Favourites as likes

How do you use Twitter favourites? I’ve never been sure what to do with them. I tried favouriting tweets that contain interesting links, like a built-in bookmarking system, but I never went back to check those tweets, because I have Pinboard and Instapaper for that kind of thing.
I tried favouriting tweets that featured some pithy sentence or quotable message that I could use later on in a blog post, but I never went back to check those tweets, because I have nvALT for that kind of thing.

I tried ignoring the favouriting system completely. That worked pretty well.

And then I read this tweet by Hannah Nicklin:

Since faves got notifications, I’ve used them like FB likes – a very human thing; ‘I don’t really have a response but acknowledge your words’

I liked that idea and that’s now how I use Twitter favourites. It’s a social network, after all. I like getting notifications that tell me someone thought my tweet was worth favouriting.

Used sparingly, a favourite feels like a nice thing to give and receive.