What's the real value of a like?

On Linkedin, this question was recently asked and as I got to thinking about what a like indicates on a social networking site, I realized there were pros and cons to the like button. The like button creates an illusion of engagement and interaction, while also providing the person who has done the liking a “feel good” emotion because the person pushed a button and liked something. At the same time, the metrics for a like (on Facebook) increase the possibility that your comment will show up in the top news feed as opposed to more recent news.

While a like can indicate approval and also the fact that someone is actually reading your status updates and thinks you have something relevant to say, it doesn’t really promote interaction or engagement, either on the part of the original poster or on the person who “liked” what you had to say. Liking is the least amount of action a person can take, and yet it is also the most likely action to be taken as a way of showing interest in what someone is saying. But does it really indicate interest or engagement, or is the person just pushing the button?

When a person comments on a status update, what occurs is an attempt to have a conversation, both with the original poster and with the network of people the original poster is connected to. Ideally the original poster is taking part in the conversation, partially to extend it, and partially to show interest in what people have to say. Other people will be more inclined to comment if they find the discussion interesting and think that the original poster will respond to what they say.

In comparison to a comment, a like doesn’t prompt response from anyone. Perhaps it should and perhaps the original poster should just get creative in responding, but that doesn’t seem to occur much. And in cases where the original poster leaves a comment, there still isn’t a guarantee of a response. And what has to be asked is: What would motivate someone to respond beyond liking? What makes for compelling content? This is a question that is asked a lot, but really it comes down less to content and much more to the actual people who can choose to make a response. Why should they care about what you say enough to respond?

The answer is that people are less inclined to comment or even like something unless it has something to do with them. A good case in point was an update I made the other day about having a rough day. I went on to say: “It’s all in how you choose to live through the day, so even if it starts out rough, make it a great day by looking for what is going well and for looking at what you can improve.” I received 7 likes and got a comment, which I responded to, which prompted another comment. A later status update that discussed what I was doing with my evening got no response, which wasn’t surprising to me, mainly because what prompted a response on the other post was that people could empathize with what I had to say and could take away something they could apply to their lives. When an update prompts response its usually because on some level, a person gets something out of the response.

That’s real value of a like…on some level it prompted a response. Not the ideal response of a comment, but a response that showed interest and approval. It’s something to remember in your approach to social media in general. People will respond more likely to something that means something to them and gives them some kind of take away.