How about adding a "HUG" button, or does the "Friendly" cover that already?

[Cosmophylla]

The friendly button causes me the most anxiety because I always worry that it's just the...pity button, or something. And I feel like if someone marks my post friendly, there was no content of value in it but people are just going, "Aw, sucks to be you, here is a sympathy point." I recognize that this is completely paranoid. And when I mark posts friendly, I am sometimes being totally literal, as in "This person is so kind and friendly!" and sometimes I use it for the equivalent of "hug" but it bothers me slightly that I can't differentiate the two. But then I think if I could, I might be more paranoid because then I couldn't hope people were being literal--I'd know it was the sympathy point. But maybe not if it's called "hug." I like hugs.

I have trouble interpreting the buttons, too. I don't see the friendly button as a pity thing. For me it's usually for when I want to say that person has been friendly or offered something personal and thus tried to be a friend. So it's literal for me, like for you.

I also use it to show support (as distinguished from pity) but only because there is no separate button for that purpose... If I give you a "friendly" in the future, I promise it will never mean, "sucks to be you..."

 

[Spiller]

The friendly button causes me the most anxiety because I always worry that it's just the...pity button, or something. And I feel like if someone marks my post friendly, there was no content of value in it but people are just going, "Aw, sucks to be you, here is a sympathy point." I recognize that this is completely paranoid. And when I mark posts friendly, I am sometimes being totally literal, as in "This person is so kind and friendly!" and sometimes I use it for the equivalent of "hug" but it bothers me slightly that I can't differentiate the two. But then I think if I could, I might be more paranoid because then I couldn't hope people were being literal--I'd know it was the sympathy point. But maybe not if it's called "hug." I like hugs.

Yeah, I worry too much.

Funny, royinpink, you're not alone - similar thoughts go through my mind every time I click an icon
I use 'like' to like a post and to acknowledge that I've considered the posters' comment
I use 'friendly' as a hug, to sympathise and to show that I've taken an idea on board without necessarily agreeing.
The others, pretty much as they stand.
I think the range and meaning of the icons needs to evolve - this is the original set (other than losing the 'disagree') from when the idea was first proposed, also that we should be able to click on more than one button - I know I often have a tough time working out which meaning I want to apply to which button to use..
I think my brain hangs more often than my laptop does!

 

[Slithytoves]

The friendly button causes me the most anxiety because I always worry that it's just the...pity button, or something. And I feel like if someone marks my post friendly, there was no content of value in it but people are just going, "Aw, sucks to be you, here is a sympathy point."

Funny, royinpink, you're not alone - similar thoughts go through my mind every time I click an icon I use 'like' to like a post and to acknowledge that I've considered the posters' comment
I use 'friendly' as a hug, to sympathise and to show that I've taken an idea on board without necessarily agreeing.
The others, pretty much as they stand. I think the range and meaning of the icons needs to evolve - this is the original set (other than losing the 'disagree') from when the idea was first proposed, also that we should be able to click on more than one button - I know I often have a tough time working out which meaning I want to apply to which button to use..
I think my brain hangs more often than my laptop does!

I use the "Friendly" and "Like" button a lot with new people, because I have this thing about helping people get early karma so they feel welcome. It isn't always about content, though I obviously won't give any karma at all for something hostile or too -- something.

I also go for "Friendly" a lot when I like what someone has said to someone else that was mostly just compassionate. I can't remember many occasions when I've given pure pity points. I don't like the idea.

What drives me nuts is when I have a Karma Dilemma, at those times when none of the options really apply or I'm caught between two appropriate options. That's where my "hangs" happen most, so I can relate to the problem. It's pretty sad when you spend more time deciding which icon to click than you did responding to a post!

I have a whole list of other buttons I'd love to see added, but it might just backfire and make choices harder.

This could be the germ for a good conversation about how we interpret symbols....

 

[Vinca]

I use the friendly button either to rate what a person has said as being friendly or to say I have 'friendly feeling' toward you, and I think of 'friendly feelings' as the type of feelings that a person has about someone who is a friend and that they care about.

When I use the 'agree' button, I'd like to be able to idicate which part/s of a persons post I agree with.

I like the idea of being able to apply two ratings to a post.

 

[Cosmophylla]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-16/facebook-gives-thumbs-up-for-like-button-alternative/6779400

Facebook is developing an empathy button. (I don't use Facebook, if that's a relevant thing to say.)