#because reblogging was still a unique feature. nowadays every other website has a feature called re-something too

[lindwurmkai]

Information for new users that I haven't really seen included in these advice posts so far:

If you seem to be getting mixed messages about likes and reblogs, there are a few things that might be contributing to your confusion.

1) Reblog and repost are not interchangeable words!

Reblogging is when you use the site's built-in feature to share someone else's post with your followers. This is generally considered supportive and you can't really go wrong with it. Just don't reblog people's random-ass personal posts for no reason I guess?

Reposting is just what we call stealing, basically. Like when you download an image someone posted and upload it yourself. This is why you'll see "do not repost" messages and angry posts about reposting. They are not talking about reblogging.

2) Strongly worded negative posts about likes are usually made by artists and other original content creators who are frustrated that their posts aren't being shared. Likes don't "do nothing", that's an overstatement, but they do practically nothing to increase visibility on here. Don't overthink it, just keep in mind that artists in particular thrive on visibility and you're not contributing to that when you like without reblogging. Support your favourite artists!

3) Yeah, we threaten to make each other's posts go viral on here. That doesn't mean reblogs aren't still appreciated like 99% of the time (again excepting personal ramblings), it's just that once a certain threshold has been reached, chaos tends to ensue. We have the option to turn off reblogs now if we really don't want to deal with that, so just hit that reblog button and don't worry about it.

Basically, I promise you the OP of a 37-note joke will most likely appreciate every reblog and every like.