Here is what I would do if I were a newbie with no likes. I would start commenting on popular threads and try to add to the conversation or debate. Also humor doesn't hurt either. I believe that 20% of the likes I have received have been for a post I made that had an element of humor to it. Also you could create a thread that pertains to something you know about. If your comments resonate with members, you would get likes for that. Good luck to you with this.