Subscriptions?

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Subscriptions?

Gary Lewis
I realize I should know this, but.....  

My remembrance is that just posting does not subscribe one to a topic.  In other words, you don't automagically get an email notification if you post - you have to subscribe in order to do that.  Right?

I was poking around today and find that only 3 of us, out of over 100, are subscribed at the top level.  And there are precious few subscriptions below that - although it doesn't appear that I can tell who has subscribed to individual topics - is that correct?

Other forums I've been on have automatically subscribed you to a thread/topic if you post to it.  Is there a way to do that on Nabble?  I think my members are missing a lot of the activity.
I'm not Nabble support, but have Nabble running on my Weebly website: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/
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Re: Subscriptions?

haozwang<Nabble>
hmm, I don't think that is automatic. but you should be able to get emails if the reply is direct to the poster though....
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Re: Subscriptions?

Gary Lewis
So a reply to someone's post sends an email to them even if they aren't subscribed?

But there's no way to set it up so posting automatically subscribes you to a topic?  That sure would be nice as when someone responds but it isn't technically to your post you don't get notified - if I understand correctly.
I'm not Nabble support, but have Nabble running on my Weebly website: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/
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Re: Subscriptions?

GregChapman
In reply to this post by Gary Lewis
Hi Gary,
Gary Lewis wrote
My remembrance is that just posting does not subscribe one to a topic.  In other words, you don't automagically get an email notification if you post - you have to subscribe in order to do that.  Right?
True.
You can subscribe to an individual topic as you post by checking the box "Alert me by email when someone posts to this thread"
You can also subscribe to any topic via: Options > Subscribe via email
I was poking around today and find that only 3 of us, out of over 100, are subscribed at the top level.  And there are precious few subscriptions below that - although it doesn't appear that I can tell who has subscribed to individual topics - is that correct?
True!
There is no mechanism for checking who is subscribed to an individual topic.

It would be good to know the additional NAML macros required to replicate the facility that exists to manage subscribers at the forum/sub-forum level.
So a reply to someone's post sends an email to them even if they aren't subscribed?
NOT true.
Users will only get emails if they have either checked the box "Alert me by email when someone posts to this thread" or used the Options > Subscribe via email function.
But there's no way to set it up so posting automatically subscribes you to a topic?
True!

Administrators cannot force emails on a subscriber. The most they can do is send an invitation to subscribe - but even that facility is only at the forum, not the topic, level - although anyone, not just administrators, can email a user to ask if they've spotted a post that could be relevant for them and encourage them to subscribe.

Having said that the NAML code could always be tweaked to force visitors to receive emails. However, this is not available in the standard product as I've always understood that as a fundamental principle Nabble operates on an opt-in basis.
That sure would be nice as when someone responds but it isn't technically to your post you don't get notified
It's down to the forum visitor to opt into receiving emails at topic, sub-forum or forum level as seems appropriate to them.

As an administrator, other than issuing an invitation to subscribe to a forum/sub-forum or sending an individual email to a user, the best you can do, is place a message in the description area of a forum/sub-forum encouraging visitors to opt to take emails.
Volunteer Helper - but recommending that users move off the platform!
Once the admin for GregHelp now deleted.
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Re: Subscriptions?

Gary Lewis
Greg - Thank you, greatly, for the clarification.  I don't think my members understand all that, so are missing out on messages posted to them.

I hope that the new product will have the ability to have people automatically opted in and let them opt out if they want to.  I know that most of the other forums I've been on work that way, and when I start on a new forum I assume that's the case there.  And I've missed posts that were answers to my questions - for months!

Is there any chance this feature is available or could be added to Nabble?
I'm not Nabble support, but have Nabble running on my Weebly website: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/
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Re: Subscriptions?

haozwang<Nabble>
I thought you knew about the "subscribe via email" option?

the emailing option is a double edged sword as sometimes the user might edit the original message and the emailed message body is the original so it adds confusion
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Re: Subscriptions?

Gary Lewis
I, personally, have known about the "subscribe by email" option.  But I don't think my members really understand that they won't get a notification unless they subscribe.  Or, am I mixing subscriptions?

Anyway, what I'm wondering is if there is a way to flip the process - they are subscribed if they post, but can unsubscribe if they want?
I'm not Nabble support, but have Nabble running on my Weebly website: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/
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Re: Subscriptions?

GregChapman
It must be easy enough to set the "Alert me by email when someone posts to this thread" checkbox by default rather than have it clear.

But my NAML skills aren't up to the level to know how!
Volunteer Helper - but recommending that users move off the platform!
Once the admin for GregHelp now deleted.
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Re: Subscriptions?

Gary Lewis
That would be AWESOME!  That would be the best answer for all concerned - have the box ticked by default.  But I can't spell NAML so daren't try to do it myself.  
I'm not Nabble support, but have Nabble running on my Weebly website: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/
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Re: Subscriptions?

GregChapman
In reply to this post by haozwang<Nabble>
haozwang<Nabble> wrote
the emailing option is a double edged sword as sometimes the user might edit the original message and the emailed message body is the original so it adds confusion
I agree!

Certainly there is an issue where the OP edits his post on the forum and a subscriber replies to an earlier version of the post, with the potential for untold  confusion.

You could argue there's a good reason why conventional forum software only email notifications that a reply has been posted, forcing users visit the forum to read and if appropriate reply.

The trouble with Nabble is that it emails the entire post and allows email replies. Given that most people these days top-post replies over quotes of the original message, posts to the forum spawn countless copies of earlier replies. A few months down the line and a search to find a particular post from amongst the masses of duplicates in the email tail of multiple repeated paragraphs becomes a nightmare.

Equally, nothing can be more annoying to those interacting with Nabble in mail list mode and being confronted with one word responses and no quote to put the reply in context.

I believe Administrators have to be clear from the beginning - are they running a mail list or a forum? And then do their best to encourage users to adopt one form of interaction or the other. The two do not mix well.

At one stage I disabled "every topic"  subscriptions on my forums to force people to take digests so they had to visit the forum to read the full text of a post or reply. More recently, I have begun changing the code in some of my forums so that email replies do not get posted to the forum and I change the footer of emails to indicate this, so that subscribers are encouraged to visit the topic on the forum to reply.
Volunteer Helper - but recommending that users move off the platform!
Once the admin for GregHelp now deleted.
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Re: Subscriptions?

Gary Lewis
Wow!  Lots to think about.  I have a few people emailing responses, but most log onto the forum.

Hopefully the Nabble replacement will sort most of these issues.  For instance, I fully agree that we shouldn't be emailing the whole of the post as that does allow editing things as well as copies in lots of extra junk.  So I vote for an email notification, possibly with the whole text, but w/o the ability to respond via email.
I'm not Nabble support, but have Nabble running on my Weebly website: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/