Reactions are underutilized

[RobertaME]

Been away a week or so while I was helping my older son move into his new apartment. There were a bunch of new comments I had to catch up on. In the process, I realized something.

Many times members left good comments about a post, but didn't leave a Reaction to the post.

Reactions are not being used as often as I feel they should be, especially when someone posts up something really good that gets lots of positive comments and yet has almost no Reactions. This feature is a great boost to content creators that drive site activity, takes almost no effort, and yet seems highly underutilized here. I make it a point to React to every post I read that I like, especially when it adds content to the site.

An open question to all members: If you don't leave Reactions every time you read a post you like, why not?

[JB]

I find myself guilty of this, not all the time, but often. I became aware of this about myself a couple of weeks ago and have been making more Reactions than I used to. I think the only reason I haven't made more Reactions is simply because I forget to, after commenting. But like I said, I'm trying to remedy that. 

[citytrader]

Never really thought about reactions that much. I usually leave a reaction if I like what I saw but have nothing to say, and comment if I want to say something, but then when I comment, don't usually leave a reaction, if that makes sense. Granted, it only takes a second, but it seems like "double work" and not really necessary.

Of course, I like to see if my posts get a reaction or a comment, but that's just human nature!

My opinion, of course!

Edited June 24, 2024 by citytrader

[Wabigbear]

Yeah, I'm the same way.  Most other forums you'd leave either a comment OR a reaction if you wanted to respond, and I don't respond to every post.  I do the same here.  I really don't see the necessity myself.  When SGW removed the ability of leaving a reaction on posts there and limited it to just comments I felt it was a mistake.  Sometimes I feel like acknowledging someone's post but have nothing really helpful to say, so I just post a reaction.  Other times I'm moved to make a comment, but it's mostly a case of either/or.  I'll respond to comments made on my own posts, but truthfully I don't pay much attention to how many reactions I get...

[Wowman]

I gave you a reaction, but now I'm responding....doh!

[wolfpaw]

It's often really interesting to hear what people prefer regarding reactions and things like that. Personally, I always prefer having someone comment and taking the time to leave their thoughts on something rather than just a quick reaction - it shows they are taking more time and expressing their thoughts instead of just a quick click and then they move on. When I was creating ParkCrafters I almost excluded even having reactions because I thought it would promote a 'lazy" environment of people just not commenting on anything and just reacting to everything - making ParkCrafters basically into a Facebook feed, which is not something I wanted.

However that being said, I (obviously) opted to just leave it in and give the option to do so (which we later expanded on). I know people who grew up with social media or don't have much to say will prefer to just leave a 'like' rather than comment, and I think that's fine - it comes down to personal preference. Leaving a reaction and not a comment I think is always better than no reaction and no comment. I personally try to comment on as many things as possible and I sometimes also include a reaction, if there's something I really like I'll do both! However, if there's an update on a project that isn't a big update and just a small update or announcement, I sometimes just leave a reaction, but I always try and do both!

Members are free to do whatever but what I will always try and promote is to be active either way, whether leaving a reaction or commenting (or both) - any activity is good! Take the time out of your day to give people your thoughts and reactions - it's a small thing that can easily make someone's day!

[RobertaME]

8 hours ago, wolfpaw said:

Members are free to do whatever but what I will always try and promote is to be active either way, whether leaving a reaction or commenting (or both) - any activity is good!

Absolutely agree! It was just something I'd noticed and was curious about, why people do the things they do. I'm mostly thinking of content creators. Comments are always better with actual conversation taking place, but Reactions are how people get extra kudos like "Winning the day" which makes people feel appreciated for their contributions to the site.

I'm not saying that people should change their behavior here, just wondering about the why of it all. (call it feminine curiosity if you like :^þ )