Don't listen to anyone who says "likes don't matter" on here.
Yes, it's true that there's no algorithm for them to feed.
But letting people you know that you like what they're sharing, that you agree with them, that they're not just shouting into an empty abyss? That matters.
@design_law There *is* an algorithm for them to feed: Trending Posts (Explore > Posts in the standard web interface), which shows the most Boosted OR Favourited posts on your server over the last day or so. It's where I found this post!
So, "favourite" away to your heart's content in the knowledge that you're not only showing appreciation but also helping promote the post.
@hughster @design_law Beat me to it. There absolutely is an algorithm, which is literally the only reason I saw Sarah's post at all.
@ech @hughster Yeah, so this could have been clearer. I was responding to a particular argument I've seen, which bemoans the lack of a Twitter-like algorithm.
But that wasn't my point.
The point is that even if likes aren't increasing the visibility of a post--or increasing the visibility of a post in the same way--they still have value.