Hugh Roberts and I have had discussions about the like button. What do you think? Do you like the LIKE?
During my recent blogging break, I heard the news that Instagram is trialling (with some of its users’) the removal of the ability to see who has ‘liked’ a post and how many ‘likes’ the post has had. Only the author of the post will have access to the information.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Why are Instagram conducting the trial?
There are a number of reasons why the trial is being conducted but the main reasons are because some Instagram users reported that seeing too many ‘likes’ on a post made them feel demoralised.
In turn, some users went on to delete their account or develop ‘social media envy’ at seeing how well other users were doing compared to themselves. One user admitted that, for them, ‘the number of ‘likes’ was more important than the content’; in other words, they saw Instagram as more of a popularity contest.
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Over from Yvette’s. The Like button is a double-edged sword. I shake my head when I receive notifications that a blogger liked 5 of my posts within 20 seconds. On the other hand, if a person/owner/host doesn’t want to display the Like button, don’t display it. After all, doesn’t WordPress offer the host a choice?
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They do, Frank. However, (as I and many others have discovered to our horrors) if you remove the ‘like’ button, the reblog button on your blog also disappears. When I approached WordPress about this, they informed me that the two buttons were connected. Get rid of one, and the other disappears. As most bloggers want their blog posts to be shared (via a reblog), keeping the ‘like’ button becomes vital.
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Hugh …. I didn’t know that. Thanks for your advocate work on this matter.
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If there is no Reblog button, though you can still press a story. This actually gives you the option of scheduling it, which is cool. 🙂
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I don’t have a reblog button on my blog but I still have a like button. I wonder if it depends on your theme.
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You are probably exactly right, Carol. It also might have to do with the browser. I like to see the reblog button, but Press works well, too. If they are both missing, you can cut and paste a small part of the person’s post into a new post for yourself, and add a link to their site and “continue” or “read more.” Those are three ways I know to post someone’s post on your site. 🙂 I had to do that with some of Abigail’s Breast Cancer Awareness Posts in October.
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I removed the reblog button because a couple of people I didn’t know reblogged my posts without asking first. I didn’t want that happening so I took it away. A couple of times people have cut and pasted since then but not often. I think it is a simple courtesy to ask first before taking someone else’s post to put it on your own blog, which I’m sure you do but some people don’t.
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I guess I’ve never had anything someone wanted to reblog. I don’t remember. You got a pingback or something that told you they reblogged you?
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I got an email from WordPress saying the person had used my post.
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That’s weird that you didn’t get a pingback or anything. Did you find out who it was? What did WP say? It’s just out of my experience. Did you get my email?
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Yes, the email had a link like any other post notification. But the way the post was set up it made it look like the post belonged to the author of the blog, with a tiny link at the end back to my post. Rather annoying.
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Thanks so much for sharing my post with your readers, Marsha. Feel free to join in the discussion over on my blog too. Many of the comments already left make interesting reading.
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I think liking a blog means I looked at it and liked it. It’s good for the bloggers and the viewers IMHO.
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I really don’t know the answer to this one. Sometimes I read a blog and enjoy it but have nothing relevant to add. I suppose I need to exercise my mind more. I been over, read and commented on Hugh’s blog too. 💜
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