If you’ve been using Facebook for a while you have probably noticed that many people “Like” their own posts just as soon as they post them.

While this could be viewed as a form of vanity (I mean, really, is it cool to “Like” your own posts?), in most cases it isn’t vanity at work at all.

Facebook has made numerous changes to their user interface of late, and one of the most reviled changes of them all were changes to the news feed and the introduction of the Ticker.

Now, instead of seeing all of your friends’ posts, you only see a selected few (selected by Facebook of course) showing up in your news feed. Under Facebook’s “Edge Rank” system, friends that don’t “Like” and comment on your posts usually stop seeing them altogether before too long.

In order to compensate for not showing your posts in some of your friends’ news feeds, Facebook added the ticker — a box in the right-hand column that lists the activities of your friends as they happen. This is where “Liking” your own posts comes into play.

When you “Like” a post, that action is noted in your friends’ ticker boxes, giving them a chance to at least be made aware that you have posted something even if it doesn’t show up in their news feeds.

So the next time you see one of your friends “Like” their own post, they probably aren’t giving themselves a pat on the back. Instead, they’re giving you an opportunity to check out a post that might never make it into your news feed. I recommend that you “Like” your own posts as well!