diff --git a/include/like.php b/include/like.php
index 32a2cabcfd..31698658a2 100644
--- a/include/like.php
+++ b/include/like.php
@@ -81,27 +81,26 @@ function do_like($item_id, $verb) {
 	$item = $items[0];
 	$uid = $item['uid'];
 
-	if (!can_write_wall($a, $uid) && (($uid != 0) || !local_user())) {
+	if (($uid == 0) && local_user()) {
+		$uid = local_user();
+	}
+
+	if (!can_write_wall($a, $uid)) {
 		logger('like: unable to write on wall ' . $uid);
 		return false;
 	}
 
 	// Retrieves the local post owner
-	if ($uid != 0) {
-		$owners = q("SELECT `contact`.* FROM `contact`
-			WHERE `contact`.`self`
-			AND `contact`.`uid` = %d",
-			intval($uid)
-		);
-		if (DBM::is_result($owners)) {
-			$owner_self_contact = $owners[0];
-		} else {
-			logger('like: unknown owner ' . $uid);
-			return false;
-		}
+	$owners = q("SELECT `contact`.* FROM `contact`
+		WHERE `contact`.`self`
+		AND `contact`.`uid` = %d",
+		intval($uid)
+	);
+	if (DBM::is_result($owners)) {
+		$owner_self_contact = $owners[0];
 	} else {
-		$uid = local_user();
-		$owner_self_contact = ['uid' => 0, 'nick' => 'feed-item'];
+		logger('like: unknown owner ' . $uid);
+		return false;
 	}
 
 	// Retrieve the current logged in user's public contact
diff --git a/src/Worker/Notifier.php b/src/Worker/Notifier.php
index e8dc25c5ee..78daae2752 100644
--- a/src/Worker/Notifier.php
+++ b/src/Worker/Notifier.php
@@ -154,10 +154,12 @@ class Notifier {
 				FROM `item` LEFT JOIN `sign` ON `sign`.`iid` = `item`.`id` WHERE `parent` = %d AND visible AND NOT moderated ORDER BY `id` ASC",
 				intval($parent_id)
 			);
+logger('Blubb: a-'.$item_id);
 
 			if (!count($items)) {
 				return;
 			}
+logger('Blubb: b-'.$item_id);
 
 			// avoid race condition with deleting entries
 			if ($items[0]['deleted']) {
@@ -171,11 +173,13 @@ class Notifier {
 				$top_level = true;
 			}
 		}
+logger('Blubb: 0-'.$item_id.' - '.$uid);
 
 		$owner = User::getOwnerDataById($uid);
 		if (!$owner) {
 			return;
 		}
+logger('Blubb: 1-'.$item_id);
 
 		$walltowall = ($top_level && ($owner['id'] != $items[0]['contact-id']) ? true : false);
 
@@ -193,12 +197,14 @@ class Notifier {
 
 		// fill this in with a single salmon slap if applicable
 		$slap = '';
+logger('Blubb: 2-'.$item_id);
 
 		if (! ($mail || $fsuggest || $relocate)) {
 
 			$slap = OStatus::salmon($target_item, $owner);
 
 			$parent = $items[0];
+logger('Blubb: 3-'.$item_id);
 
 			$thr_parent = q("SELECT `network`, `author-link`, `owner-link` FROM `item` WHERE `uri` = '%s' AND `uid` = %d",
 				dbesc($target_item["thr-parent"]), intval($target_item["uid"]));
@@ -280,7 +286,6 @@ class Notifier {
 				}
 			}
 			if ($relay_to_owner) {
-				logger('notifier: followup '.$target_item["guid"], LOGGER_DEBUG);
 				// local followup to remote post
 				$followup = true;
 				$public_message = false; // not public
@@ -288,6 +293,8 @@ class Notifier {
 				$recipients = array($parent['contact-id']);
 				$recipients_followup  = array($parent['contact-id']);
 
+				logger('notifier: followup '.$target_item["guid"].' to '.$conversant_str, LOGGER_DEBUG);
+
 				//if (!$target_item['private'] && $target_item['wall'] &&
 				if (!$target_item['private'] &&
 					(strlen($target_item['allow_cid'].$target_item['allow_gid'].