Please explain what emoticons do for us

[WillowQ]

It was brought to my attention that I’ve not been using emoticons to like or love or otherwise the posts I read.

I didn’t realize those were important. How does that work?

 

[Mizzely]

I'm assuming you are talking about the like/love/wow/sad reaction feature.

They are a way to interact with the forum and other members without having to comment.

You can use them to show you have read a post, that you like what they said, that you agree, to show appreciation, to show you are there for them.


As I said in another thread, not everyone uses the like/emoticon features of the forum. I tend to use it for anything I've read and liked, agreed with, appreciated, etc. Not everyone does that.

We don't have any rules about using that feature, but social media like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, etc do tend to use it as a way to let someone know you're reading their posts.

Use them or don't.

 

[Shezbug]

Some members seem to feel reactions show their worth as a member or whatever which I personally find a bit odd.

I tend to use the reactions for varying reasons- sometimes I will react to posts to let me know which posts I have read and where I am up to in a thread, sometimes I react to posts because I think they are a great post/terrible post/funny post etc, sometimes I will use a reaction simply to show that the members comment has not been ignored.

We have some members who I am pretty sure have never given a reaction to any posts and some members who only use positive (like, love or haha) reactions and some members who seem to react to every post they read... you react when and if you wish to- it is not mandatory for you to react to any posts you read!

 

[Xoetix]

I like using them to keep track of where I am. But also enjoy using it as a "I like what you had to say" sort of thing. I think because I did use Facebook for so many years it's sort of immediate now, I do it without thinking about it.

 

[Kassiani]

If you don't want to use any emoticons or reactions at all, that's fine! You do you. Some people don't use them at all, some use them every other word, lol!

 

[WillowQ]

I want to be sincere and not sucking up. Sometimes I can’t think of anything to say or I feel like adding another reaction to the pile isn’t very meaningful. I was not on Facebook very long; I hated the competition. But I do understand that there is some sort of credit given for reactions so I will crank them out.

I find this forum harder to use than another bird forum. I haven’t even figured out why, I just do. I’m most interested in bird health and emergencies and I can’t comment on some of those forums, or it seems that someone else has said it better.

Be well.

 

[Mizzely]

Please don't feel pressured to use the reactions or comment where you don't know what to say. We have many many people that only read and rarely reply.

The 911 forum is the only area that is really restricted to people with a known level of medical knowledge and veterans. This is because we have had issues in the past with members jumping into a thread to bash people coming here to help, and because some people were giving dangerous advice. It is not a perfect system, but it has helped prevent these problems to a great degree.

 

[April]

I want to be sincere and not sucking up. Sometimes I can’t think of anything to say or I feel like adding another reaction to the pile isn’t very meaningful. I was not on Facebook very long; I hated the competition. But I do understand that there is some sort of credit given for reactions so I will crank them out.

I find this forum harder to use than another bird forum. I haven’t even figured out why, I just do. I’m most interested in bird health and emergencies and I can’t comment on some of those forums, or it seems that someone else has said it better.

Be well.

I use an emoticon if I feel like it's something I want to express for that post but I don't do it for every post I read. Once you're here for a certain amount of time I believe your allowed to post on there. My understanding is that limits the amount of possibly unhelpful posts in an emergency situation.

 

[Pixiebeak]

The community means so much . It's not liikes or loves . It's knowing you are connected to people. Thst you are seen and supported. That you can offer support . To share . We don't exist in vacuum.

Sometimes I'm drowning. I just want too look at parrot's , hear about parrot's , learn about parrot's.

Sometimes I need support. Sometimes it feels good to help others

 

[WillowQ]

How does a person ask for access?

I pretty much feel I do exist in a vacuum.

 

[April]

The community means so much . It's not liikes or loves . It's knowing you are connected to people. Thst you are seen and supported. That you can offer support . To share . We don't exist in vacuum.

Sometimes I'm drowning. I just want too look at parrot's , hear about parrot's , learn about parrot's.

Sometimes I need support. Sometimes it feels good to help others

I feel that way too sometimes. When I'm having a really rough day I'll hop on AA and read and comment on the threads that I can and wish there was more new ones so I could keep talking and interacting with folks.

 

[Mizzely]

How does a person ask for access?

I pretty much feel I do exist in a vacuum.

You can ask a staff member; they put it to the admin team and it gets decided as a group. With lower post count it is harder to make a determination. Most requests to post there go denied unless there is a good track record and a clear showcasing of appropriate medical knowledge in non-emergency areas.

 

[Xoetix]

I pretty much feel I do exist in a vacuum

How so?

 

[Kassiani]

I've been here for about 2.5 years, and I don't have access to the 911 Emergency threads (unless I start one myself). I don't have anywhere near the experience to offer someone in a crisis with their birds.

 

[WillowQ]

I have a related degree. But I can understand your reservation.

 

[WillowQ]

How so?

Just having a cruddy time and lonely holiday. Didn’t expect to be harming someone accidentally.

 

[Sparkles99]

It might be helpful to have an automatic answer encouraging people to remain calm, keep an injured bird warm, etc. I don’t have the experience to post there, but sometimes I feel helpless watching someone not know the bare basics & their bird freeze/dehydrate.

 

[Xoetix]

Just having a cruddy time and lonely holiday. Didn’t expect to be harming someone accidentally.

I can definitely understand cruddy times and crappy holidays. I can't imagine you've offended anyone though I'm sorry you're having a rough go of it.

 

[WillowQ]

It might be helpful to have an automatic answer encouraging people to remain calm, keep an injured bird warm, etc. I don’t have the experience to post there, but sometimes I feel helpless watching someone not know the bare basics & their bird freeze/dehydrate.

Well, I look for a post that I could respond to and see some in the emergency threads, but I can’t post.
And yes, in other bird forum, there are lots of nonsensical responses to emergencies. I can understand having the 911 locked down.

 

[Shezbug]

Well, I look for a post that I could respond to and see some in the emergency threads, but I can’t post.
And yes, in other bird forum, there are lots of nonsensical responses to emergencies. I can understand having the 911 locked down.

If you believe you can help with valid information on any 911 posts please by all means message a staff member and ask them to maybe post your information for you. This has happened numerous times in the past.. saves you feeling helpless and frustrated.

Just having a cruddy time and lonely holiday. Didn’t expect to be harming someone accidentally.

Ahh this sucks! We all have these days and weeks so know you are not alone!
Many people come here when lonely or bored and just play the games in the games forum or chat about other things not bird related- we have tonnes of topics to chat about, share info/pics, ask for help, info or support, we have so much to do here that can help you feel a part of the AA community.

I personally do not think you have harmed anyone- we can not always be responsible for our innocent actions giving others the reason to feel upset or offended.
I used to get a bit upset/paranoid that one member in particular never acknowledged my posts, I would constantly wonder why and what I may have said or done to make them ignore me all the time, but then I realised they do not acknowledge anyone else's posts either lol. We sometimes read more into a situation than we really should.
I honestly hope you feel better soon and realise, feel and believe that not reacting to posts is no big deal. Heck- I have not reacted to many posts I normally would have done of late cos my internet has been really crappy and reactions were one of the things that really were just not working with the terrible lagging- if someone takes that as me being horrible and is upset or annoyed by it then that is not on me... that is their choice to be emotionally moved by a totally innocent action or non action from me.