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We need "agree" and "disagree" buttons instead of "Like" Button on Town Square.

Original post made by Resident, Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 21, 2018

Many times I have used the "Like" button to agree with a comment. On many occasions I strongly disagree with the comment and the only way to do that is to write an opposing comment. The like button really means agree and if we have that facility we should really be able to say we disagree by way of using a similar method.

Often there are strong personal attacks when someone makes a comment. Perhaps just being able to click disagree would take away the personal attack and the discussion may remain more civil.

On a different note, many comments within minutes are inundated with likes and I can't help feeling they are not genuine. If someone is using multiple devices as well as multiple names, they can sway the number of likes to provide added ammunition towards their argument. If there was a disagree button, at least those disagreeing could also be logged.

Anyway, this is a suggestion and it might be worth knowing how others think. If I hear a strong argument against it, it might make more sense than my suggestion. On the other hand it just might prevent me getting nasty comments on thoughts which are not as negative as the nasty commenter might try and suppose.

Comments (28)

Posted by Conservative
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 22, 2018 at 2:47 am

So you think if I posted my pro-Trump, anti-socialism, anti-illegal immigration, anti-sanctuary cities, anti-universal healthcare and other conservative views, that people would simply press "disagree" instead of attacking me? Not only would I have a target on my back, the PA Online liberal editors would also delete my comments.

They should just disable the "like" buttons too, as they can be gamed by one person. The most "likes" I have ever seen were 105 for one posting. Our population is 67,000. Do 105 "likes" really matter? Does it really represent the entire city? Or are there variables of what type of person reads the Town Forum? "Likes" are not scientific research.


Posted by 1 percenters? 13 percenters?
a resident of Menlo Park
on Oct 22, 2018 at 7:54 am

13% of Menlo Park voted for Trump. Don't know what the vote was in PA.[Portion removed.]

Sure, get rid of the 'like' button. Honestly, the first person I saw 'master' it was Na-Na. She'd have 50 likes in a heartbeat.


Posted by Anon
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 22, 2018 at 8:36 am

Posted by Conservative, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood

> So you think if I posted my pro-Trump, anti-socialism, anti-illegal immigration, anti-sanctuary cities, anti-universal healthcare and other conservative views,

You are very confused. Trump is not a real conservative. Here is a validated report on who voted for Trump:

Web Link

Why did Trump win? Embarrassing, isn't it?

Web Link







Posted by R.Davis
a resident of Crescent Park
on Oct 22, 2018 at 8:49 am

R.Davis is a registered user.

The key is not to take things too personally on an internet forum. Besides, if it gets out of hand, the moderators infuse their discretionary deletions & editing.

As far as 'like' & 'dislike' options go, the 'like' choice tends to be more informative in regards to conveying a consensus of opinion. If someone disagrees, they can always follow-up with a well-written/worded rebuttal. A 'dislike' selection says very little without further or additional elaboration.

For example...if someone asked, "Do you like pizza?" the 'like' option would shed far more light without requiring further commentary than someone simply hitting a 'dislike' button and expressing absolutely nothing else to convey their reason(s).




Posted by No meaningful discussion
a resident of Fairmeadow
on Oct 22, 2018 at 10:59 am

You can put all kinds of buttons, but No meaningful discussion is possible on this website due to the egregious censorship.


Posted by Anon
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 22, 2018 at 11:10 am

Posted by No meaningful discussion, a resident of Fairmeadow

>> You can put all kinds of buttons, but No meaningful discussion is possible on this website due to the egregious censorship.

On the contrary, it is the moderators at work that make any "open" discussion board useful. I've been an sometime participant in online boards for more than 30 years. Boards without moderation, unless they have both a narrow focus and membership, are basically useless.


Posted by Getting Carried Away...
a resident of Barron Park
on Oct 22, 2018 at 3:14 pm

Like the old Siskel & Ebert show with a 'thumbs up' or 'a thumbs down' selection?

Is this a discussion forum or a public opinion poll?

A 'like' button is sufficient as there is adequate space to provide a dissenting opinion.

Or how about an "I Object" button for added dramatic effect?

Maybe two "I Object" buttons for vehement objections?

Besides, some people don't even bother with the 'like' buttons.


Posted by Curmudgeon
a resident of Downtown North
on Oct 22, 2018 at 3:38 pm

"So you think if I posted my pro-Trump, anti- ... ... ... . Not only would I have a target on my back, the PA Online liberal editors would also delete my comments."

[Portion removed.] Where would America be if Tom Paine, Ben Franklin, John Adams, and those other radical liberals just sat around whining on their donkeys?


Posted by No meaningful discussion
a resident of Fairmeadow
on Oct 22, 2018 at 6:38 pm

@Anon: There is a big difference between moderation and censorship.
Censorship results in one-sided discussions, which may feel useful to you, but are still not meaningful.

Thankfully, many people still find freedom of speech useful.


Posted by Online Name
a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Oct 22, 2018 at 6:48 pm

Online Name is a registered user.

Fret not. Everyone's getting censored.


Posted by Kleinoe
a resident of Adobe-Meadow
on Oct 22, 2018 at 8:54 pm

[Portion removed.]

Deal with it. It's not censorship. It's a private media company.

Invisible hand of the free market, doncha know...


Posted by In Moderation
a resident of Barron Park
on Oct 23, 2018 at 8:14 am

There are no 1st Amendment rights on a public internet forum.

The right to censorship, moderation and editing of posts belongs exclusively to the sponsor of the forum.

Most people seem to overlook this factor when questioning deletions.


Posted by Anon
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 23, 2018 at 12:20 pm

Posted by No meaningful discussion, a resident of Fairmeadow

>> @Anon: There is a big difference between moderation and censorship.
Censorship results in one-sided discussions, which may feel useful to you, but are still not meaningful.

I see. Meaningful to me is not meaningful, but, meaningful to you -is- meaningful.

>> Thankfully, many people still find freedom of speech useful.

Seriously, if you don't find it "meaningful" or "useful" to read and post here, then, why are you here? Reminds me of Speakers Corner in Hyde Park (London). Web Link Get yourself a soapbox and expound on anything, as long as you don't insult the Queen. Of course, you are not guaranteed an audience, nor are you guaranteed that the audience you do get won't laugh, jeer, or interrupt.


Posted by A Waste of Time
a resident of another community
on Oct 23, 2018 at 2:00 pm

A dislike button is nothing more than a 'boo' button.


Posted by 2nd story man
a resident of Greater Miranda
on Oct 23, 2018 at 2:07 pm

[Post removed.]


Posted by Resident
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 23, 2018 at 3:29 pm

If we have a "like" button it makes sense to me that we have a disagree button too. It goes back to the days where we could simply say Hear, Hear, or Boo. We don't all have to make a long spiel to get our thoughts across, the simple agree or disagree mechanism would suffice. And for those who play the like game on many different devices, there will be just as many who place the disagree button. It would be interesting to see the number of agree v disagree on any post.

I think moderators deletion is a very different but still a talk worthy topic. But I do think agree and disagree makes sense to me.


Posted by A Waste of Time
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Oct 23, 2018 at 5:17 pm

> And for those who play the like game on many different devices, there will be just as many who place the disagree button. It would be interesting to see the number of agree v disagree on any post.

So your idea basically resolves nothing.


Posted by Kenny
a resident of University South
on Oct 23, 2018 at 6:49 pm

"@Anon: There is a big difference between moderation and censorship."

Here? You gotta be kidding.

PA Weekly, try this: https://disqus.com

Engage your audience, baby! Many newspapers use it, and it generally works quite well.


Posted by So Sad
a resident of Barron Park
on Oct 25, 2018 at 10:52 am

@Anon, so you think that having an opinion different from yours disqualifies someone from participating in the discussion board?
The Hyde park analogy is good, but applicable to you and the Curmudgeon- personally as soon as I see you join and start flooding every discussion with your posts, I move on...
To those who state that the private media has a right to censorship- you are correct, but you are missing the point.


Posted by Anon
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 25, 2018 at 11:54 am

Posted by So Sad, a resident of Barron Park

>> @Anon, so you think that having an opinion different from yours disqualifies someone from participating in the discussion board?

On the contrary, without multiple different opinions, it would be a very boring discussion board.

>> The Hyde park analogy is good, but applicable to you and the Curmudgeon- personally as soon as I see you join and start flooding every discussion with your posts, I move on...

What is it about my posts (and Curmudgeon's?) that you find so repellent?

>> To those who state that the private media has a right to censorship- you are correct, but you are missing the point.

I missed your point. Spell it out for me; I don't recall seeing your posts previously.


Posted by Resident
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 25, 2018 at 3:46 pm

It is very easy to start ignoring a thread regardless of the number of comments if it is a topic on which you don't have an interest.

However, many comments saying the same thing is not just boring and repetitive but wastes the time.

If we agree, we can just add hear hear.

If we disagree, we can just add boo.

At least reading the latest posts will take less time and it is still worth being able to get the overall impression of the online readership's interest and opinion on a particular topic.


Posted by Online Name
a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Oct 25, 2018 at 4:30 pm

Online Name is a registered user.

I'm confused about how some folks get away with adopting context-specific names like @online name and @mauricio and "recall mauricio" when it suits them but others can't and our comments get deleted for "user posting using multiple names" when we do exactly the same thing,


Posted by Back to Real Issues
a resident of Community Center
on Oct 25, 2018 at 4:55 pm

Nobody's keeping score on "likes" unless they are of a petty mindset.


Posted by @online resident recalled yet more of the same
a resident of Portola Valley
on Oct 25, 2018 at 5:55 pm

[Post removed.]


Posted by Back to Real Issues
a resident of Community Center
on Oct 25, 2018 at 5:59 pm

[Post removed.]


Posted by Like just likes
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 25, 2018 at 7:28 pm

I disagree, and have no problem telling you so.

"Liking" something is positive. Disliking it is negative -- I think it's far better for people to say why they disagree with something -- because disagreeing means discussion and that isn't in and of itself even necessarily negative. You're basically advocating for making it easier for you to be negative without having to justify yourself. This is a community newspaper and relatively small community at that. If you want to spend all day being negative the easy way, as has been pointed out, there are other outlets.


Posted by Resident
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 26, 2018 at 8:41 am

In response to the previous poster, you have actually given me something to think about and possibly sway my thinking.

I do agree that discussion and debate is not only useful but often vital to helping us formulate our own ideas and opinions. It takes effort to listen (or read) a well thought argument that is different from our own. Too often the loudest voice is generally supposed to be the one that wins the argument or the opinion that most people are expected to have.

I consider myself an independent thinker. I like to think outside the box and often try to put my own opinion in various threads on many topics. Unfortunately, when I do I get disagreeable comments that don't actually listen to what I say and make sensible rebuttals, but make assumptions about who I am, what I believe, my political persuasion as well as basically denigrating me as a person with name calling and sometimes worse. It is no wonder that most commenters want to remain anonymous.

If someone puts a well thought through comment even if I don't agree with them it may be that I may want to explain why I don't agree. But if I have already posted my rationale for having a different opinion, I don't see that I need to type another long post explaining my disagreement when a button just might do the same job.

In various threads recently, there has been a lot of disagreement by younger millennial posters who have sounded angry and called older residents second class citizens for daring to disagree. These comments have had many likes within minutes of their posting even at times such as mid morning or very early morning when I don't expect that many people are reading Town Square and if they are unlikely to all be in full agreement to warrant a "like". This can only lead me to believe that the poster is using various devices to flood the like button. For reasons like this, it seems that spending time yet again explaining why this view is not helpful to the topic being discussed, and that having a button expressing disagreement would be a simple method to express such disagreement.

Hear Hear, and Boo, are often used in a political arena. Buttons that do the same could be useful.

However, I do not for a minute want to get rid of useful debate and discussion.


Posted by 1 percenters? 13 percenters?
a resident of Menlo Park
on Oct 26, 2018 at 9:27 am

[Portion removed.]

Back to topic: lose the like button if it offends those so easily offended. Need to be safe in our spaces. Could start snowing soon, with little flaky puffs of snow falling about us...

Enjoy the day folks, sounds like they found the bomb terrorist.


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