Talk to me about favorites September 13, 2018 6:09 AM Subscribe
What makes you favorite a post/why? Favorite a comment? Is there a difference?
Do you use your favorites collection for anything? Do you have a method of curating them? Do you ever prune them? How often do you go back through them?
Are you a stingy or generous favorite-bestower? Why?
you know the old saying: three halves make a whole!
for me it's a mark of "i respect the effort that went into this" or "i appreciate you sharing your personal experiences, however different they may be from my own" or "i found this interesting even tho I don't agree 100% with your conclusions" or "i agree" or "that was fucking hilarious" or "That is SO metafilter" or "maybe I'll want to reference this later, if I can find it in my huge list of favorites"
I do not curate because holy shit I don't have that kind of time on my hands lol. (very generous with them)
I would be kind of interested in a script of some sort that would sort all my favorites by username and in descending order from most to least per user.; but not enough to write it myself.
posted by some loser at 6:46 AM on September 13, 2018 [20 favorites]
for me it's a mark of "i respect the effort that went into this" or "i appreciate you sharing your personal experiences, however different they may be from my own" or "i found this interesting even tho I don't agree 100% with your conclusions" or "i agree" or "that was fucking hilarious" or "That is SO metafilter" or "maybe I'll want to reference this later, if I can find it in my huge list of favorites"
I do not curate because holy shit I don't have that kind of time on my hands lol. (very generous with them)
I would be kind of interested in a script of some sort that would sort all my favorites by username and in descending order from most to least per user.; but not enough to write it myself.
posted by some loser at 6:46 AM on September 13, 2018 [20 favorites]
For me it's some combination of what I've written out below, sometimes just one of them, often a bunch all at once:
posted by Fizz at 6:53 AM on September 13, 2018 [39 favorites]
• LOLI hand them out like pizza slices. They're meant to be shared.
• Oh wow, that's interesting.
• I am coming back to this a bit later, don't have time right now, but I will definitely check this out.
• I appreciate you human, thank you for sharing.
• I agree with this 100%
posted by Fizz at 6:53 AM on September 13, 2018 [39 favorites]
It's a bookmark - nothing more, nothing less. And I unfavorite as soon as I no longer need to track that source.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:54 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:54 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
For FPPs, favorite = indicator that I want to read this again later. So...bookmark.
For comments, favorite = like/agree.
posted by kimberussell at 7:11 AM on September 13, 2018 [13 favorites]
For comments, favorite = like/agree.
posted by kimberussell at 7:11 AM on September 13, 2018 [13 favorites]
I favorite comments as an archive. In a year, will I enjoy re-reading this comment? If so, [+].
posted by dbx at 7:17 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by dbx at 7:17 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
A bookmark that I know it's unlikely I'll ever go looking for but if I were to try to find it again in the far far future someone may remind me to check my favorites.
posted by sammyo at 7:24 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by sammyo at 7:24 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
But I love love love, even lurv, getting them, so much favorite love!
posted by sammyo at 7:25 AM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by sammyo at 7:25 AM on September 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
Often if someone responds to a comment of mine and it doesn't warrant a response in return I'll favorite their comment just to acknowledge it. I do the same thing with Twitter favorites.
I often favorite comments and posts to bookmark them to come back later and then I almost never come back.
I occasionally favorite a post if I know it's going to be a train wreck.
Sometimes I favorite really great comments but not always.
I will sometimes favorite a really good put down if the person who was put down severely needed a down putting.
posted by bondcliff at 7:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
I often favorite comments and posts to bookmark them to come back later and then I almost never come back.
I occasionally favorite a post if I know it's going to be a train wreck.
Sometimes I favorite really great comments but not always.
I will sometimes favorite a really good put down if the person who was put down severely needed a down putting.
posted by bondcliff at 7:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
Usually I favorite a comment as an acknowledgment, a thanks to the author who put in the effort, that I found the comment enjoyable or satisfying in some way, or e.g. useful in a rural village situation. Sometimes it is a bookmark.
Though occasionally it is because of some weird coincidence/synchronicity. For example, if I am having a poo and reading e.g. this thread at the same time, I may be favoriting relevant comments in a kind of "Oh I'm doing that right now too!" mind set.
posted by Wordshore at 7:57 AM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
Though occasionally it is because of some weird coincidence/synchronicity. For example, if I am having a poo and reading e.g. this thread at the same time, I may be favoriting relevant comments in a kind of "Oh I'm doing that right now too!" mind set.
posted by Wordshore at 7:57 AM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
I will favorite any comment that contains the phrase "having a poo" if I can imagine the user saying it in a British accent.
posted by bondcliff at 8:05 AM on September 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 8:05 AM on September 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
I favorite all kinds of stuff for all kinds of reasons. For posts, it's mostly either to follow activity or to show appreciation to the poster. (I keep Recent Activity for stuff I've actually commented in.)
For comments, it's all over the place. Sometimes agreement (though not necessarily on all points), sometimes appreciation for a well-stated idea, sometimes acknowledgment that I read something, sometimes appreciation for a good joke, sometimes it's just that I know it's something I'd want to be able to find relatively easily later. If I'm trying to remember something I read here, I search my favorites first.
posted by asperity at 8:06 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
For comments, it's all over the place. Sometimes agreement (though not necessarily on all points), sometimes appreciation for a well-stated idea, sometimes acknowledgment that I read something, sometimes appreciation for a good joke, sometimes it's just that I know it's something I'd want to be able to find relatively easily later. If I'm trying to remember something I read here, I search my favorites first.
posted by asperity at 8:06 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I use my favorites almost exclusively as bookmarks, and I prune them semi-regularly.
posted by saladin at 8:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by saladin at 8:21 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
I make it rain favorites (as of now, an average of 35 favorites / day for the duration of my membership!) Usually they mean one of the following: "That was a smart comment!" "I agree!" "I don't agree, but this is a good point!" "hahah!" "thanks for sharing your experience and making Meta a better place!" or, "Thank you!" or, "I am glad you are here!"
Any pictures of animals, most pictures of babies or other cute things get a favorite. (This extends to social media)
I favorite posts mostly as bookmarks, and will unfavorite once I'm done with the thread. Unless it's super interesting and/or funny or just well-constructed. Then the favorite means "Wow, this is awesome!"
posted by Fig at 8:23 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
Any pictures of animals, most pictures of babies or other cute things get a favorite. (This extends to social media)
I favorite posts mostly as bookmarks, and will unfavorite once I'm done with the thread. Unless it's super interesting and/or funny or just well-constructed. Then the favorite means "Wow, this is awesome!"
posted by Fig at 8:23 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
I meant to add... I'd love some way to index, because there are some comments or posts that I want to save for later. My favorites generosity always comes to bite me in the behind when I'm looking for something memorable or for the end-of-year Underappreciated Comments or Funniest Comment Metatalk posts.
posted by Fig at 8:24 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Fig at 8:24 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I only favorite things that I either like or agree with. I am kind of stingy, though, because I aspire to one day have a favorite-to-favorited ratio on the scale of griphus. #lifegoals
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:30 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:30 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I would be kind of interested in a script of some sort that would sort all my favorites by username and in descending order from most to least per user.
The Infodumpster should have you covered, both for your favorites and those who favorite you, as well as a bunch of other interesting queries.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:31 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
The Infodumpster should have you covered, both for your favorites and those who favorite you, as well as a bunch of other interesting queries.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:31 AM on September 13, 2018 [6 favorites]
There was a pruning plugin or something, I used it once and got rid of ALL my favorites. It was so great! Wish I knew where it was so I could use it again.
posted by aniola at 8:54 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by aniola at 8:54 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Think Favorites are the worst feature of this site; and don't buy the argument made my mathowie and others over the years that they are bookmarks. I wish they would be removed from the site.
I think too often people fish for them, and that readers pass over other site member's comments to focus exclusively on the comments with the most favorites, especially in big threads.
I do use them mostly as a bookmark, and occasionally go through and prune them once they get out of hand.
posted by terrapin at 8:55 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think too often people fish for them, and that readers pass over other site member's comments to focus exclusively on the comments with the most favorites, especially in big threads.
I do use them mostly as a bookmark, and occasionally go through and prune them once they get out of hand.
posted by terrapin at 8:55 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
1. I have met this user in the real world and I like this comment.
2. This comment confirms my personal bias.
3. This comment mentions me or something I said in a favorable light.
4. I, too, have read/watched this book/movie/tv show and I also like it.
5. So far this is the only response in this AskMe with advice that won't case death or dismemberment to the asker.
posted by phunniemee at 9:00 AM on September 13, 2018 [28 favorites]
2. This comment confirms my personal bias.
3. This comment mentions me or something I said in a favorable light.
4. I, too, have read/watched this book/movie/tv show and I also like it.
5. So far this is the only response in this AskMe with advice that won't case death or dismemberment to the asker.
posted by phunniemee at 9:00 AM on September 13, 2018 [28 favorites]
I rarely favorite a post and if I do it's to bookmark it. I'm stingy with favorites for comments but I've found I really like getting favorites so I feel like I probably should try to give other people favorites more often. When I favorite something it means I agree or feel like the comment made a good point or included very helpful information or was funny or interesting. Or was exactly what I would have said myself, so instead of making my own comment I can just add a favorite to someone else's. I'm not likely to favorite if I only agree with part of it.
I sometimes wish we had the opposite of favorites, when I see advice or opinions I strongly disagree with, but I think that would actually be a horrible idea for the site.
posted by Redstart at 9:09 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I sometimes wish we had the opposite of favorites, when I see advice or opinions I strongly disagree with, but I think that would actually be a horrible idea for the site.
posted by Redstart at 9:09 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Because favorites can feel like gamification, I also would love to see a way to hide favorites from myself on my profile page, like how I have favorites turned off when reading a thread.
posted by aniola at 9:10 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by aniola at 9:10 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
For posts I favorite if It intersects with my interests and I want to remember it or dig in later.
For comments it's all over the board: funny, quotable, I agree with it, I want to come back to it later, etc. It's a catch-all for positive ways to acknowledge a comment. I probably should use "flag as fantastic" more, but I don't.
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:14 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
For comments it's all over the board: funny, quotable, I agree with it, I want to come back to it later, etc. It's a catch-all for positive ways to acknowledge a comment. I probably should use "flag as fantastic" more, but I don't.
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:14 AM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
I favorite comments as an archive. In a year, will I enjoy re-reading this comment? If so, [+].
This is sort of close to what I do. I don't favorite all that often, because I regularly need to search my favorites to find something that I want. In my dream MeFi, I could tag instead of favorite, like "recipe," "good story," "funny," and "cat advice".
posted by gladly at 9:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
This is sort of close to what I do. I don't favorite all that often, because I regularly need to search my favorites to find something that I want. In my dream MeFi, I could tag instead of favorite, like "recipe," "good story," "funny," and "cat advice".
posted by gladly at 9:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I favorite posts as a bookmark and i prune them maybe once every few years.
I favorite comments liberally because I agree with them, or they make me smile, or they make me feel something deep. This is probably different between AskMe and Mefi and MeTa but I don't think about it too hard.
I have visible favorites turned off but when I'm feeling particularly down in the dumps i will go in my profile and see what comments of mine people are favoriting. Or if I am feeling particularly big-headed I'll go in and see what comments of mine people aren't favoriting even though I loved them.
posted by muddgirl at 9:37 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I favorite comments liberally because I agree with them, or they make me smile, or they make me feel something deep. This is probably different between AskMe and Mefi and MeTa but I don't think about it too hard.
I have visible favorites turned off but when I'm feeling particularly down in the dumps i will go in my profile and see what comments of mine people are favoriting. Or if I am feeling particularly big-headed I'll go in and see what comments of mine people aren't favoriting even though I loved them.
posted by muddgirl at 9:37 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I like the filter part of Metafilter. Give me one or two (maybe three) fantastic focused links and a good accompanying explanation. I don't like wannabe wikipedia entries that try to encompass everything about the subject in a few dozen links, and I don't like mystery posts: tell me what I'm clicking before I click it. If it's overstuffed or underexplained, I generally don't like it.
I still favorite posts that are not actually good by those criteria, however, just to show support for subjects I am interested in, but it's a vote for the subject and stance, not for the post. I might not even read the post, never mind click the wall of links or read what's at the other end of them. If it's about, say, urban planning, I'll favorite it and move on, or maybe read the one or two important-looking links and then move on.
posted by pracowity at 9:44 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I still favorite posts that are not actually good by those criteria, however, just to show support for subjects I am interested in, but it's a vote for the subject and stance, not for the post. I might not even read the post, never mind click the wall of links or read what's at the other end of them. If it's about, say, urban planning, I'll favorite it and move on, or maybe read the one or two important-looking links and then move on.
posted by pracowity at 9:44 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I favorite things I think I might want to find later. This is often a comment with a useful link, a good explanation of something, or a compelling story that stuck in my brain enough to want to be able to find later. So not just posts that I would vote for or think are well done, but only the ones I think I'll go looking for again later. Given that I don't prune my favorites, this is still a lot to look through when I want something. (I will also usually favorite a direct response to me in a thread if I'm not otherwise responding to it, so they know I've seen it.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 10:30 AM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Margalo Epps at 10:30 AM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
What makes you favorite a post/why?
Saving to read or reference later.
Favorite a comment?
Saving to read or reference later.
Is there a difference?
No
Do you use your favorites collection for anything?
Things to read or refence later
Do you have a method of curating them?
No.
Do you ever prune them?
After reading , unfavorite. May save for future reference.
How often do you go back through them?
During dead time, unpredictably.
Are you a stingy or generous favorite-bestower? Why?
I favorite the exact right amount for me.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:57 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Saving to read or reference later.
Favorite a comment?
Saving to read or reference later.
Is there a difference?
No
Do you use your favorites collection for anything?
Things to read or refence later
Do you have a method of curating them?
No.
Do you ever prune them?
After reading , unfavorite. May save for future reference.
How often do you go back through them?
During dead time, unpredictably.
Are you a stingy or generous favorite-bestower? Why?
I favorite the exact right amount for me.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:57 AM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I've only favorited a couple of FPPs, mostly as bookmarks.
I favorite comments to indicate one of:
LOL (like, actual real out loud LOL)
This is amazing
This is a thing I need to learn
This is an excellent rebuttal to someone's point.
Do you ever prune them?
Bees are on the what? You can prune them?
posted by hanov3r at 10:59 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I favorite comments to indicate one of:
LOL (like, actual real out loud LOL)
This is amazing
This is a thing I need to learn
This is an excellent rebuttal to someone's point.
Do you ever prune them?
Bees are on the what? You can prune them?
posted by hanov3r at 10:59 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm a sort-of sporadic favoriter, sometimes favoriting a lot, sometimes not much, to mean something was interesting, or I agree with it, or I want to come back to it, or something was really well phrased, or I'm proud of you or excited for you.
But if I look back through my favorites, by far the largest group is comments with an absurdist lean that hit my funny bone just right and made me laugh aloud. (The good news is, they still do, so when I flip back through my favorites I spend a lot of time giggling at non sequitors!)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 11:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
But if I look back through my favorites, by far the largest group is comments with an absurdist lean that hit my funny bone just right and made me laugh aloud. (The good news is, they still do, so when I flip back through my favorites I spend a lot of time giggling at non sequitors!)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 11:36 AM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I don't favorite half of you half as well as I should like; and I favorite less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
posted by betweenthebars at 12:19 PM on September 13, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by betweenthebars at 12:19 PM on September 13, 2018 [13 favorites]
1. I use favorites as a bookmark, and I will delete them when I've moved on. I especially do this in long threads that I come back to many times (like the political threads)
2. I use them to mark stuff to re-read later when I have more time
3. I use them to say "I agree" or "dang that's a good insight"
And I used to favorite infrequently, but have been giving out more per my MetaFilter New Years Resolution for 2018. I do go back and weed from time to time.
posted by Elly Vortex at 12:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
2. I use them to mark stuff to re-read later when I have more time
3. I use them to say "I agree" or "dang that's a good insight"
And I used to favorite infrequently, but have been giving out more per my MetaFilter New Years Resolution for 2018. I do go back and weed from time to time.
posted by Elly Vortex at 12:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also, going back through your old favorite comments can lead you back to threads like the one about neural net generated romance novel titles and then you have to cough a lot so that your coworkers don't think you're laughing.
posted by hanov3r at 1:12 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by hanov3r at 1:12 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
MetaFilter: having a poo and reading
I add FPPs to my browser's Reading List if I want to read them later. I use favorites as a sign of approbation and bestow them with abandon. I love you all!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:14 PM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
I add FPPs to my browser's Reading List if I want to read them later. I use favorites as a sign of approbation and bestow them with abandon. I love you all!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:14 PM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
For comments:
-made me laugh
-good point
-high five
For posts:
- I'm going to come back and refer to this. (I never do.)
posted by Squeak Attack at 1:20 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
-made me laugh
-good point
-high five
For posts:
- I'm going to come back and refer to this. (I never do.)
posted by Squeak Attack at 1:20 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Also also, anyone looking for favorites: I will almost reflexively favorite any decent variation of the "actually, it's Frankenstein's MONSTER" joke, or a new "Surgeons General / Spiders-Man" joke.
And a variation on "This is just to say" will probably also get a favorite.
posted by hanov3r at 1:41 PM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
And a variation on "This is just to say" will probably also get a favorite.
posted by hanov3r at 1:41 PM on September 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
I operate almost exactly like Fizz with regards to favorites, and always have. You can tell by my favorite count of 25292. Or so. I've probably already favorited some more comments.
posted by Caduceus at 3:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Caduceus at 3:31 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I mostly use favorites to say “I have seen this,” and my goal is to have parity between favorites given and those received. It seems balanced.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:01 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I guess generally I use favorites when I want folks to feel heard without having to hop in and take up thread space just to say "good point" or "lol" or whatever. Sort of a simulation of active listening, I guess? I will occasionally open them to return to still-active discussions that I think are interesting, but back more than a couple days it becomes uselessly cluttered.
I agree that their status as a kinda-sorta upvote is not perfect, and I am terribly guilty of judging the value of my own contributions by the number of favorites they get. It's lame and I otta know better.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 5:18 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
I agree that their status as a kinda-sorta upvote is not perfect, and I am terribly guilty of judging the value of my own contributions by the number of favorites they get. It's lame and I otta know better.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 5:18 PM on September 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
I tend to favorite posts that make me laugh, posts that say things better than I could have said them, and FPPs that are really awesome but don't get a lot of comments.
posted by Zalzidrax at 5:20 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Zalzidrax at 5:20 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I use it as a Pocket/Pinboard-type mechanism. If it's something I think I'll want to read again, I favorite. So I'm pretty stingy. Most things that seem interesting, I click through and read them immediately, so a non-favorite isn't a judgment that something isn't interesting. It's just not "future reference".
posted by kevinbelt at 6:12 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by kevinbelt at 6:12 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I favorite for lots of reasons. They boil down to "Thank you."
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:32 PM on September 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:32 PM on September 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
I use post and comment favorites as bookmarks for anything I find very funny/very moving/useful and very rarely as a show of support. I go through yearly or so to remove the latter just so it's easier to find the former.
I obsess over favorites given to me. I have anxiety about participating in online forums and will compulsively check after I comment to see how I'm doing. I envy people with a high favorite-to-number-of-comments ratio and convince myself I am contributing dreck if a comment gets very few favorites. I know it's irrational since we all use comments in a different way. I will know I have finally found enlightenment when I can comment and not give a shit who favorites it.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 8:02 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I obsess over favorites given to me. I have anxiety about participating in online forums and will compulsively check after I comment to see how I'm doing. I envy people with a high favorite-to-number-of-comments ratio and convince myself I am contributing dreck if a comment gets very few favorites. I know it's irrational since we all use comments in a different way. I will know I have finally found enlightenment when I can comment and not give a shit who favorites it.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 8:02 PM on September 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
I don't favorite that often. I try to keep it to things-I-would-go-back-to, but it's the only built-in way to indicate appreciation/agreement without gumming up a thread, so that's out the window at this point.
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 8:48 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 8:48 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I use favorites instead of getting therapy. When I'm depressed I look at the things I've favorited. Most of them are extremely silly and make me cackle like a crazed coyote. But some are links to things relevant to my interests that I'd like to do or learn more about.
In summary, favorites make me larf and keep me from boredom. Thank you all very much.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:43 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
In summary, favorites make me larf and keep me from boredom. Thank you all very much.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:43 PM on September 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
1 favorite = 1 💯
I’m putting a 💯 sticker on your comment and/or post.
I favorite liberally except when I’m in favorites debt (meaning I gave out more than I got). I’m way out of debt now though so woo-hoo I’m tossing favorites everywhere.
posted by bleep at 11:10 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
I’m putting a 💯 sticker on your comment and/or post.
I favorite liberally except when I’m in favorites debt (meaning I gave out more than I got). I’m way out of debt now though so woo-hoo I’m tossing favorites everywhere.
posted by bleep at 11:10 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Daps.
posted by St. Sorryass at 11:45 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by St. Sorryass at 11:45 PM on September 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
Huh. I fave as a clicking tic so I can stop opening tabs.
More fondly: to mark the passage of time? One day I'm going to look back on all these remarks I looked forward to. Right now? 99/100 I never ponder a fave again.
posted by fritillary at 2:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
More fondly: to mark the passage of time? One day I'm going to look back on all these remarks I looked forward to. Right now? 99/100 I never ponder a fave again.
posted by fritillary at 2:53 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I try not to use them much, but feel a bit guilty for being stingy when others are not. When I do use them, it's mostly for bookmarking, acknowledgement, and the occasional "well said". I'm also not convinced they're good for the site, but they're a part of it now so I don't find much point in fretting over it other than the guilt and wonder at why some of my clever posts don't get more recognition. (Not really)
posted by gusottertrout at 4:44 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by gusottertrout at 4:44 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mine are a combination of bookmarks and anytime I see a comment that includes a picture of someone's pet(s).
posted by minsies at 7:23 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by minsies at 7:23 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I use them for all sorts of reasons, and don’t generally have different reasons for favoriting a post vs. a comment. Sometimes it functions as a bookmark, sometimes means “I like or agree with this.” In AskMe (and sometimes on the blue or grey) I’ll favorite an answer/comment that I would have made myself and want to point out without cluttering up the thread with another comment. I also use favorites when someone replies to a comment of mine and I want to acknowledge their reply, especially if I think it adds to the conversation.
posted by TedW at 7:49 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by TedW at 7:49 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I favorite posts as a bookmark, so those favorites are less frequent, more of a "I want to get back to this later" thing.
I favorite comments much more liberally. this is funny, this is good, I agree etc.,
posted by supermedusa at 8:27 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I favorite comments much more liberally. this is funny, this is good, I agree etc.,
posted by supermedusa at 8:27 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I wonder, can the mods see how many times a day I click to see how many, er, bookmarks I have? Because that would be embarrassing.
posted by chavenet at 9:15 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 9:15 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
I've had fun favoriting every comment in this thread - all of them for good reason, because they're the smart words of smart people!
But, just also realised - it's going to be even better when that one particular MeFite shows up here (and I'm CERTAIN that he will!) - and then I WON'T favorite his whatever crap HE says.
And then he'll realise that I think he's a stupid idiot, because he'll be the first one in this thread without a favorite from me.
You know who I mean, right? That tedious moron ... ol' whassisname, you know - the, uh ... the quisling cad? the quivering crap? the quibbling crust? Or wait, is it ... the quitedrunk cod?
Well, it's something like that. Anyway I'm not gonna favorite THAT asshole's comment! And in the context of THIS thread, that'll sure show him!!!
OK then, have a great weekend everyone! Just gonna swim off to the pub now ...
posted by the quidnunc kid at 10:06 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
But, just also realised - it's going to be even better when that one particular MeFite shows up here (and I'm CERTAIN that he will!) - and then I WON'T favorite his whatever crap HE says.
And then he'll realise that I think he's a stupid idiot, because he'll be the first one in this thread without a favorite from me.
You know who I mean, right? That tedious moron ... ol' whassisname, you know - the, uh ... the quisling cad? the quivering crap? the quibbling crust? Or wait, is it ... the quitedrunk cod?
Well, it's something like that. Anyway I'm not gonna favorite THAT asshole's comment! And in the context of THIS thread, that'll sure show him!!!
OK then, have a great weekend everyone! Just gonna swim off to the pub now ...
posted by the quidnunc kid at 10:06 AM on September 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
I mostly use favorites as "I want to remember this thing". Sometimes that means "this is where I left off in a very long thread". Sometimes it's "this comment/post was super awesome/interesting and I'll want to read it again sometime".
Every once in a while, I use favorites as "You made a joke about a thing I also love, I see what you did there and I appreciate it".
I prune then every so often, if for whatever reason I feel like I no longer want to remember that thing. I have no organized system for doing so, however.
posted by darchildre at 10:23 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Every once in a while, I use favorites as "You made a joke about a thing I also love, I see what you did there and I appreciate it".
I prune then every so often, if for whatever reason I feel like I no longer want to remember that thing. I have no organized system for doing so, however.
posted by darchildre at 10:23 AM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I favourite posts if
-I really like them and want to indicate that to the poster
-I want to be able to go back to them later
-I need more time to read them in depth later
I favourite comments if
-I agree with the sentiment
-I think they make an interesting point even if I don't agree with the whole comment
-they include an interesting recommendation for a book, movie, restaurant, etc.
-I want to be able to go back to them later
-I think they're funny
-they're a riff on the poem "This is just to say"
-they're puns, terrible or otherwise
I'm more generous with favourites than I used to be, but it does make them hard to search. I do go back to find things in them every couple of months, especially for teaching purposes.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:45 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
-I really like them and want to indicate that to the poster
-I want to be able to go back to them later
-I need more time to read them in depth later
I favourite comments if
-I agree with the sentiment
-I think they make an interesting point even if I don't agree with the whole comment
-they include an interesting recommendation for a book, movie, restaurant, etc.
-I want to be able to go back to them later
-I think they're funny
-they're a riff on the poem "This is just to say"
-they're puns, terrible or otherwise
I'm more generous with favourites than I used to be, but it does make them hard to search. I do go back to find things in them every couple of months, especially for teaching purposes.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:45 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I wonder, can the mods see how many times a day I click to see how many, er, bookmarks I have?
Oh jeez I hope not.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:46 AM on September 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
Oh jeez I hope not.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:46 AM on September 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
darchildre: Sometimes that means "this is where I left off in a very long thread".
In case you didn't know, you can click on a comment's timestamp and add it to your bookmarks to return to the thread at that point.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:49 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
In case you didn't know, you can click on a comment's timestamp and add it to your bookmarks to return to the thread at that point.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:49 AM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
What makes you favorite a post/why?
Mostly they're tagging something I want to remember or read later.
Or a post I just plain thought was great.
Every once in a while someone complains about their low favorite counts in Meta and I'll go through their post history and if I think their posts will be worth reading later, i will favorite a bunch of them.
Favorite a comment?
Mostly they're tagging something I want to remember or read later.
Sometimes I'll favorite because I agree with something that has been said.
Sometimes I disagree and want to come back to discuss it later.
If I found it very funny, it gets a favorite from me.
Is there a difference?
See above.
Do you use your favorites collection for anything?
I go through them on the rare occasions when I have time on my hands and want to read interesting content.
Do you have a method of curating them?
I WISH. Would love to be able to filter them better.
Do you ever prune them?
Let's just say not anymore and leave it at that.
How often do you go back through them?
Less often than I would like and more often than one might expect.
Are you a stingy or generous favorite-bestower? Why?
Generous, when I remember to do it.
Lots of people seem to enjoy getting favorites. Why not try to brighten someone's day, even slightly?
posted by zarq at 11:05 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mostly they're tagging something I want to remember or read later.
Or a post I just plain thought was great.
Every once in a while someone complains about their low favorite counts in Meta and I'll go through their post history and if I think their posts will be worth reading later, i will favorite a bunch of them.
Favorite a comment?
Mostly they're tagging something I want to remember or read later.
Sometimes I'll favorite because I agree with something that has been said.
Sometimes I disagree and want to come back to discuss it later.
If I found it very funny, it gets a favorite from me.
Is there a difference?
See above.
Do you use your favorites collection for anything?
I go through them on the rare occasions when I have time on my hands and want to read interesting content.
Do you have a method of curating them?
I WISH. Would love to be able to filter them better.
Do you ever prune them?
Let's just say not anymore and leave it at that.
How often do you go back through them?
Less often than I would like and more often than one might expect.
Are you a stingy or generous favorite-bestower? Why?
Generous, when I remember to do it.
Lots of people seem to enjoy getting favorites. Why not try to brighten someone's day, even slightly?
posted by zarq at 11:05 AM on September 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
@Johnny Wallflower - Sure, but I read metafilter on a bunch of different devices, several of which are shared work computers I can't sync bookmarks on. Keeping the "where I am" link in my favorites is more efficient for me.
posted by darchildre at 11:12 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by darchildre at 11:12 AM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Do you ever prune them?
I am holding this thread responsible for the favourite that disappeared since last time I visited. You know who you are. /sideeye
posted by billiebee at 12:06 PM on September 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
I am holding this thread responsible for the favourite that disappeared since last time I visited. You know who you are. /sideeye
posted by billiebee at 12:06 PM on September 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
Sometimes I accidentally favorite (or flag) because I have a habit of clicking around on the page and highlighting pieces of text while I'm reading.
posted by frobozz at 12:26 PM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by frobozz at 12:26 PM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I favorite generously, almost always as a "hell yeah," because I don't have the time to write out my agreement, or don't want to clutter a good thread with "I agree." Also, it costs me nothing and people like getting favorites, so why wouldn't I?
posted by heatvision at 1:26 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by heatvision at 1:26 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
The ones that break my heart are the multi-part comments I favorite and then have to retract.
A Completely Fictional Example, But They Unfold Mostly Like This
commenter's Graf 1: There is a really fascinating marxist subtext to this show...
Me: Do tell!
Graf 2: More details, explaining theory.
Me: Why yes, that is marvelous thinking. Favorite for you, good friend!
Graf 3: I just hope this latest episode in the show doesn't mean they're going to go off on some bullshit horror tangent, because everyone knows horror fans are sociopath mouth breathers who probably live in their mom's basement.
Me: HEY WAIT WE HAD SOMETHING SPECIAL WHY DID YOU--
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:43 PM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
A Completely Fictional Example, But They Unfold Mostly Like This
commenter's Graf 1: There is a really fascinating marxist subtext to this show...
Me: Do tell!
Graf 2: More details, explaining theory.
Me: Why yes, that is marvelous thinking. Favorite for you, good friend!
Graf 3: I just hope this latest episode in the show doesn't mean they're going to go off on some bullshit horror tangent, because everyone knows horror fans are sociopath mouth breathers who probably live in their mom's basement.
Me: HEY WAIT WE HAD SOMETHING SPECIAL WHY DID YOU--
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:43 PM on September 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
Thanks for reminding me to prune my favourites!
This thread makes me feel like I'm the only person who uses browser bookmarks. I generally don't use favourites this way. I've got some brilliant comments in there just to say "hey this is a brilliant comment".
I can understand the rationale for using favourites to say thanks or otherwise recognise a post or comment, but as a FPPer, I prefer it when people actually comment. Your browser bookmark function lasts forever; the comment window does not.
posted by Juso No Thankyou at 3:13 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread makes me feel like I'm the only person who uses browser bookmarks. I generally don't use favourites this way. I've got some brilliant comments in there just to say "hey this is a brilliant comment".
I can understand the rationale for using favourites to say thanks or otherwise recognise a post or comment, but as a FPPer, I prefer it when people actually comment. Your browser bookmark function lasts forever; the comment window does not.
posted by Juso No Thankyou at 3:13 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I have a different methodology than most. Faving means I think you're sexy and I would totally date you
posted by naju at 4:40 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by naju at 4:40 PM on September 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
For the seventh time, naju, I'm a happily married man!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 5:43 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 5:43 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
I like to sprinkle favorites rather liberally, I'm sure I could do more though. Occasionally I flag as "fantastic comment".
Really really stunningly good comments I will bookmark them with Pinboard (right click on the time stamp and open in new tab, etc), and tag them with "goldmine". Once in awhile I will go to my Pinboard bookmarks and look through the goldmine. Good stuff there! That's my pruning I guess. Hall of Fame kind of thing maybe?
I also once in awhile go to the infodumpster and do what I call author-surfing. I'll pick one of my favorite posters, and search for the comments they made that garnered the most favorites. Then I'll just go through the list. Find some really great stuff that way.
Also I'm a sucker for a good poem. "this is just to say", "i lik the bread", limericks, you name it.
posted by cats are weird at 7:11 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Really really stunningly good comments I will bookmark them with Pinboard (right click on the time stamp and open in new tab, etc), and tag them with "goldmine". Once in awhile I will go to my Pinboard bookmarks and look through the goldmine. Good stuff there! That's my pruning I guess. Hall of Fame kind of thing maybe?
I also once in awhile go to the infodumpster and do what I call author-surfing. I'll pick one of my favorite posters, and search for the comments they made that garnered the most favorites. Then I'll just go through the list. Find some really great stuff that way.
Also I'm a sucker for a good poem. "this is just to say", "i lik the bread", limericks, you name it.
posted by cats are weird at 7:11 PM on September 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
1. Bookmarks
2. Stuff that either makes me laugh or provides brilliant insight into male/female relationships, but pretty much only when I've been drinking. I'm not stingy, just usually sober, is all.
posted by HotToddy at 7:32 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
2. Stuff that either makes me laugh or provides brilliant insight into male/female relationships, but pretty much only when I've been drinking. I'm not stingy, just usually sober, is all.
posted by HotToddy at 7:32 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Or maybe I am stingy except when I've been drinking, idk
posted by HotToddy at 7:33 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by HotToddy at 7:33 PM on September 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don’t favorite often, and when I do it’s usually because I want the information for reference, for re-reading, or to share with someone. I don’t go through them nearly often enough and rarely do much to curate them.
I seem to have favorited a lot of posts about ABBA.
posted by lhauser at 9:19 PM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I seem to have favorited a lot of posts about ABBA.
posted by lhauser at 9:19 PM on September 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I favorite my own comments.
posted by Literaryhero at 2:54 AM on September 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Literaryhero at 2:54 AM on September 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
On the green favouriting a comment is usually a "plus one", i.e. I agree with them and would also give that advice.
On the blue favouriting a comment is a "like", i.e. I think they are funny or clever or quotable.
Favouriting posts in both places is a "to do" item: either because I want to come back and read them, or find them later to post the link to some social media account, or because I want to come back and check the comments when some more discussion has happened.
I used to have a habit of going back through my favourited posts on a Sunday night (usually, or once a week in any case) and doing the "to dos" (catching up on discussion, reading the ones I didn't read yet, and buffering posts to twitter about the links I wanted to share). As part of that I would delete any favourites that I had "dealt with" - i.e. read or reposted). I stopped doing that recently, though.
posted by lollusc at 3:55 AM on September 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
On the blue favouriting a comment is a "like", i.e. I think they are funny or clever or quotable.
Favouriting posts in both places is a "to do" item: either because I want to come back and read them, or find them later to post the link to some social media account, or because I want to come back and check the comments when some more discussion has happened.
I used to have a habit of going back through my favourited posts on a Sunday night (usually, or once a week in any case) and doing the "to dos" (catching up on discussion, reading the ones I didn't read yet, and buffering posts to twitter about the links I wanted to share). As part of that I would delete any favourites that I had "dealt with" - i.e. read or reposted). I stopped doing that recently, though.
posted by lollusc at 3:55 AM on September 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
I view all this as conversation. If you say something I want to respond to I'll say something. Favorites are like any non-verbal acknowledgement I would use in a conversation, meaning "good point" "that was funny" "you look hot in those boots" etc.
Curate the what now? I can't imagine doing that.
posted by bongo_x at 11:46 PM on September 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Curate the what now? I can't imagine doing that.
posted by bongo_x at 11:46 PM on September 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Like a lot of people, I Favorite liberally, and it doesn't always mean the same thing other than "I like this." Sometimes it's funny, sometimes I agree strongly, sometimes it's recognizing a valuable viewpoint. It's not uncommon for me to Favorite a comment that I disagree with, but I think it's well said and important input even if I'm not fully on board. I often find myself Favoriting comments on both sides of a disagreement if I think they're all making good points.
I don't return to my Favorites or curate them because there are so many. If I'm reading long comment threads I often run out of my daily allotment. In really long threads they also provide a useful marker of how far I've read, because there are ways in which the timestamp links fail (e.g., switching devices, or accidentally scrolling far away). So if that fails I can just refresh the page and search for the last minus sign.
I don't Favorite FPPs much because most are very good. So a Favorite there means "I think this is really, really good," which could mean very well written, very entertaining, or a topic that's near and dear to my heart.
posted by Tehhund at 2:28 AM on September 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
I don't return to my Favorites or curate them because there are so many. If I'm reading long comment threads I often run out of my daily allotment. In really long threads they also provide a useful marker of how far I've read, because there are ways in which the timestamp links fail (e.g., switching devices, or accidentally scrolling far away). So if that fails I can just refresh the page and search for the last minus sign.
I don't Favorite FPPs much because most are very good. So a Favorite there means "I think this is really, really good," which could mean very well written, very entertaining, or a topic that's near and dear to my heart.
posted by Tehhund at 2:28 AM on September 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
So, noone else has them with cream and sugar? And maybe a nice scone?
posted by Nanukthedog at 5:17 AM on September 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Nanukthedog at 5:17 AM on September 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
When I had favourites views turned on (not since the first few days, cause it drove my anxiety off the charts when I started commenting and posting, and I felt weirdly exposed if I wanted to favorite something but no one else had favourited it, as if my sense of humour or judgement didn't align with the majority or something) I often found myself favouriting comments with high favourite counts, in the way I think I laugh at something in the presence of others but wouldn't find funny when I'm alone.
When off, it's often just what I find interesting, want to save to read for later, as a reference, indicating agreement, for interesting sentence constructions, for things well said, for new to me POVs, if it made me laugh. I guess I have no idea if what I favourite now has high favourite counts but my eyes are definitely drawn towards different things than when I had counts view on. I don't favourite comments that are offensive even if there are things I like in them, because whether true or not a lot of people view favourites as agreement or as a voting system like on other websites, and I think it's a small part of allyship to not give weight to comments that can be hurtful.
I don't go back and curate them but sometimes if I'm looking through the collection for a specific comment and see ones that don't align with my value system anymore they go. Most people here are pretty funny and insightful so I'm pretty liberal with my favs.
posted by womb of things to be and tomb of things that were at 2:08 AM on September 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
When off, it's often just what I find interesting, want to save to read for later, as a reference, indicating agreement, for interesting sentence constructions, for things well said, for new to me POVs, if it made me laugh. I guess I have no idea if what I favourite now has high favourite counts but my eyes are definitely drawn towards different things than when I had counts view on. I don't favourite comments that are offensive even if there are things I like in them, because whether true or not a lot of people view favourites as agreement or as a voting system like on other websites, and I think it's a small part of allyship to not give weight to comments that can be hurtful.
I don't go back and curate them but sometimes if I'm looking through the collection for a specific comment and see ones that don't align with my value system anymore they go. Most people here are pretty funny and insightful so I'm pretty liberal with my favs.
posted by womb of things to be and tomb of things that were at 2:08 AM on September 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
I favourite comments because I like them and I favourite posts because I like them and want to remember where they are. I favourite a lot. I also like being favourited because I crave attention whilst turning my eyes from the sun.
posted by h00py at 6:52 AM on September 17, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by h00py at 6:52 AM on September 17, 2018 [4 favorites]
One perhaps odd practice is that, when I've constructed a post, sometimes - if the mood strikes - I will favorite every comment (or all but any really disagreeable ones) in the resulting thread. I sometimes feel it is a small acknowledgement and/or thank you for taking the time to look at the post, and read some or all of it, and comment on it. I'm currently doing it with a spider-creepy-horror thread which is going enjoyably well and making me glad I did the post.
posted by Wordshore at 1:13 PM on September 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Wordshore at 1:13 PM on September 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
a spider-creepy-horror thread which is going enjoyably well
IT VERY MUCH IS NOT OH GOD STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT.
posted by Etrigan at 1:34 PM on September 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
IT VERY MUCH IS NOT OH GOD STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT.
posted by Etrigan at 1:34 PM on September 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
Don't be such a baby. Lolth is your friend 🕷
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:21 PM on September 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:21 PM on September 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
This thread has explained a phenomenon that had me confused: if I haven't made a comment in several days, why would my "Favorited by others" count go down? I've definitely gone back and removed a Favorite that I marked, but never days or weeks later. It never occurred to me that people might go back and curate their Favorites. Makes total sense now.
posted by Tehhund at 12:23 PM on September 26, 2018
posted by Tehhund at 12:23 PM on September 26, 2018
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
/snark. But seriously for me it's half show affirmation, half placeholder, and half 'um that just happened'.
I'd welcome curation tools if lightweight enough and if they worked in Chrome.
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:15 AM on September 13, 2018 [9 favorites]