Sunday, April 12, 2015

Little Blue Stars

This post is directed to those who read or write Wordpress Blogs.

For those who read:
Do you enjoy some of the Wordpress posts you have read? Do you want to acknowledge the bloggers for their efforts but are too shy or don't have enough time to write a comment on the post? Are you aware of the little Blue Stars?

Blue Stars are found at the bottom of many Wordpress posts.

The Little Blue Star prior to receiving a Like
When I read this blog post this week I scrolled down to the bottom of the post and clicked on the Little Blue Star to indicate that I "liked" the post.

Blue star turns white after "Liking"
I have gotten into the habit of doing this for most Wordpress posts I open (I don't open all that appear in my RSS feeds). I want to let the blogger know that someone out there in cyberspace is reading what they have written and appreciates their efforts to contribute to conversations in the geneasphere.

Some people who use the blue stars are not so liberal as me. They may just "Like" posts that  they agree with or that they find exceptional. Most of  the posts on my Wordpress blogs must be unexceptional as the number of "Likes" I receive is only a tiny percentage of the views my posts receive. As a blogger I get a buzz when someone "Likes" one of my posts.

Another reason that people don't use blue stars is that they read posts in their RSS Feeds and do not open the posts.  Might I suggest that, if you find a post thought provoking or exceptional, you open it in your browser and "Like" it.

For those who write:
Blogging is a two-way street and we should provide means to encourage two-way communication.

I find it frustrating when I come across a Wordpress post that does not give me an option to "Like" it. Please consider adding this facility to your blogs so that readers can give you feedback.

To enable "Likes" on your Wordpress blog please follow these instructions: https://en.support.wordpress.com/comment-likes/#how-to-enable comment-likes

5 comments:

Louis Kessler said...

I like this post, Jill. Yes, I agree readers need to show their appreciation through likes or comments. It encourages the poster and lets them know they are being heard and their effort is worthwhile.

I usually comment on the post, or tweet, retweet or favorite on Twitter or share or +1 anything that I find interesting. I haven't seen very many wordpress sites that use the "like" button.

Louis

Cassmob (Pauleen) said...

I agree that a like helps you realise you're not just talking to yourself.

Also worth mentioning that you can like comments people leave too....especially when a post generates a conversation.

Unknown said...

Hi Jill, I can only see the tiny Share button strip including G+1. I don't see the Like button you show (I've looked for it on other blogspot blogs too). Perhaps it only displays if you are also a registered blogspot/blogger user? I use installed Wordpress (& Joomla) software, not blogspot, but it must not detect it even though I am logged in to Wordpress. I'll continue to click G+1 but will click Like if I ever see it! (I mostly read your posts in my email & Feedly) :)

Tanya said...

No LIKE button on mine.

Anne Young said...

Hi Jill your post is of course in blogger. Took me a moment to work this out as I searched for your little blue star :) . I agree it is great to see Google +1s and I am sure blue stars if you use Wordpress. As a blogger user I can't always see who has plus ones a post but when I blue star a Wordpress post it seems to me my image and name comes up and I can see other names and images. I have a Wordpress account so I can acknowledge bloggers on that platform. Regards Anne

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