“Reacted to your post with like”

[MysticCow]

Not calling out @doctor_dog. The language is just so awkward for this notification. Can it be changed to:

X liked/haha-ed/etc your post…

Or

X hit like/haha to your post…

PS—yes the notifications are going to drive me insane because of the awkwardness. But fire away…

 

[maflynn]

The language is just so awkward for this notification

Maybe its my backward brain but the notifications make perfect sense. <member> reacted to your post in the thread <thread name> with a <reaction>

It provides a link to your post, the name of the thread and the type of reaction that was given, and its done so in a concise and eloquent manner

 

[retta283]

Maybe its my its my backward brain but the notifications make perfect sense. <member> reacted to you your post in the thread <thread name> with a <reaction>

It provides a link to your post, the name of the thread and the type of reaction that was given, and its done so in a concise and eloquent manner

Strongly agree. If it were to change for any reason however, clearly it must contain the thread name and a link to the post in question, otherwise it becomes total mush.

 

[MysticCow]

Strongly agree. If it were to change for any reason however, clearly it must contain the thread name and a link to the post in question, otherwise it becomes total mush.

Absolutely it should. “Your post” can still be linked. And even the emoticon can stay.

It’s just worded so weirdly to me.

 

[maflynn]

It’s just worded so weirdly to me.

Can you expand on why you think its worded weirdly - I'm trying to get me head wrapped around that aspect.

 

[MysticCow]

Can you expand on why you think its worded weirdly - I'm trying to get me head wrapped around that aspect.

It feels overly wordy and not natural speech.

“X liked your post.”

Vs

“X reacted to your post with like.”

Both convey the same information but the second one is overly wordy.

Unless you’re being paid by the word, you want to be more concise and avoid being overly wordy because being overly wordy results in things like this sentence that feels very long and can also be interpreted as a run-on sentence should said sentence become so overly wordy that it can be done better as multiple sentences rather than one overly long and wordy sentence such as this.

 

[KaiFiMacFan]

The reason it works is because it's an all-purpose formula for any reaction. Otherwise the "Like" reaction would have a unique message. You can't say "X surprised your post".

So I guess they just figured using one message for all the reactions is easier than customizing each message for the different reactions.

 

[maflynn]

Both convey the same information but the second one is overly wordy.

Thanks for the explanation.

I will say two extra words is not what I would consider overly wordy and it makes less sense with some of the other reactions

For instance, using your suggestion: "<member x> haha your post" that sounds really horrible. or "<member x> sad your post" Where as the current usage works

 

[Clix Pix]

The folks at MR didn't write the wording used in this, nor did they create the term "reaction" -- this was done by the developers of the forum software, Xenforo. This forum software is widely used by many web-based discussion forums.

 

[MysticCow]

You can't say "X surprised your post".

Yes, you can. Or “X Wow-ed your post.”

 

[KaliYoni]

I'd say the question in this thread comes to down to whether one prefers active voice or passive voice for these notifications.

I feel the template often generates wordy or inelegant messages because the thread title and full reaction name are both inserted into the sentence. A terser alternative: "MR User reacted to your post. Thread title. Reaction name." I'm indifferent about active vs. passive voice here, although The Elements of Style acolytes probably would disagree...

 

[ThrowerGB]

• Some of the wordiness could be fixed with a different formatting template.
  • eg, break up the single sentence into phrases on succeeding lines such as:
    • <member> reaction
    • <your post>
    • Thread: <thread name>
    • Reaction: <reaction>
      • I'm sure someone will come up with a better format.
  • KaiFiMacFan, above, suggests the software is probably using "an all-purpose formula for any reaction" and says "So I guess they just figured using one message for all the reactions is easier than customizing each message for the different reactions." I agree with this excellent suggestion.

 

[splifingate]

View attachment 2253864

Not calling out @doctor_dog. The language is just so awkward for this notification. Can it be changed to:

X liked/haha-ed/etc your post…

Or

X hit like/haha to your post…

PS—yes the notifications are going to drive me insane because of the awkwardness. But fire away…

Yeah; a bit convoluted.

From a grammatical standpoint, the structure grates on some internal nerve.

From a contextual-hypertext standpoint, I am continually gratified.

As Visual Mark astutely-expressed in Pat Cadigan's Synners: [we have to] "change for the machines."

 

[B S Magnet]

Here’s a mysterious one:

What was once a just-posted post reporting as “A moment ago” relative time stamp now shows as “In a moment”.

This suggests the post hasn’t actually happened yet!

Do the Xenforo and/or MR back-end tinkerers need to return to grammar school?

Update:

Now it shows as “In a minute” — what a teen kid says to parents re: chores getting done. 🤔

It might be time to go with something just as silly, like: