Comments on: Strands Offers Lifestreaming and Moral Dilemmas

By: Strands Lifestreaming Service with Tools for Noise Reduction and a Focus on Social Discovery | Profy | Internet news and commentary

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:41:10 +0000

[...] you can both like and dislike items where on FriendFeed you can only like pieces of content. But as Jennifer Van Grove mentions, disliking is definitely a sensitive issue since it is done publicly here so people will probably [...]

By: Jake McKee

Jake McKee — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:46:32 +0000

@maringuy the "if you don’t' want it, don't use it" mantra has rarely had any real impact on changing behavior, perceptions, or opinions. Especially with those of non-social media nerd types. We've all been to a party with an odd group of people that made us feel uncomfortable and out of place. Maybe we should have expected such discomfort, but maybe we just honestly didn't know any better if we weren't part of that party's in-crowd. It's far too easy to chalk any potential problem up to the "you should know better" mindset, but how does anything really change beyond the core group if that's the approach?

Jenn, the issue you're raising is an interesting one. In the early(ish) days of Twitter, I remember a friend of mine getting genuinely irritated (I won't go so far as to say "mad") that I hadn't followed him. After all, he was following me. I'm sure we've all had similar stories at some point.

As more and more activites dissolve their online vs. offline differentiation, and as more and more tools allow me to voice my opinions, how does this affect our friendships? As it becomes easier for me to share my disdain for the Republican party via Twitter, for instance, do I risk losing clients or friends? When a friend asks me to digg something and it's clear that I don't, am I sending a "message" to them about our friendship status?

Let's not forget that while the social tools are new, social norms have existed and have been evolving for eons. People can have their feelings hurt in a wide range of situations... so who's to say that getting content "disliked" isn't one of those situations?

Of course, there are two discussions here really: What's happening now with the older crowd, and what's happening with youth who are being raised on these techs and social norms. At 34 (next week!), I might get upset about something that doesn't even register for someone 16 who has been raised on these technologies and social "concerns".

Any way you slice it, it's an interesting discussion!

By: Louis Gray

Louis Gray — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:09:00 +0000

The Ballhype and Showhype sites have long had a thumbs up and thumbs down features as well. And I believe NoiseRiver (a FriendFeed UI app) has a “Hate” feature vs. “Like”. A bit strong for me.

By: Majento

Majento — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:54:00 +0000

Jenn, that's pretty much the same as Digg's “Bury”, there are already lots of Bookmarking/News sites that are based on -/+. I wouldn't say dislike/bury equals doing wrong, or being negative in any way. It's just a different atmosphere, far more competitive, and sometimes creates room for intrigue & vengeance as you mentioned.

By: Jennifer Van Grove

Jennifer Van Grove — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 20:31:37 +0000

I completely agree with “it isn't quite clear how the user is to approach it.” That's the whole issue I was having. A thumbs down icon is just that – iconic. I know what it means and what to do with it, but adding the word “dislike” to describe the action does add a new layer of context that some users, like myself, will consider before disliking any content. Plus, as you point it, it's all public!