Sphene Community Tools

Hello,

would it be possible to have an option to limit the number of notifications we get on active thread between two visits ?

In fact I would expect to get an alert on all new thread as I subscribed to notifications on forums but once I watch a thread I don't expect to receive more than one notification between two visits.

I think it's a matter of personal taste but that way you keep an eye on what is happening on the board without having your mailbox filled with notifications.

Regards,
F.

hmm.. you're probably right.. it doesn't help too much to get a notification if you haven't even read the post of the old notification ..

but.. i'm not fully understanding your suggestion .. you are watching the forum.. so .. you think you should receive a notification for each new _thread_ but not for new posts ? no matter if you've visited the board or not ?

and then subscribe for the threads separately and only receive notifications on new posts if you visited the thread since the last post ?

Even better, how do I turn notifications off? :)

Erm, guess I should look at the page a little better, I just noticed the "Stop notifications for this thread" link at the top. :)

Herbert, sorry I was not clear.

I would like to have the choice to receive notifications on individual threads either threads that I'd like to read (for example I want to read a thread on newforms but I don't have anything to say on the subject so I don't reply) or threads where I replied or thread I started.

When I follow posts to a thread I don't need more than one notification between to visits.

Now, if a forum is so interesting that I want to follow all conversation who take place in it, I subscribe to a forum or to a complete board and I get notification on all new posts in the forum or in the board.
And here I want only one notification by thread once there is a new thread in a forum.
So if between two visit there is 20 messages in 12 threads, I should receive 12 notifications, one per thread.

So subscribing to a forum or a board and subscribing to a post are complementary.
With subscription to a forum or to a board you get a high level view of new topics and with subscription to threads you get a close view of threads that interest you and you are just notified when there is activity.

Does it is more clear ?

(Sorry but english is not my language and at the end of the day I'm less and less clear :)).

FR.

i think i grasp it now ;) .. i'll think about either making it the default behavior or make it configurable.. (which would finally force me to create some sort of user profile / user setting dialog ;) )

btw. what do you think about including the body of a post in the email ? i see the problem that people would read the body without clicking the URL .. this way the board never knows they've read it.. and wouldn't send further notifications .. ?

and.. another thing.. since there is a logical difference between subscribing to a board.. and subscribing to threads.. i should allow subscribing to threads if the user is already subscribed to the board/category ? :)
currently the behavior is equal .. so once you're subscribed to the board/category you can't subscribe to a thread ..

> i think i grasp it now ;) .. i'll think about either making it the default
> behavior or make it configurable.. (which would finally force me to create some
> sort of user profile / user setting dialog ;) )

I think making it configurable would allow board operator and users to configure
the board to their preference.

> btw. what do you think about including the body of a post in the email ? i see
> the problem that people would read the body without clicking the URL .. this way
> the board never knows they've read it.. and wouldn't send further notifications
> .. ?

I have a mixed feeling about putting the full post content in the notification
but maybe the best way to please everyone is to allow for the notification email
to be built using a template isn't it ?

In my opinion, email notifications should be just that, notifications.
If you start putting whole content in the notifications it start to look like
half a mailing list.

Anyway if the type of notifications is configurable, you could get
1) no notifications at all
2) no more than one notification by thread subscribed between 2 visits
3) any number of notification by thread subscribed between 2 visits as soon there is a new post
4) notifications with or without post content
5) notification each time there is a thread started in a forum or in the whole board
6) Daily summary of the past day or past week
...

> and.. another thing.. since there is a logical difference between subscribing to
> a board.. and subscribing to threads.. i should allow subscribing to threads if
> the user is already subscribed to the board/category ? :) currently the behavior
> is equal .. so once you're subscribed to the board/category you can't subscribe
> to a thread ..

Yes, you are right, you should allow subscribing to threads if
the user is already subscribed to the board/category.

An other feature that would be usefull for moderators would be subscribe to post made by a user.

stupid question.. but.. if there are so much options.. is it then still enough to have one option for each user .. perhaps users want to customize it per category ;)

especially since i'm using the board also for the 'News' section.. which might need other subscription options than discussion categories ;)