New users don't get email notifications for private messages by default

Lumpy Burgertushie · Post by **Lumpy Burgertushie** » Sun May 15, 2016 9:48 pm

opt in systems were developed specifically to combat the problem you are trying to create.

I think you underestimate your members. anyone that has spent any time online in the last several years already understands this and will not expect to get a bunch of emails that they did not request. I would be willing to bet that if you do what you are asking about, you would get more complaints for this than you would get doing it normally.

if you find it necessary, you can post a notice on the main page of your board or on one of the registration pages etc. that explains what they need to do to be informed of PMs, posts, etc.

luck,
robert

peopleinside · Post by **peopleinside** » Mon May 16, 2016 11:39 am

I agree with your message Lumpy Burgertushie but think maybe user should decide this notification option in the registration form because is not right decide default settings for the user in all case, I think.

Is not right activate all notification as default and is not right deactivate notification as default as PM message will be not easy read if user are not online and see the notification online.

I think the panel visible in the user settings about notification should showed with actual settings in the registration form.

I understand staff of phpbb maybe can refuse this idea because seems to create a more long and less easy registration but is just some settings email settings who maybe are important.

In all case if this will be not implemented yes, can be a good idea create a guide post or maybe remember to edit code every time you update phpbb who is what I will do all times.

phpbb is a great software so my discussion here is just a way to say what I think also about what I can read from users and is not a very big problem for me if this will be not implemented... will be just a more work to do when I have to update phpbb as I find the way to activate notification but let the user deactivate it.

david63 · Post by **david63** » Mon May 16, 2016 11:43 am

peopleinside wrote: think the panel visible in the user settings about notification should showed with actual settings in the registration form.

If you want this to come to fruition then you should create a RFC on area51

peopleinside · Post by **peopleinside** » Mon May 16, 2016 11:46 am

david63 wrote:If you want this to come to fruition then you should create a RFC on area51

Thank you but I don't want this come to fruition. Just give you an idea, an opinion. If you think my opinion is wrong or with no sense or in the wrong place than sorry.

I AM happy with phpbb and I love all Open Source good software.
Have a great time

Lumpy Burgertushie · Post by **Lumpy Burgertushie** » Mon May 16, 2016 2:17 pm

I would not see a problem with it being an option at registration, however, there needs to be a default because many people will not set the option.

that default needs to be no email unless requested since you, as board owner, can be accused of sending spam and get your board/domain black listed and possibly have legal issues etc.

in many places, if you do not make your default "opt in", then you could be in violation of the spam laws.

robert

Bullseye! · Post by **Bullseye!** » Mon May 16, 2016 7:56 pm

Lumpy, everyone will just use FB instead of the forums because the notifications are set by default, people don't like messing about with settings, most people who use the internet these days don't bother to visit sites unless they get notifications, but most expect to get them because facebook have them set by default (by email too) someone actually asked me about an app for my forum because they always forget to check on the forums, what I'm saying is a default notification system would be better as we live in an age where people expect everything laid out for them, now unless something is done to fix this the forums will be totally obsolete, I really do not want to see that happen

parshakov · Post by **parshakov** » Mon May 16, 2016 8:23 pm

Lumpy Burgertushie wrote:I think you underestimate your members. anyone that has spent any time online in the last several years already understands this and will not expect to get a bunch of emails that they did not request.

I bet 99.999% of forum users don't get a bunch of private messages every day. I'm a forum administrator and I get maximum a few PM's a month.

Lumpy Burgertushie wrote:I would be willing to bet that if you do what you are asking about, you would get more complaints for this than you would get doing it normally.

The fact is, I had no complaints before upgrading to phpBB 3.1 and I got a lot of complaints after upgrading, when new users stopped getting notifications by default. Again, after "hacking" notification settings I never got a single complaint.

Lumpy Burgertushie wrote:if you find it necessary, you can post a notice on the main page of your board or on one of the registration pages etc. that explains what they need to do to be informed of PMs, posts, etc.

1. This solution is ugly.
2. No one reads registration pages.

peopleinside wrote:Maybe the solution for make all happy is create a wizard on the user registration who let the user to choose all email notification to activate or not. So issue resolved so maybe as user put his name, email etc should be a section where user should select if activate notification for all or just some services.

Yes, this would be an ideal solution for both notification-haters and notification-lovers.

Bullseye! wrote:Lumpy, everyone will just use FB instead of the forums because the notifications are set by default, people don't like messing about with settings, most people who use the internet these days don't bother to visit sites unless they get notifications, but most expect to get them because facebook have them set by default (by email too) someone actually asked me about an app for my forum because they always forget to check on the forums, what I'm saying is a default notification system would be better as we live in an age where people expect everything laid out for them, now unless something is done to fix this the forums will be totally obsolete, I really do not want to see that happen

So true!

Bullseye! · Post by **Bullseye!** » Mon May 16, 2016 8:32 pm

parshakov wrote:
Lumpy Burgertushie wrote:I think you underestimate your members. anyone that has spent any time online in the last several years already understands this and will not expect to get a bunch of emails that they did not request.
I bet 99.999% of forum users don't get a bunch of private messages every day. I'm a forum administrator and I get maximum a few PM's a month.

Same here

xgarb · Post by **xgarb** » Wed Aug 24, 2016 12:06 pm

Just chiming in here with my opinion...

Many people will just have one question they are looking for help with. They find a forum that looks helpful. They join and post a question.

Then....

.....

......

nothing because they aren't expecting to have to tick something to get replies (I didn't when I posted for help here previously) so they never come back to the site.

Often people won't remember the site, or find it difficult to find their original post if they do. A notification email will bring them to exactly where they need to be.

I don't think a reply to a question can be considered spam especially if there's only one notification before reading the topic again.

peopleinside · Post by **peopleinside** » Wed Aug 24, 2016 12:25 pm

xgarb wrote:Just chiming in here with my opinion...

Many people will just have one question they are looking for help with. They find a forum that looks helpful. They join and post a question.

Then....

.....

......

nothing because they aren't expecting to have to tick something to get replies (I didn't when I posted for help here previously) so they never come back to the site.

Often people won't remember the site, or find it difficult to find their original post if they do. A notification email will bring them to exactly where they need to be.

I don't think a reply to a question can be considered spam especially if there's only one notification before reading the topic again.

Totally agree

Post by **Mick** » Wed Aug 24, 2016 12:56 pm

At least twice in this topic I've seen the phrase "most people".

parshakov wrote:but most people are not tech-savvy

Marking most people as not tech-savvy is insulting and untrue. I'm part of the older generation most people group and believe me I'm savvy.

Bullseye! wrote:everyone will just use FB instead of the forums because the notifications are set by default, people don't like messing about with settings, most people who use the internet these days don't bother to visit sites unless they get notifications

Codswallop, again, how can you speak for most people? If people want to go solely to FB they will whether or not phpBB is altered to give you what you want.

Nobody can speak for everybody else unless they have a mandate to do so so I can only assume you mean me and everybody else has to agree.

If you really want this change you can either post an RFC on Area51 or request an extension, it's that simple.

Lumpy Burgertushie · Post by **Lumpy Burgertushie** » Wed Aug 24, 2016 6:59 pm

personally, If I went to a forum/website and asked a question I would assume that the thing to do would be to visit that website/forum to see if there was an answer. kind of the whole point of a bulletin board, discussions, questions/answers, etc.

the web was created partially to replace all of that email listserve type of thing.

phpbb in particular was designed to replace those type of email based discussions.

in other words, you are using a web based system that assumes you will go on the web and visit web sites that you have an interest in.

I don't disagree that many people now days are so used to only using their phones that they think the internet is only facebook and twitter.

sad.

robert

robert

parshakov · Post by **parshakov** » Wed Aug 24, 2016 7:22 pm

Email system is a convenient hub for all notifications. Are you suggesting I should keep tabs with all the forums I visit open all the time and refresh them every 5 minutes?

Post by **stevemaury** » Wed Aug 24, 2016 7:40 pm

No, we are suggesting you subscribe to forums in which you are interested and set up in your User control panel any email notifications you want.

The issue being discussed is whether every user should have email forced upon them.

If this ever was a phpBB support topic, it no longer is, so moving to Discussion.

xgarb · Post by **xgarb** » Wed Aug 24, 2016 8:15 pm

every user should have email forced upon them.

It's not forced.. it's giving the board admin the option to have notifications for PMs and new Posts set to opt-out rather than opt-in. To me if feels more 'normal' that I'll get notified automatically.

The notification email can be edited to show opt-out instructions.

I get email notifications from posts I've made years ago on some forums.

PS: I've (hopefully) created an RFC for this.