Subscription & Email Notification Issues

[dr.h00k]

Good evening...I found that even before the migration, I wouldn't get all notifications... but lots!...post migration, was pretty much status quo...however, I did follow the tips,and I seem to be getting a few more consistently now...I'm sure its been discussed, but are the people still having problems using the same or different email platform's... Using Gmail myself, and as stated, has been good...cheerz... h00k...

 

[420]

In regards to email notifications...

We are seeking members who have had these Preference settings since prior to the migration.

Watch content on creation: Yes With Email Notification
Watch content on interaction: Yes With Email Notification

If you have been subscribed to threads with email notifications since before the migration, and have NOT done the tip people are doing by unwatching and then watching threads again, and are still not getting email notifications, then please speak up so we can dig into your settings to see if we can discover the missing link.

My theory is that the subscriptions translated to watched threads perfectly, but somehow the part that connects to the email notifications got skipped, missed or corrupted during the import. The only way we can discover this, is by investigating an account that has not been tainted or reset by touching these settings yet.

Then there is the other level of the rabbit hole, in regards to whether or not you visited a subscribed thread, which appears to also connect with this in some way.

Can anyone please chime in so we can work on this issue for you guys?

Or is nobody getting the email notifications?

 

[420]

I wonder if the system has a maximum number of emails allowed to be sent to each member

That would explain some of the issues especially if people are following three threads

We have no cap on emails being sent, sending close to a million emails every month.

 

[AKgramma]

Not sure what happened, but all of a sudden, within a 25 minute timespan (9:22 - 9:48 ADT), I got email notifications for 20 threads, most of whom are not on my watch list. Not sure if watching what's new is responsible, but this is the first time I've gotten so many notifications.

I don't know if this is a good thing or not. Just thought I would report it. ;-)

 

[Amy Gardner]

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Can anyone please chime in so we can work on this issue for you guys?

Or is nobody getting the email notifications?

hi - I didn’t know this thread had been set up (until you mentioned it elsewhere). I’ll try to direct people here if they’re having trouble. Do you have a few untampered accounts to look at now?

 

[Amy Gardner]

Actually boss @420, could you add a short post at the start (so an OP), just explaining what this thread is for - so if I do link folks here they get it straight away. It’s potentially a bit confusing the way it starts now...

 

[DrDoob]

I could be off base here but I think one of the biggest email issues is simply a misunderstanding of how the new system works vs how it worked before the upgrades. The old site sent an email for every single post and the new site only sends an email for the first new post until that thread is visited (or marked as “read”). At least that’s how I believe it’s supposed to work and how it seems to be working for me. The emails do have this message at the bottom of them "You will not receive any further emails about this thread until you have read the new messages.", but I doubt people actually read it. There obviously could be other issues as well, compounding these problems.

On a forum site I’ve worked on in the past people would sign up for email alerts, then receive an alert for every post, and then get upset that they get so many emails. So the way this site works now should be an improvement for those people at the obvious detriment of people who actually want an email for every post. Everything has trade offs.

 

[overlord]

I thought the same thing and it does work most of the time. However I have lost the notifications a couple of times on threads I keep track of daily. I still have to check watched threads from time to time because of that happening.

 

[Amy Gardner]

I could be off base here but I think one of the biggest email issues is simply a misunderstanding of how the new system works vs how it worked before the upgrades. The old site sent an email for every single post and the new site only sends an email for the first new post until that thread is visited (or marked as “read”). At least that’s how I believe it’s supposed to work and how it seems to be working for me. The emails do have this message at the bottom of them "You will not receive any further emails about this thread until you have read the new messages.", but I doubt people actually read it. There obviously could be other issues as well, compounding these problems.

On a forum site I’ve worked on in the past people would sign up for email alerts, then receive an alert for every post, and then get upset that they get so many emails. So the way this site works now should be an improvement for those people at the obvious detriment of people who actually want an email for every post. Everything has trade offs.

Not off base at all Doob. I believe that’s exactly what the setup appears to be. What overlord says below is also true though - there’s intermittent dropouts going on as well.

I thought the same thing and it does work most of the time. However I have lost the notifications a couple of times on threads I keep track of daily. I still have to check watched threads from time to time because of that happening.

Things are being investigated more specifically as we type (I’m pretty sure)!

 

[420]

Actually boss @420, could you add a short post at the start (so an OP), just explaining what this thread is for - so if I do link folks here they get it straight away. It’s potentially a bit confusing the way it starts now...

Done

 

[Amy Gardner]

@420 @Marc Ocean
One of the main problems, with how it’s set up at the moment, seems to be that the system requires members to have visited a thread in order to keep notifications coming. This is counter intuitive to me, because if someone wants notifications by email, then having them happen when you’re not able to visit the thread is really the most important part ...

The email notifications are really important to people who aren’t able to visit the site all the time to check their watch list. That would seem to to be their primary purpose, so needing to visit the site to keep them active seems illogical. Can that setting be changed?

 

[Marc Ocean]

I could be off base here but I think one of the biggest email issues is simply a misunderstanding of how the new system works vs how it worked before the upgrades. The old site sent an email for every single post and the new site only sends an email for the first new post until that thread is visited (or marked as “read”). At least that’s how I believe it’s supposed to work and how it seems to be working for me. The emails do have this message at the bottom of them "You will not receive any further emails about this thread until you have read the new messages.", but I doubt people actually read it. There obviously could be other issues as well, compounding these problems.

This is pretty much spot on.

The email notifications are really important to people who aren’t able to visit the site all the time to check their watch list. That would seem to to be their primary purpose, so needing to visit the site to keep them active seems illogical. Can that setting be changed?

Right now it can't but we will put it on our list.

 

[Amy Gardner]

@Marc Ocean @420

Ok - I’m swinging these quotes in here (below) so I don’t have to relay.

There continues to be murmurs about lack of satisfaction with email notifications.

I don’t believe this is because folks are doing anything wrong with the subscriptions and while what Doob notes above (about understanding the way the new platform works) is true, I think it’s also true that even understanding how the new system works, the way it works is not providing what the people who use it want.

I understand that the new system only sends an email notice the first new post after visiting the thread, and I also understand that after a time (how long?) of not visiting a thread those notifications stop altogether. I have shared this knowledge wherever the issues come up. The issue is that the way it works is not working for folks.

Is it possible to consider a change to the way email notifications are handled?

Oh... and I dont need help with this myself (dont use emails) ... just passing things along

Good morning Gray and gang! OK...frustrated here..ffs's. Does anyone know why i'm NOT gettin email notifications for my subbed journals. I just joined this new journal yesterday and 20 or so posts are after mine. Never got one update with all those posts. I had to come lookin for them...bahhh!!! This is why i lose pace with all my WATCHED threads...just very frustrating ....find it almost impossible to keep updated with this present system , which IMO sucks...sorry!

I use an iPhone only for this site and it seems like the alerts only come in for the threads I’ve visited more recently. There are a lot that I stop getting alerts for even after only 2 days. Seems like that long anyway. There has been several times lately when I’ve wondered why someone hasn’t posted to their thread and I go to it and there has already been pages of content added. That sucks! For 1 I clicked watch for a reason and for 2 I want people to know I’m interested in what they are posting.

ANd I know i already asked this and you answered... “not yet” ... just wondering if 3months is enough time to let pass to ask again