I know that if you use the drop-down arrow to show who gives the "Thumbs Up" on our posts. But does anyone else miss just being able to see who did without that extra step????

 

YEP

 

Uh huh, but I have learned that the Geeks in IT need to stir things every so often to earn their paycheck.
Otherwise, if everything just Worked as it always has, How do we know they're on the job???
(';')

 

Hutber's Law again LnR!

 

Many of us have let the folks at Internet Brands know of our dislike of the new "Likes" format, but to no avail.

It's yet another unlikable solution in search of a nonexistent problem.

 

Don,

I reckon the Geeks, or Basement Dwellers. are NOT human.

Its an AI word now, so if the "ask" is outside whats programmed, they be useless, bugga.

 

Internet Brands?? They're the data miners that were causing me grief because I wouldn't "accept" 84 of their closed affiliates having my info every time I logged into this Forum. I thought this was "Jaguar Forums.com". I.B. and I went back and forth three or four times and all of a sudden I don't have that problem anymore. How did they get their hooks into this site?

I'm probably naive,

Dave

 

My understanding is that Internet Brands is an advertising company that over the years has acquired many forums and other social media platforms for the purpose of aggregating eyeballs and selling ads. It uses the same architecture in the automotive, health, legal and home/travel categories. One of their best-known platforms is WebMD.

Internet Brands is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., Warburg Pincus, and Temasek.

For example, if you visit https://mbworld.org/forums/ you'll find the same platform in use for Mercedes-Benz forums, where the new "Thumbs Up" feature is identical.

By the way, we moderators are unpaid volunteers just like every other member of the Jaguar Forums.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks for the explanation, Don. My comments were a little crude and impertinent, but I wasn't directing any blame on you or anyone else on the Forum. That being said, I will add Internet Advertising to Politics and Religion on my "do not comment" list.
And thank you for your time and troubles monitoring posts from the ones of us that need monitoring.

Dave

 

Didn't know I was opening a can of worms!

 

Bill
I would have given your thread a thumbs up, but it doesn't convey the real essence of the importance of your thought, to all Jaguar forum members.
I personally had 3-4 forum experts that I looked for on subjects I didn't have first hand experience with, to see if they supported a particular post.
I already miss that feature, as the number of thumbs doesn't mean you should try a repair the same way, as a well written post that's clear, may get a thumbs up, as apposed to confirming the action as the appropriate next step, from vast experience on the subject....
Rgds
David

 

David, I couldn't agree more. For the record, here is one of the messages I sent to the representatives of Internet Brands:

Regarding the Like button, I thought the transition from Thanks to Like was a downgrade. "Thanks" seems a more personal expression of "I appreciate you and your contribution." "Like" seems more focused on the content to the exclusion of the poster.

I also thought it was unfortunate that the Like button was, at least for a long time, not visible on mobile devices unless the user specifically located and selected the View Full Site option. I found it frustrating that before I could Like another member's post on my phone, I had to go back to the forum menu, select View Full Site, then go back to the post and leave my Like. And after the transition from Thanks to Like, I noticed a significant decline in the rate at which my own posts were being acknowledged. I suspect this coincided with a rise in the number of users participating on the JF via their phones, users who never even saw the Like button.

I agree with those who find the newest format impersonal. Yes, when using a computer (but not my Android phone), the Likers' usernames can be viewed by opening the dropdown menu, but this entirely misses the point:

The Jaguar Forums relies on content created by thousands of unpaid volunteers, whose unpaid contributions help "aggregate eyeballs" so IB can sell paid advertising. These unpaid volunteers share their knowledge and expertise not only because of their love of Jaguars, but also because they enjoy participating in community and the positive feedback they receive. This is basic human nature. Positive affirmation encourages continued participation.

In my mind, the visible Likes served at least three purposes:

1. Visible Likes help readers to more quickly find the most pertinent and accurate posts, as already affirmed by other members. Yes, the content of the post may be more important than the Likes, but if readers skip over the post while scanning the dozens of posts in a thread, they may miss the best post entirely, when visible Likes would otherwise have caught their eye.

2. Visible Likes, especially when known gurus are among the likers as Ken mentioned, give credibility to both post and the poster. One of the greatest risks on any forum is that faulty information is accepted and repeated. The visible Likes tended to help users find the information that is most generally-accepted as accurate and reliable. Since the vast majority of our members are not gurus, but humble do-it-yourselfers in need of guidance, the visible likes were beacons guiding them to the best content.

3. Visible Likes give posters positive affirmation they deserve, which helps motivate them to keep coming back to share more of their knowledge and experience. In my ten years at JF, I have left more than 19,000 Thanks/Likes for others, so I'm a big believer in expressed appreciation. And since expressed appreciation is the only payment IB offers to the unpaid volunteers who create the content by which IB profits, why not make appreciation BIGGER, MORE VISIBLE, and EASIER TO EXPRESS, rather than nearly undetectable? Has anyone at IB actually looked at the size of the new Thumbs Up button when viewing the Jaguar Forums on a phone? Or noticed that, at least on my Android phone, the dropdown arrow is not even present?

Cheers,

Don

 

Spot on David,

I come from an era of "if it aint broken, dont fix it".

I know, and partially understand, that these "alterations" are mainly to appease the Yuppies, that live their lives on a Mobile (cell) phone, and some programs dont work so well, as they are, in that format.

SIMPLE, learn to work it the way it is.

OK, I live in a cave, and am mostly called "The Fossil", LUV IT.

Same as "Off Topic" waaaaay down teh bottom, too far for me, sorry guys.
Then the Regional, also down there, have not been there for a long time, sorry people, again.

 

Don B
Thank you for expressing so accurately and clearly the psychology underlying participation on the forum. I have no hope whatsoever that, regardless of its truth, your points will have any effect whatsoever upon the common "shell" underlying this forum and all the other forums using it.
In the world we now inhabit, the chances of I.B. having one forum out of however many using a different shell is, sadly, zero. Nevertheless your points are so apposite and so well made, it at least creates a common bond between us who reluctantly continue using the forum, even though the change has made it noticeably less personal and less properly expressive of readers' appreciation of a post.
I can only suggest that those who feel as we do post an actual note of thanks.
Thank you again.

 

I agree, Gregg. So well put by you all.

Dave

 

Don - So well said, but I'll bet it falls on deft ears. By people that don't care.

Bill

 

"I can only suggest that those who feel as we do post an actual note of thanks.
Thank you again."

Thank you Bill, Don, Grant and Greg
Rgds
David

 

Your efforts are appreciated Don. I certainly miss being able to use emoticon likes on individual posts.
Bill