I passed a milestone in my digital and creative world today  – sometime after four p.m., I got a bunch of e-mails pointing out that I had passed the 10, 000 “like” mark on Facebook. Isn’t it curious how this idea of being “liked” has entered the popular vocabulary and imagination. I went to look at 5 p.m., and it said I had 1001 likes. Is this important? Does it matter? A few years ago I would have scoffed at the idea that “likes” on Facebook would matter to me, but they do matter, and they are important, if not always in the way people think. 10,000 likes is a big deal. I appreciate it.

A Facebook “like” is a vote, an affirmation. It says a user appreciates the page and the content. It doesn’t necessarily mean the user will subscribe to all of the content, but it is now a significant benchmark of whether a page has a significant enough following to be taken seriously. A “like” is only one way for Facebook users to engage. Many read without “liking,” others see the site in a way that is shared or linked.

Facebook and Google have become skilled at spotting algorithmic software programs that inflate likes. When the number of “likes” rises, Facebook make elements in the page available to more potential users. In marketing terms, “likes” are only one of the ways in which a viable site is measured (check out this useful piece from the online media site “Convince&Convert.” “Likes” are only one measure. “Shares” are another, and so are literal engagements – traffic on apps, purchases through the site, and comments. Facebook is complicated. When a user “likes” a page, he or she is expressing an intent to subscribe to at least some of the content, but only a small percentage of “likers” actually see all of the content every day. “Liking” a page is not the same thing as subscribing to everything on it, that depends on individual preferences and Facebook software. For the Facebook algorithm, “liking” a page carries weight, but not as much as comments and other interactions that pass through the page. That shows what marketers call direct engagement.

The readers on my site are active and engaged. And they comment quite a bit.

The number of “likes” is especially valuable to a writer like me. My publishers pays close attention to likes, because it provides my work a dedicated and substantial audience. In publishing, it is generally argued that a writer needs between 40 and 50 thousand likes to sell a lot of books. One or two thousand “likes” are considered impressive. Marketers generally say a business needs at least 300 likes to be viable on Facebook.

Interestingly, and this is why “likes” are important, people who “like” a site are more than 300 times as likely to buy something – let’s say a book – from the creator of the page. They do, in fact, see themselves as joining a community they wish to be part of. Approximately 33 per cent of social network users knowingly follow brands, products, (books) or services on social networks.  So “likes” are a critical factor in building an audience willing to follow one’s product or work. Or make contributions to the maintenance of a site. I was reluctant to permit contributions, but it turns out to be a strong move for the blog and Facebook page despite my hesitation. I see from the contributions that people appreciate, rather than resent, the opportunity to support something they like as long as the process is restrained and the site remains free and accessible. I didn’t know that.

For the writer, this business of “likes” – we used to only worry about reviews – has become critical. Traditional media outlets like magazines, newspapers and commercial TV are weakening all the time, so it is difficult for publishers to make people aware of a writer’s work. And sites like Amazon are flood with cheap and free books that compete with mine, so it is difficult to stand out there.Facebook – and the blog – are a new and increasingly important way for me to find my readers and talk with them. They are talking back.

The growth of my Facebook page has been remarkable. My blog has been in existence since 2007 but my Facebook page is a little more than two years old.  Eighteen months ago, there were less than 5,000 likes. At this rate, I will make it to 40,000 or so likes in a couple of years or sooner, if there is some new and dramatic publicity about my work or if something I write goes viral.

So I’m not turning up my nose at these “likes.” Each one is a vote for me and my work, and many have stayed with me to form a community that has become well-informed about me, cohesive in its interest in animals and spirituality and the other topics I write about. I will continue working to grow this community. It is good for business, sure, but it has been even better for my personal growth and creativity. Thanks for the “likes.” And the contributions. I will continue to try and earn both.