• Anything ‘published’ on the web is viewed as intellectual property and, regardless of whether it displays a copyright symbol or not, is therefore copyrighted by the originator. The only exception to this is if there is a “free and unrestricted reuse” statement associated with the work.

    In order to protect our members and TFL from possible litigation, all members must abide by the following new rules:

    1. Copying and pasting entire articles from another site to TFL is strictly prohibited. The same applies to articles from print or other media, and to posting photographs taken of copyrighted pages or other media.

    2. Copyright law provides for “fair use” of portions of a copyrighted work. You can copy no more than a SINGLE paragraph from the article to your post (3 or 4 sentences at most).

    3. You must provide a link to the article along with the name of website. For example: ww.xxx.yyy/zzz (The Lower Thumbsuck Daily News).

    4. You must provide, in your own words, a brief summary of the article AND your reasons for believing it will be of interest to TFL members. Failure to do so may result in the thread being closed or your post being deleted as a “cut and paste drive by.”

    5. Photographs and other images are also copyrighted. "Hotlinking" of images (so that it appears in your message) from other sites is also prohibited unless you own rights to the image. If you wish to share an image, provide a clickable link to it.

    Posts that do not follow these new guidelines will be altered or deleted by staff. Members who continue to violate this policy may lose their posting privileges at TFL.

    Thank you for your cooperation and your participation in TFL, the leading online forum for firearms enthusiasts.

Like button

G

gwhunran

New member
For those of us who have using Facebook for a couple of years. I find myself going for the "like" button after reading a fellow members post. Who would have thought at my age I would already be so conditioned by an internet site.
 
Well, we don't have a like button, but we do have a feature that might serve the same purpose for you...

At the top of each thread, just above the first message in the thread, all the way to the right, is a drop down box titled "Rate This Thread."

You can rate a thread from 1 to 5 stars, depending on how much, or how little, you like it.
 
Sounds like a neat option, but I'm not seeing it. All I see right above the first post are "Thread Tools" and "Search This Thread".
 
Try one of the main forums.

The feature is shut off here and in a number of other forums where a rating wouldn't serve much, if any, purpose.
 
Scott, try looking at a thread in another forum.

Personally, I don't care for the "rate thread" thing, much less a "like" button. The latter serves more or less the same function as a post that just says "+1" or some such -- it's a form of noise. As far as I'm concerned, we're about information and discussion, not about popularity.
 
Thanks Mike
I'll try and make use of the thread rater. Sometimes I would just like to acknowledge or agree with a particular response without posting something that doesn't really add to the thread.
I am already conditioned to go for the "like" button because of Facebook. Plus they need a "dislike" button too.
 
"The latter serves more or less the same function as a post that just says "+1" or some such -- it's a form of noise."

No, no it doesn't, and no it isn't.

It is a neat and efficient way by which members can identify threads that are highly informative or that have other demonstrative merits above and beyond the majority of the threads posted here.

Just because you "like" something and wish to express it doesn't immediately drop you to the level of vacuous spreader of meritless drivel.
 
I have seen this handled well on other thread where this is a "Thank" button and a little box will appear underneath saying "dakota.potts, Mike Irwin, and 9001 other people thanked this user for their post". I think it reinforces good post by adding agreeing opinions to it.
 
Mike Irwin said:
Just because you "like" something and wish to express it doesn't immediately drop you to the level of vacuous spreader of meritless drivel.

It is a neat and efficient way by which members can identify threads that are highly informative or that have other demonstrative merits above and beyond the majority of the threads posted here.
Click to expand...
As to the thread ratings, I'll concede the point. I just don't happen to care for them.

But the comment of mine that you quoted was directed specifically at "liking" posts. On Facebook, etc., "liking" something does serve a purpose: it spreads it around, for better or worse.

I don't see the point on a site where it's merely a shorthand way to express an opinion. Posting here shouldn't be a popularity contest.
 
Merely showing agreement with post. Not really about popularity with me.
Experience with several forums over the years, there always seemed to be quite a few that showed a tendency to face plant on moderators backside for some reason, never understood the reason for this. I agree or disagree and sometimes I don't know yet:rolleyes:
 
In my opinion, the optimal structure for a discussion forum is:

1) Threaded comments. As well as clarifying the flow of discussion in a thread, threaded comments alleviate ambiguity (i.e. who/what you're replying to) that necessitates quoting.

2) Upvote posts, not threads.

Most of the major "built from scratch" web forums use that model. Slashdot, Reddit, ...

But that's neither here nor there until something is decided about the future software direction of TFL.
 
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One of the forums I use utilizes a "reputation" feature. It allows members to "rep" posts they find insightful, well thought, or just humerous. Members who recieve rep get the message and a notification of who it is from. As a person's rep score grows, they gain badges, allowing users to see an online user's reputation within the forum- something that, combined with post count, helps people evaluate the source of information. Users are also allowed to opt out of the rep system.
 
I like the "Thanks" feature; I've used it on other forums & it serves several good purposes.

There is a post here right now that really helped me & I'd like to thank the poster, but that would require another post which is just more "noise" for other readers. Saying thanks is also confirmation that, "yes I read this & I got it" back to the poster.

But TFL has a huge number of users & I could see some posts having more "Thanks" than content!

IMHO
 
I agree it would be nice to have some way for people to easily evaluate a post.
I am sure the admins are aware of the huge number of active readers who do not post here. Maybe an option like this would allow some of them to contribute to the discussion.
Sometimes one hundred "+1"s would be nice on a response to one of my questions when the two or other three response have none. I'd know where to start.
 
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Like/Found post useful buttons can be helpful to others. If there is a counter on a persons profile/side bar and on a certian post one can decide if what they are saying is legit.

Now slap buttons are fun too, but this doesn't seem like the kinda place to have that feature.
 
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