped to the bottom, and the gun reform part had caught my attention. I didn’t hit like because I didn’t want to give the impression that I had absorbed the post.

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  5. Was it WP traffic? Or did you share it out? I find that when I post something I get 5-10 views and no likes. Always blows my mind who the people are that want to read what I have to say – but have nothing else to say for it to me – with a like. Sometimes I look at it like I am being policed (but I guess I am a little too over the top). I guess as a socially awkward introvert I am used to standing on the outside and reading social situations – although a little different as it is online – I am still reading it and wondering the same thing. I liked your post. Maybe it was just one of those subjects people are waiting to watch a hateful debate fall out. It is a heated subject. Like you said, Americans love their guns – no matter what.

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    • Things automatically go to twitter and a facebook page that no one follows, but I rarely hear anything from either of those outlets. It’s all wordpress. At times I think holy S*** 150 people read my post! But then the naysayer says no, 130 of them rolled their eyes and stoped reading after the first 2 sentences. I wish there would be more engageement… but not much more. I couldn’t deal with being a blogger who has to answer 20 comments every post.

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  6. I personally try to make sure I like or comment (or both) on blogs I enjoy reading. I know how much it means to me that someone took the time to read whatever fell out of my brain, so I’m hoping I’ll let others know (including you) that I do read and enjoy your writing. Don’t take it personally when people don’t though, a lot of people just read and move on through. I don’t think it has any correlation to their preferences, it just isn’t something they use to interact with others. Hope that makes sense. And I’m looking forward to stalking over and finding the post you refer to in this one.

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  10. I am like you, I do normally like posts (I mean, unless i don’t actually like them)

    I find if other bloggers read my posts they are more likely to press like and comment (maybe because they know how much effort goes into each post!?) but if people find my posts from google, they are way less likely to leave that trail of breadcrumbs.

    Maybe someone shared your popular post, but it was non-bloggers reading it, so they are less likely to “like” it. I bet they still liked it (in the non-button way) though!

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  11. Jeff, I, like you, usually hit the like button, but it usually has nothing to do with whether I actually like the essay or not. I use it as a breadcrumb too, as a mark to MYSELF that I’ve been there. I don’t hit the like button if the blog is offensive to me and if I am distracted, I might forget, but I usually “like” a post that I’ve read. I did read the post and I believe I left a comment. I am traveling right now, so very distracted. Consider the post “liked”! 🙂

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    • Interestingly, when I’m traveling, I’m usually *more* engaged with wordpress. Less responsibilities are tugging at me, and there are always bits of downtime airports, waiting for the family to use the one bathroom before we get out of our rental, etc. I wasn’t really wondering about the people I usually see on my blog (as likers and commenters), it’s more that I wonder about the 150 people who dropped by and said nothing. The behavior is different from mine, and I was hoping some people would weigh in. A couple did.

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      • Yes, I read some of the replies. I guess we each have our own strategies! I have found that I can use the time difference between PA and the West Coast as blogging time. I still get up much earlier than everyone else because I have not really adjusted to the 3 hour difference!

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  12. Definitely like to make sure you know I am stopping by and that I care!! My feed seems to be messed up so I have to check your page to see if you have posted something new! Dumb WP! Not sure about you, but I use the blog to document good memories so they don’t disappear into the ether! The older I get, the less I remember, so it’s going to be my diary to read when I get old and frail – not really how many likes I get, but I do enjoy that too 🙂

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    • I have had that problem of people not showing up in my feed, too. And WP on my phone barely works. WP needs to get it’s act together. I wouldn’t say I write my blog as a diary, but I certainly use it that way. I go back and read old posts frequently and marvel at what I thought was important at that time.

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