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Poll

Should the content of posts be included in notification emails?

Yes, it's a convenience and saves having to keep reopening the forum
- 3 (14.3%)
No, it makes deletions ineffective and compromises privacy
- 11 (52.4%)
Meh, I don't care either way
- 7 (33.3%)

Total Members Voted: 21


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Author Topic: Including posts in email notifications  (Read 5045 times)

pwhodges

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Including posts in email notifications
« on: 05 Feb 2014, 00:46 »

Administrator Comment This question arose when MoM posted a response in the Mafia thread by mistake and promptly deleted it - only to find that someone else had still been able to read it. So the question of whether it is a good idea to include the content of posts in notifications has arisen. Forums vary in their practice, and I can enable or disable this feature in the forum software (individuals can already disable it for their own notifications, but that doesn't affect the issue). So I'm canvassing views on the matter, as I don't have a strong view myself.

OoC: I honestly did not know that was possible on this forum,

It's an option in your profile, whether to include the post in notifications.  The second part (including the post) I could turn off globally; I would be willing to do this, but am canvassing views on the matter first.
« Last Edit: 05 Feb 2014, 02:53 by pwhodges »
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Masterpiece

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #1 on: 05 Feb 2014, 02:40 »

I'd like it to stay that way to be honest. It allows me to decide whether or not my response is required without opening the forums.

Not including the post is akin to a page-click generating scheme and I doubt the forums need more pageviews (especially considering there are no ads on the forum).

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #2 on: 05 Feb 2014, 03:44 »

I don't get email notifications. I prefer to read things on the forums. I'm happy for people to use the notifications system if they want to but I do feel uncomfortable with my posts being emailed out given how unsecure most emails are.
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Barmymoo

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #3 on: 05 Feb 2014, 05:54 »

Masterpiece, since as you've pointed out there is no way that site visits benefit the forum I think it's unfair to say that it's a page-click generating scheme; the reason that some people would like for this to be turned off is because if posts are emailed out automatically, there are copies of posts which are (for legitimate and good reasons) later deleted or amended. If someone posts something, thinks better of it and deletes it before anyone sees, but a copy is emailed out, then they actually have lost the ability to delete. Equally, if mods delete posts because they break the rules, the post is still recorded elsewhere.
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GarandMarine

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #4 on: 05 Feb 2014, 06:27 »

I don't use email notifications any way, because frankly I'd rather not clutter my inbox, but as far as including content in emails, I'd prefer we not, especially with sensitive material being posted in many of our threads. Especially in Relate.
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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #5 on: 05 Feb 2014, 07:07 »

The idea of the feature is nice and could be useful for the less personal parts of the forum. If it were possible to just turn off for Relate only, that'd be the ideal solution, but since it sounds like it's all-or-nothing, I'd rather sacrifice it so that people continue to feel like this is as safe a space as we can make it.
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Carl-E

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #6 on: 05 Feb 2014, 08:42 »

Seconded. 
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ankhtahr

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #7 on: 05 Feb 2014, 08:46 »

Yep, in relate it can be kinda bad. I sometimes post something I feel I might freak out about and promptly delete again. If somebody read it in the short time it was up, well, bad luck for me, but having it sent to people by email is bad in such cases.
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Masterpiece

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #8 on: 05 Feb 2014, 09:39 »

Are e-mails really that insecure? And besides, isn't everything we post already kind of in the public domain. I mean sure, the relate forum is private, but it's only private until somebody logs in, which, quite frankly, isn't that big of a task.

Method of Madness

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #9 on: 05 Feb 2014, 09:41 »

I wish I knew about this before, but I'm glad it's come out now so we can (hopefully) be rid of it.

Masterpiece, it's not really a matter of e-mail security for me, it's a matter of posts not being able to be meaningfully changed or deleted. Yes, someone could still screengrab or copy the post, but why have that happen automatically? Also how is opening the forum at all an inconvenience?
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Masterpiece

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #10 on: 05 Feb 2014, 09:44 »

It just sort of destroys the whole purpose of E-Mail notifications in the first place. If I already get an e-mail telling me someone has answered to my post, I'd rather that e-mail also include the post itself.

If you take that, I'd rather we don't have any e-mail notifications at all.

Masterpiece

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #11 on: 05 Feb 2014, 09:45 »

Just so you know, I've only ever used the E-Mail notifications on Mafia games.

Carl-E

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #12 on: 05 Feb 2014, 10:43 »

Well, I have it turned off except for PM's.  But I deleted a poorly thought out post the other day, and now I'm wondering who saw it...
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Method of Madness

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #13 on: 05 Feb 2014, 11:50 »

It just sort of destroys the whole purpose of E-Mail notifications in the first place [...] If you take that, I'd rather we don't have any e-mail notifications at all.
I'm ok with this.
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Lines

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #14 on: 05 Feb 2014, 14:56 »

I don't use them, but I understand why Masterpiece and others would want them. And I agree very much with this:

The idea of the feature is nice and could be useful for the less personal parts of the forum. If it were possible to just turn off for Relate only, that'd be the ideal solution, but since it sounds like it's all-or-nothing, I'd rather sacrifice it so that people continue to feel like this is as safe a space as we can make it.

But I also agree with the sentiment that if the email notifications don't include the post, it shouldn't be an option at all. I think if enough people want it, though, it should remain an option for public parts of the forum.
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pwhodges

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #15 on: 05 Feb 2014, 15:08 »

If you take that, I'd rather we don't have any e-mail notifications at all.
I also agree with the sentiment that if the email notifications don't include the post, it shouldn't be an option at all.

There is no reason whatsoever to remove email notifications themselves; they are in any case entirely optional at each user's whim.  The only question is whether the additional user option to have the posts themselves included in them should be available or not.  The setting (both at the user level and the system level) is global, affecting all forums the same.

I'll leave the poll up overnight and decide tomorrow.
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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #16 on: 05 Feb 2014, 15:19 »

Cannot see poll on Tapatalk. I vote "leave email notifications be, but remove post body" as well.
I have also only ever used them on Mafia threads, but I see good reasons where they'd be nice to have.
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pwhodges

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #17 on: 05 Feb 2014, 15:29 »

I can't turn the notification system off in any case, as far as I can see!
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Method of Madness

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #18 on: 05 Feb 2014, 15:42 »

You can't? That's...troubling.
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Masterpiece

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #19 on: 05 Feb 2014, 19:07 »

Hr can't turn off the system but he can turn off showing the complete post, that's what I got from that

Method of Madness

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #20 on: 05 Feb 2014, 19:10 »

Ahh, ok.
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They call me Mr. Madness.

Quote from: Polonius
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MR ARCHIVE-FU MADNESS
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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #21 on: 06 Feb 2014, 00:19 »

I don't use email notifications for the personal reason that I prefer to come to the forum rather than it come to me. As I say personal, everyone is different.

I'd suggest, if possible that copying posts into notifications be an elective for the thread starter/moderators depending on the sensitivity of the thread. The problem here is that while the Mafia thread isn't isn't that sensitive, mis-posting does have an impact on the game. But then again, a mis-throw has an impact on a game of American Football and a mis-move can lose you a game of chess. In such instances, a policy of Caveat Emptor has to apply.
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pwhodges

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #22 on: 06 Feb 2014, 00:54 »

There are no such options in the forum code.  Readers can elect to receive a notification for new threads or for new posts in specified threads; these possibilities I cannot alter.  Readers can also opt to receive the content of posts in the notifications; this possibility I can remove - that is all.
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pwhodges

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #23 on: 06 Feb 2014, 23:27 »

Administrator Comment After considering the poll and the discussion, I have made the change. Notifications will no longer include the content of the post.
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Masterpiece

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Re: Including posts in email notifications
« Reply #24 on: 07 Feb 2014, 05:46 »

muuuhhhhh
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