What do you use the "insightful" button for?

Shara_Wynn · August 23

Although not strictly ESO related, it does relate to these message forums and as there seems to be some disagreement on what the "insightful" button is supposed to convey when replying to a post, I thought it would be interesting to see how other posters see and use this button.

I think it's important that, as posters, we are aware of how our opinions are seen by our ESO peers, if only for the sake of transparency (but that is just my humble opinion).

tohopka_eso · August 23

Can't really vote. I only use the agree if I agree with a post or awesome if I think it went above and beyond. I just don't find the majority of posts to be insightful not to be disrespectful though.
If I don't see a post reflecting on what I do in game I just ignore it.

SkaiFaith · August 23

I often use insightful but neither in a positive nor negative way, it's just... Insightful.
I could even strongly agree or strongly disagree with what's being said, but if it gives me some new/additional information I didn't consider either way, than I give priority to the "insightful" button.

Basically, it's for when I didn't thought myself about the mentioned things.

TaSheen · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I use insightful (as I've stated before) when something posted gives me a new slant on how someone else sees something, whether in the game world or real life. It would never occur to me to use it in any other manner.

coop500 · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

What I actually use it for isn't really described but since it's positive, I voted for that.
In truth, I use Insightful for when someone's comment teaches me new information about the game.

spartaxoxo · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

Educational, thought-provoking, gives me new perspective (even if I disagree with but it's good food for thought), etc. The name is pretty much on the tin. If it's insightful...

ZOS_Kevin · August 23

TaSheen wrote: »

I use insightful (as I've stated before) when something posted gives me a new slant on how someone else sees something, whether in the game world or real life. It would never occur to me to use it in any other manner.

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Educational, thought-provoking, gives me new perspective (even if I disagree with but it's good food for thought), etc. The name is pretty much on the tin. If it's insightful...

If it helps, these two comments are how we as a team see the insightful button used as well on the feedback end of things. It tells us, "oh this person's thoughts have given others a different perspective. That's something we should pay attention to."

Artim_X · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I'm not going to reward a comment that is the exact opposite of insightful.

Ezhh · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I use "insightful" if something gives me a new insight. The word has an actual meaning, so using it in some other random way because there's no disagree option is a bit strange, if only because there's no way to know that someone might mean something else.

For me it covers things like:
New way of looking at something. A thought I hadn't had about something. Potentially a post that makes me reconsider something I believed.

I sometimes wish I could select both "insightful" and "agree", because while they don't always go together, they sometimes do and there should be a way to respond for that.

Aurielle · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I mainly use the insightful button as intended — when someone posts something that expands my knowledge on a topic. When someone is deliberately trying to be nasty and provocative, saying in a sarcastic way that they’ve given me or someone else an insightful… well, they get an insightful too.

Shara_Wynn · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

Ok so admittedly I could have worded the poll questions a little better.

However, for me, insightful is very much a positive thing. It is not the same as agree but it is still a positive expression in that it makes me think about what a poster has said. Either because I had not considered that point of view before or because they made me question what I thought I knew.

Even if I disagree with what was said, if it made me think bout things in a different way or see another's point of view, then to me, that is still a positive reaction to that post. That is what I take "insightful" to mean and what I mean when I use words such as thoughtful or thought provoking.

I can only ever see "insightful" as being a positive thing, never a negative.

Tandor · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I use it entirely positively because it has given me an insight into the topic being discussed through either the poster's different view of things, or more specifically the fact that their comment was clearly well-informed.

tomofhyrule · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I've always read 'insightful' as "Oh, this poster is saying something I didn't know and is giving me information about the game," either by talking about how mechanics work or explaining reasoning behind certain things. By the same token, I usually take the 'awesome' reaction as something that I think is clever or made me laugh.

I'm personally of the opinion that a negative 'reaction' is not needed, since there's always the option to reply or ignore a post. I think that they're all positive and use them as such.

valenwood_vegan · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I use insightful for a post that makes me think about an issue in a new or different way, or that provides new information that I wasn't aware of, or where the poster has put a lot of time and research into answering a question.

For me it's not the same as an agree because it's usually in reference to some kind of information that is "new" to me - so I can't necessarily "agree" with it yet, but it may cause me to do my own research or test something out for myself or approach a problem in a way I hadn't before. Or as another example, I may still disagree with the poster but gained insight into their viewpoint.

But tl;dr, yes I use it as a positive thing!

zaria · August 23

This one is only here to farm Insightful and Awesome.

Please support hard working Khajiit. This should at least give an Awesome.

Khajiit tend to use insightful on posts who are insightful, like tips.
An tips about ocean fishing holes in Cyrodil west of Newt cave once you reach the ocean is Insightful.

Destai · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I take it at face value. For me, insightful means it provided a perspective that I wouldn't have come to on my own.

code65536 · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

If you disagree, then make a dissenting post. If someone else has already done that, then click agree on their post.

Repurposing an existing reaction to mean the opposite is both unnecessary and juvenile.

colossalvoids · August 23

Mostly as an actual insightful, pretty rarely can be used as an obvious sarcastic one but not a complete disagree one as in that circumstance I'd just comment back or ignore if person isn't one you can have reasonable conversation with for some reason.

shadyjane62 · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I use the insightful button if someone counters an argument I make and I find myself thinking, why didn't I think of that.

DoofusMax · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I have a pretty simple test: did the post contain information that I didn't already know or did it put known information into a different and interesting context? If either are true, then it gets an "insightful".

Estin · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I use it for the intended reason. If you wanted to disagree with someone, either leave a reply explaining why or ignore the post. You can already easily tell if a message is unpopular if it has 0 awards and every other message does not.

LalMirchi · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

Somehow the concept of the negative aspect of the "Insightful" button seems very contrived and convoluted. There is no concrete evidence of this button being used (mis-used?) in this manner.

Morvan · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

The only way I can think of insightful being used any differently would be if applied to a completely troll/joking comment.

Other than that, I can't really understand anyone using it on a negative way, or even how they expect that their "target" will understand they're being made fun of.

oldbobdude · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

LalMirchi wrote: »

Somehow the concept of the negative aspect of the "Insightful" button seems very contrived and convoluted. There is no concrete evidence of this button being used (mis-used?) in this manner.

Well, other than the other threads where people have admitted how they use it.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/664147/disagree-button-on-threads#latest

OsUfi · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I use insightful for insightful posts that give me some insight into something. I never use it in a negative way.

Although, just once, for today, I have used it sarcastically just for OP. Just once. Especially for this thread.

the1andonlyskwex · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I use insightful when a post is helpful or thought provoking. I also sometimes use it if I agree with the main point being made but not with the entirety of the post.

LalMirchi · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

oldbobdude wrote: »

LalMirchi wrote: »

Somehow the concept of the negative aspect of the "Insightful" button seems very contrived and convoluted. There is no concrete evidence of this button being used (mis-used?) in this manner.

Well, other than the other threads where people have admitted how they use it.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/664147/disagree-button-on-threads#latest

Yes I read that entire thread with much interest and that is why I label this concept as contrived. For me it is a long stretch of imagination that a button labelled "Insightful" could be used in a derogatory manner. It would be the exception rather than the rule, so to speak.

SteveCampsOut · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a negative way, such as a proxy for a disagree button?

Honestly, you will never know with me. I use Insightful interchangably with "LOL" or "I learned something new". It's up to the reader to interpret.

edward_frigidhands · August 23

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

Shara_Wynn wrote: »

Although not strictly ESO related, it does relate to these message forums and as there seems to be some disagreement on what the "insightful" button is supposed to convey when replying to a post, I thought it would be interesting to see how other posters see and use this button.

I think it's important that, as posters, we are aware of how our opinions are seen by our ESO peers, if only for the sake of transparency (but that is just my humble opinion).

I understand but at the same time I think a disagree button will prevent certain forum members from having some discussions or expressing points of view which are very contested or controversial.

ThelerisTelvanni · August 24

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

I use the "Insightful" as intended. and I am suprised someone does it not that way. However a "Disagree" reaction seems like something I am in need of from time to time.

Varana · August 24

Do you use the "insightful" button in a positive way, such that you find the post thoughtful or thought provoking?

oldbobdude wrote: »

LalMirchi wrote: »

Somehow the concept of the negative aspect of the "Insightful" button seems very contrived and convoluted. There is no concrete evidence of this button being used (mis-used?) in this manner.

Well, other than the other threads where people have admitted how they use it.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/664147/disagree-button-on-threads#latest

TBH, that seemed like a leftover insider joke for a few people when they got salty half a decade ago after their toy (the LOL button) got taken away.

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What do you use the "insightful" button for?

What do you use the "insightful" button for? 139 votes