"I read this!" button/link
Title
"I read this!" button/link
Short, concise description of the idea
My suggestion is to add a "I read this!" (or something along those lines) button/link to each entry.
Full description of the idea
The "I read this!" button/link could be similar to Facebook's "like" button, where it could list who clicked the "I read this" button, or the user could choose to have it private, or to get email notifications when someone clicks it, etc. Hopefully such a feature wouldn't be difficult to implement.
An ordered list of benefits
- I think it's a very common occurrence for people to read the entries on their friends list, but not always comment. Having a "I read this!" button/link attached to each entry would let people know that their friends ARE reading, just don't have time to comment or anything to say.
- It could give people who are looking for readership statistics a better idea of who/how many people are reading.
- Adds an interesting/fun element for people who care about who is reading their LJ.
- Adds a new level of interactivity besides just commenting.
- "I read this!" button/link is neutral, unlike a "like" button or a ratings/thumbs up or down system.
- Perhaps implementing might be difficult, programming-wise? (I'm not sure, since I don't know much about programming)
- Clicking the "I read this!" button/link might cause some people to be offended and wonder why the user didn't take the time to comment. haha