This post is part of SoCS:http://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/06/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-2114/
When I saw the word “like” I of course thought about blogs and other “social media” which have forever changed the meaning of this word. “Like us on FaceBook” says the sign in…the chiropractor’s office. Really? The chiropractor’s office? Odd…and this sign can be found in every other sort of business these days. I have a FB account. I don’t use it. I used to use it to keep in touch with two or three people, people who I didn’t keep up with in any other way, but the truth is, FB became too publicized, too monetized, too drenched in ads, too…impersonal. Then there were the privacy issues. I rarely look at FB anymore.
And then, there are the ubiquitous “likes.” What does this even mean? Even on WordPress I wonder. I use this button, but I try to use it thoughtfully and if possible in conjunction with some little comment to let the blogger know what it was that I “liked” about their post. Yes, it’s nice to be “liked.” But it is even nicer to hear what is was that someone liked. I read this amazing post last week by Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert, about this topic, and I have been thinking about it a lot since then. It’s too easy to just click the “like” button without thinking of the reasons why one would do that. It should mean something, to “like.” I admit that I sometimes click “like” just to let a blogger know that I appreciate his/her writing or art in a general sense, but have no specific comment to make, or just to let him/her know I was there reading and that I really hope he or she keeps writing. I want to start spending more consideration on this. I think that blogging is a more thoughtful way of communicating than FB or Twitter, or texting, it’s more like writing a “real” letter or story. Clicking that “Publish” button always raises my heart rate just a smidge because it seems like a real “commitment,” not just an offhand comment. What I say here, I say to “tout le monde” (wow, I really prefer saying that in French now, instead of “everybody” or “the whole world.” Don’t know why…I just LIKE it better 😉 ) So I try to be careful what I say. Blogging is thinking. It’s considered, it’s deliberate, and I love it. I mean, I “like” it. Anyway it’s lucky for me that this is an actual “prompt” to be Stream of Consciousness, because otherwise I am making a lie of my own previous sentence! 😛
“To like” – It’s a verb, but it’s also an emotion. It means that I feel a particular fondness for something/someone, or that I feel a connection to something/someone, or that I desire to possess something that I see, or that something I see inspires me to do or make something similar…so many meanings. So today I think that I would Like to do a little writing; I would Like to see if I can improve my style, or try something different, or inspire someone else to do the same.
Happy Summer to…tout le monde!
Forty, c'est Fantastique ! 
Okay, I clicked “like” on your post because I read it and I liked it. It was well written and I pretty much agree with everything you said. So I really have no comment to make or have anything to say that would add value. Hence, you’ll just have to be satisfied with my “like.”
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Thanks for “liking” it :-)…I’m not really trolling for comments, just thinking out loud. It’s nice to be “liked.” 🙂
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I often click the “like” button without even thinking about it – and yet I know if I read something I don’t like, in particular, I remember then NOT to click it. Weird, eh?
Nice post, my dear. Thank you for “liking” my SoCS prompts! 😀
P.S. I HAD to “like” Doob’s comment. 😉
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Thanks Linda. I liked that you liked my comment.
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Ooh, good point. I do that too, but sometimes I intentionally don’t click “like” not because I actually *dislike* something, but simply because I don’t relate to it, or because it doesn’t “speak” to me…
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I click “like” on WP to say I read it; related to it and wanted you to know. If I’m extra moved by the writing or topic, I’ll comment. I DO like all of you 🙂
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I loved this and feel very much like you do about the “liking” on social media and even here on WordPress, as you said. I agree that blogging is a much more intentional, deeper form of communication than the lighter stuff that is usually shared on social media like Facebook, which is why I too really enjoy it. Like you, I also “like” other bloggers’ work to show I value what they do, but am also working on sharing my positive feedback whenever I can. Otherwise, how will they know exactly why I liked it? So, I wanted to tell YOU that you made great points about this and also let you know how much I enjoyed your post overall! This was my first time doing SOCS and I loved it. Great post!
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Thanks so much for reading and commenting 🙂 I really like SoCS…and pretty much anything I’ve ever read over at Linda’s site. She’s awesome! I found her *two* sites during A to Z and I am now a huge fan!
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I can see why! I only recently came across her but already find myself loving her work!
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Hey, I like your blog! So much heart, a feel good place to be overall! And I don’t come across girls who fly airplanes all that often – will be dropping by to ‘snoop’ around hoping to read about your experience 😉
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Thanks for visiting! I really want to create a “feel good place”, thanks for saying that 🙂 Flying airplanes is a pretty fun job, I get to do interesting things sometimes.
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