On most social networks, you have one button: like. It means everything and therefore means nothing. You liked a friend’s vacation photo. You liked a political post. You liked a poem. Same gesture, wildly different emotions. Poetry deserves more nuance.
The Three Reactions
Cheer — The Applause
Color: Gold — Limit: Unlimited — Signal: "I enjoyed this."
The Cheer is your standard positive reaction. Use it freely to acknowledge work you appreciate. Think of it as polite applause after a reading at your local bookshop. It’s warm, encouraging, and costs nothing.
When in doubt, Cheer. It brightens a poet’s day and helps surface their work to other readers.
Encore — The Standing Ovation
Color: Green — Limit: 5 per month — Signal: "This moved me deeply."
The Encore is your strongest endorsement. The monthly limit is intentional — scarcity creates meaning. When you receive an Encore, you know someone chose to spend one of their precious five on YOUR work. That carries weight no unlimited like ever could.
Your Encore budget:
- 5 Encores per calendar month — budget resets on the 1st
- Visible counter — the Encore button shows how many you have left
- No refunds — removing an Encore does NOT return it to your budget
- No carry-over — unused Encores do not roll to the next month
Choose your Encores wisely! Once spent, they’re gone until next month. Ask yourself: "Would I give this poem a standing ovation at a live reading?"
Tomato — The Constructive Nudge
Color: Red — Limit: Unlimited — Signal: "This needs work."
The Tomato is not hate. It’s a signal that the craft could be stronger. Think of it as constructive criticism in reaction form — like an audience member at an open mic who respects the effort but knows the piece isn’t there yet.
On Stanza, we believe honest feedback is a gift. The Tomato provides a low-friction way to give it without requiring a full critique.
You Can Stack Reactions
Here’s a key detail that surprises many new users: you can give both a Cheer and an Encore to the same poem. They are separate reaction types. Each one occupies its own slot.
If a piece both delights you and moves you deeply, honor it with both. The poet will see each one.
How Reactions Shape the Platform
Reactions are not just feel-good gestures. They have real impact:
- For You algorithm — Your reactions teach the algorithm what you like. Cheer poems about nature, and you’ll see more nature poetry.
- Trending rankings — Submissions with high reaction scores (especially Encores) surface in the Trending tab.
- Author insights — Poets can see aggregate reaction data on their submissions, helping them understand what resonates.
- Community health — The Tomato system provides constructive feedback pressure without toxic comments.
The Philosophy
In a world of infinite likes, a like means nothing. In a world of five Encores, each one is a standing ovation.
Every design decision in Stanza’s reaction system comes back to one principle: make engagement meaningful. Quantity is easy. Quality takes constraints.
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