Can we get a ‘Dislike’ button already?

My mind goes on a lot of tangents while I am laying in bed…probably why I usually average about 4 hrs of sleep per night. Last night’s tangent focused on Facebook and how it seems to be doing everything in its power to not add a “Dislike” button to post response options. What’s with that? A lot of people have raised issue with this topic. One Facebook fan page even got over 3 million people to “Like” its page in support of the “Dislike” option. Although the last post on this page was quite a while ago, the fan base continues to grow. Here is a link if you are interested in becoming a Fan of the page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dislike-Button/102038567018

While I am not trying to get 3 million fans of the idea, I do think that if enough people (and companies) understood the actual benefit that the option would provide, perhaps we all could raise enough of a stink with Facebook, they may actually change their minds. Below are my main arguments broken into two categories: Business and Personal. I haven’t spent too terribly long thinking about it so I am sure I have left a few out. If you have anything to contribute, please comment on the post or email me and I will add your input with credits.

Business

Poll customers with every post. A lot of companies use Polling applications to get their followers’ feedback however, most people who “Like” a company’s page aren’t really that interested in participating in polls, surveys, etc. The pages that I have become a Fan of on Facebook are my direct path into the new products or specials that the company is featuring. I don’t want to go into a separate application just to take a poll. That said, if I had the option to Dislike something that the company had posted, in all reality, I would technically be participating in a poll. The company benefits by getting real-time, honest feedback from its fans without having to read through all of the comments (they still should, but they wouldn’t have to.) The Dislike button would also likely make the process of data gathering happen a lot faster. [Some] People think quite a while before they comment on something. Selecting “Like” or “Dislike” doesn’t require a whole lot of contemplation and a company could get a good idea of what the response will be within an hour or two.

Personal

Be more empathetic with your friends. A lot of people post incredibly personal information on their Facebook pages. I have seen people post things that range from announcing plans for a divorce to losing their job for telling their boss off. When things like that happen, you typically see a huge outreach of support from close friends and loved ones. However, if you are someone who is a “friend” with the bearer of bad news but not that close to them in real life, sometimes you want to show your support from a slightly more distanced position. The best solution? Pressing the Dislike button. With less severe news, a simple press of the Dislike button would serve as a casual pat on the back. In many instances, I have actually seen friends comment on someone’s post with “Dislike”. If that’s not evidence enough, I don’t know what is.

What do you think of the idea? Do you think Facebook is fine as-is? I personally have been a fan of the idea for quite some time now but I am interested in hearing your feedback. Like I said above, please comment or email me your thoughts.

Cheers!

Alisha