When someone shows appreciation or engages in a friendly way it makes my day. Thanks to you folks that do :)
One common complaint I've seen with Reddit is the negativity. I'm really hoping that the freshness of Lemmy allows the opportunity for a more positive environment.
Maybe the slight difficulty of joining a Lemmy instance will keep more negative folks away, too.
I've talked once or twice about Reddit being negative and being happier here on Lemmy. Part of the reason I like Lemmy is it's a smaller userbase, which means fewer vocally negative people to drag things down. I also feel like the conversations are more "genuine" in that I feel like I'm talking to single people as opposed to crowds.
Speaking of crowds, I did very well on Reddit in terms of karma but to me it always felt like a dogpile - if my post/comment got those first 5 upvotes it would keep on doing well. If it dropped into negatives it was basically a lost attempt and the thread would fill with insults/criticism. Here there's seems to be less "inertia" and more chance to win people on merit. I've had people respond aggressively, but rarely and not actually cruel. I've only been here for about 2 months, but so far that's my take.
This is a simple yet effectively-down-to-earth meme right here. Not all conflicts and problems have to be responded with abject rage and negativity; humility, a willingness to listen with caution, and most of all, an eagerness to explain and discern beyond the bubble like your favorite high school/collegiate instructor would, are all that it takes for positive and fruitful conversations and engagements, especially in online rafts like the ones we currently have built down here.
Same.
I just wish I didn't have to be super-careful about my friendly interactions. So many people mistake simple politeness for romantic interest these days, and no one wants to get tagged as a creep.