"Instant Email Notification" improvement suggestion

[lotuseclat79]

One of the nice features is that a member can check a box in their user profile to get an "instant email notification" if there is a new post to a thread that the member to which the member becomes subscribed. The other side of the coin is that it seems that I don't always get notified - but that is another entirely different matter than what I am proposing as an improvement here in this post.

I have noticed that I will get a bunch of emails from the same thread before I even have had a chance to look at the earliest post after I became subscribed to the thread.

In light of other websites that have a feature to not issue any more email notices until you revisit the thread (I don't know how that can be detected), it seems to me a waste to have multiple emails sent out prior to a member revisiting the thread to which subscribed, i.e. when the "instant email notification" box is checked - i.e. in order to look at the first reply afterward to a post or subscription to a thread by the user.

It would be less of a performance hit on TSG to not issue multiple new posting email notices to subscribed threads in such cases, and certainly less work and traffic email-wise for TSG - and therby an improvement in the operation of TSG software.

Hope this helps to improve TSG.

-- Tom

 

[JohnWill]

I suspect the performance hit of determining if the email had already been sent would need to be considered.

I have seen other boards that work the way you describe, so this may simply be a setting in the board software.

 

[MMJ]

Hmm... In my TSG emails I used to get "No more notifications will be sent until you visit the thread."

Is that what you are talking about?

 

[JohnWill]

Yes, it says that, but notifications still keep coming. I've seen half a dozen in my inbox for a busy thread before I get back.

 

[lotuseclat79]

I suspect the performance hit of determining if the email had already been sent would need to be considered.

I have seen other boards that work the way you describe, so this may simply be a setting in the board software.

My guess is that upon subscription or posting (which automatically subscribes you) then you are the last post (or should be roughly unless someone posts simultaneously the same time you post), and after you have been sent the email regarding another post to the thread, you should only get that one email, i.e. when your last post gets superceeded, until you revisit the thread.

The trick is to detect when you revisit a thread you are subscribed to, and zero out the sent email attribute - i.e. the trick is in the detection of your revisit, I suspect.

-- Tom

 

[lotuseclat79]

Interestingly, in this AM's email from TSG, at the end of each email is the following:

There may be other replies also, but you will not receive any more notifications
until you visit the forum again.

All the best,
Tech Support Guy Forums

The problem with such a statement is that since I do not logout from TSG, then how would TSG know when I visit or not? Especially, since it only appears to include the entire TSG website and not a specific thread visit.

This brings to mind another question that if someone is logged into TSG and actually cruising the website, instead of sending email, wouldn't it make sense to have an override for that feature and instead have a link popup to the thread response - i.e. only while the member is at TSG? Just thinking out loud!

-- Tom

 

[Blackmirror]

I hve had problems with so many emails in my inbox that new ones are bounced back to poor TSG .. sorry about that .. then all emails are stopped lol

I dont check my emails asoften as i should

 

[TechGuy]

If you don't log out, the system assumes that you're no longer here after you haven't loaded a page in a certain number of minutes (30, maybe?)

 

[poochee]

I have been getting email notifications that are 1 and 2 days old. About 5 in the last two days. Just got one dated Feb 2. Wonder why?

Thanks in advance

 

[JohnWill]

Mike and Dan are tinkering with the board software.

 

[poochee]

Mike and Dan are tinkering with the board software.

Thanks!