Emotionally nuanced Facebook buttons
All of us Facebook fans realize that the “like” button is insufficient. A friend posts an article about some political outrage, so you “like” it. A friend complains about her sinus infection or broken dishwasher in a particularly amusing way, so you “like” it. Then you have to make the comment below saying, “Not that I ‘like’ genocide, but I’m so glad you posted this important article” or “I’m not happy you’re sick, but you have such a great sense of humor!” even though the other person knows perfectly well what your “like” meant, and you know they know it, and they know you know they know it, but you still have to explain it because otherwise it feels weird.
There’s already a campaign for a “dislike” and a “that’s what she said” button, but I think this is setting the bar too low. Given the advances in technology, should not Facebook be at least as nuanced as a Magic 8 Ball?
Here are some buttons I’d certainly find useful:
* Disturbingly intrigued by
* Irritated yet compelled (you know people would use this all the damn time)
* Wish I hadn’t known that
* And yet, we are related
* Wow, you’ve changed
* Wow, you haven’t changed
What buttons would express some of your common thoughts upon reading the updates of your Facebook friends and family, dear readers?
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19 Responses to “Emotionally nuanced Facebook buttons”
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* Sympathize
* Sympathize with the devil
* TMI! TMI!
* OH NO SHE DI’NT
* Bowl of petunias (aka “Oh no, not again.”)
* Quit vaguebooking, vaguebooker.
I have frequently been in need of an “enjoy your mode of expressing your feelings about experiences that I distinctly do not like” button.
I would also like an “acknowledge” button. As in “I see that you posted this, and I recognize that you want acknowledgment for it, but I do not want to be notified every time someone comments about it.”
And now I have had a bit more coffee and realized that that first button is exactly what you’re talking about in your first graf.
Fillyjonk, Fb just introduced an ‘unsubscribe’ option, so that you needn’t get updates every damn time someone comments after you.
I’d like a “would like that 4 seconds of my life back” button.
Vaguebooking is my new favorite word. An old friend’s status update last night was “Life as I know it changed for ever at 5:10 PM,” and I wanted to throw something at him.
Hehe…I want a vaguebooking button too.
*Agree
*Disagree
*Funny
*Cute
*WTF
(I swiped the first 3 from Ravelry.)
*Get a life
*Remember, I’m your mom and I read things here
Thanks for sharing but too much information.
Shortened to:
Too much info.
I want all of yours, Robin, plus a “meh” button. (I suspect I’d use that one the most, to be honest!)
I also vote for the TMI and Vaguebooking buttons.
Plus (in order of increasing unfriendliness):
* Want to have your Internet babies
* No comment (this would be like that ‘Close Door’ button in the elevator that doesn’t actually do anything)
* Already seen this
* No sh*t, Sherlock
* You’re fired
like
@KellyK-wouldn’t it be funny if they had all the Ravelry buttons on FB? Think of Educational. With all the things people post that fall under TMI, if someone clicked Educational it would be a riot!
Just one button, that covers almost everything:
“WHY?” (did you post this photo, that rant, those minutiae).
I am endlessly interested in why people do what they do.
(Although my most common REACTION to facebook presentations of all sorts, is “WHAT were you thinking?!!)
Generally the answer to that one is “I wasn’t”.
@Ana, that would be awesome!
*Your Opinion on This Subject Has Caused Me To Lose Drastic Amounts of Respect for You
(Though “And yet, we are related” would cover many of the situations in which I would use this button.)
“I like this song too but I do not like that you are posting song lyrics on Facebook.”
Still haven’t figured out how to unsubscribe to particular threads, if that’s possible… I want updates every damn time someone comments after me on SOME threads, but if I say “sorry” or “congratulations” I don’t really need to know who else said “sorry” or “congratulations” too.
Oh one more: “I am avoiding responding to this post/comment on the grounds of not wanting to start a fight.”
“maybe it’s time for you to check in with the offline world.”