I'd go with a morphing to look like Facebook and/or Tumblr and/or Ao3. It's convenient to like something when you really don't have any words, but having been on all of the above platforms, they never replace actual feedback, commentary and discussion and kind of slowly that process. That being said, for those times you really don't know what to say, it's a nice thing to have as an option.
I like that LJ is offering both the like button and a space to actually have a discussion going. AO3 has it, but something about the site makes it so that there's not a lot of actual discussion. I don't know how the kids these days manage to get a discourse going on tumblr. My main fandom right now is all tumblr-based and I'm such a damn lurk because the site is geared towards extroverts or something, and when someone is all like "oh this wank/fight about such and such that is going on in this fandom right now is so..." I'm all like ???????
God, I know what you mean. I've been on Tumblr like almost three years now and it still just is like-- and it's filled with kids, too. I've never gotten into an actual discussion there on threads, though sometimes there's a heck of a conversation that gets going on ask-boxes.
My favorite thing about being on tumblr? When a joke that most tumblr users are apparently too young to get goes around and there's this mass confusion/rage. Someone made a post that said something like "new Dr. Who theme song" and it was the Seinfeld theme song, and there was so much rage and worry because so many people thought it was real. I didn't know whether to feel really fucking old or just roll around on the floor of my house laughing my ass off.
It will help when I'm grabbing a quick peek and don't have time to type a compliment or smart ass comment. Or, when those who are so good with words say what I want to say (like DPPatricks) about the story or post, I can just "heart" to show that I agree.
It is nice to be able to let someone know you were there, even if you don't have anything particular to add, or you can't find the words. But I hope it doesn't stop comments on things like fiction where someone has put in a lot of time and real feedback, is needed.
I predict, possibly too boldly, that the number of comments won't be affected much. It's just that, I burn through a lot of posts and a lot of fic, so it's always been a relief when someone has it on AO3 so I can just click the kudo. But that doesn't stop me from leaving a comment if I can think of something to say. And feedback is nice and all, but I don't think we're entitled to it. The only currency we have as fanwriters and fanartists is time, and we're not entitled to demand anything from fanwriters and fan artists because they're spending a lot of time and putting their stuff on the internet for free, but when we're reading and consuming, we're also spending a lot of time. I don't want feedback to become part of that currency.
Where is the little heart? I don't see it. I applaud all attempts at discussion or feedback to a post, but if you have nothing to say, a like is nice, too.
Can't believe it took LJ this long. Although, it's so different from fb (thankfully. There's a reason I still have an LJ and deleted my fb a few years ago), that maybe it's not as obvious a choice as it kind of seems.
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