Put a Like on It, or, How to Encourage Bloggers to Post More Content You Want to Read

OK, I’ll admit it. I can sometimes get lazy. I’ll read a blog post when I’m not logged in, for example while I’m waiting at the airport, and I’ll enjoy the post, and instead of trying to log in on the spot, I’ll take the easy way out and tell myself “when you get back to the office and log in, you’ll go back and put a like on it.”

But then I’ll get to the office, I’ll log in, be confronted with some burning issue, and before I know it, I forgot to put that Like on that post after all.

I think one of my new year’s resolutions will be to make that extra effort to put a Like on a post in the moment, when I enjoy it or it provides value to me. And the reason I want to make that pledge is because I want to see more from that author, and receiving a Like is one of the best motivations authors receive for continuing to post good content.

What about Comments, you say? Those can also be good motivators, especially when an interesting dialog ensures between the blog author and the comment poster.

But a like is a real morale boost; it’s like a “thank you”, a recognition of the effort that went into the post (assuming it’s a good post, of course; I’m not suggesting putting a Like on everything you read, just on the ones that you thought were valuable or enjoyable). And recognition of our skills, knowledge, and viewpoints is really why those of us who contribute content do so in the first place.

I also appreciate when people I follow in the community put Likes on posts they value. I see this in my activity stream, and that is often how I discover blog posts I would otherwise not have noticed. I don’t see in my activity stream when they viewed it or read it; I only see when they liked it (or commented on it). So that activity helps me understand what content those members (whose opinions and content I value) are enjoying right now.

So Put a Like on It if you thought a blog post was useful or funny or it somehow brought you value, so you’ll get the chance to see more good content in the future. Thank a good contributor for their contribution.