# Alerts And Notifications



## Silvia

I don't know if anyone has ever asked for this before, but... have you ever thought of how sound alerts could be popular? These alerts could be sounds or just pop up windows to be notified that someone has just logged in, or someone has answered your thread. 
Is there any chance that could come true?


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## calzetin

you already get a pop-up when someone sends you a private message. Pop-up for everyone that logs in would fill your screen with a pop-up every 5 seconds. 
...not to mention that all that would make everything go slowlier.

If you want to get a pop-up telling you someone has answer to your thread I would sugest you to subscribe to it and then turn on your messenger which already gives you an alert everytime you get an email.

and sounds... well, everything sounds cool, but I guess it will make everything go too slow


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## Silvia

Nooooooooooo! Not for everyone! Of course you decide what member you'd like to have an alert for! Otherwise it'd be a mess!


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## mkellogg

Interesting.  Chat room and IM-style sound notifications?

I haven't seen anything like it...


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## Silvia

mkellogg said:
			
		

> Interesting.  Chat room and IM-style sound notifications?
> 
> I haven't seen anything like it...



Yes, that's the way I see it! It would be great!


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## OlivierG

Technically, I don't know how it could work.
Once a page is loaded on your browser, there is no more interaction between your computer and the server.
The notifications, sounds or whatsoever could then only be available when you reload or change page.
In HTML protocol, the client asks for a page and that's all. The server has no way to contact the client again once the page has been sent, except using a Java applet or a plug-in  that can cause compatibility problem, be blocked by firewalls and load down the whole system.

I prefer then keep a simple, clear, fast, compatible and efficient forum than switching to a more complex system for an improvement of second importance.


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## Silvia

I'll leave the technical part to the Administrator, but it should be possible and very simple. Whomever wants to get a notification will receive it, like when you can get a notification after someone has sent you an email.


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## Artrella

silviap said:
			
		

> I don't know if anyone has ever asked for this before, but... have you ever thought of how sound alerts could be popular? These alerts could be sounds or just pop up windows to be notified that someone has just logged in, or someone has answered your thread.
> Is there any chance that could come true?




Silvia, what would the benefit of it be?  I like the idea of knowing when sb has answered my thread but why knowing when sb logs in?  If you could explain the idea, maybe I don't quite understand the use of it. Art


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## OlivierG

silviap said:
			
		

> I'll leave the technical part to the Administrator, but it should be possible and very simple. Whomever wants to get a notification will receive it, like when you can get a notification after someone has sent you an email.


I love "it should be possible and very simple". I wish it could be too  

If you need a sound alert when somebody logs in, even when you are not currently browsing pages on the forum (for example if you let a page open in background, or if you just read it), then it is definitely not very simple, and even almost impossible.

What is technically possible is to bring up a pop-up window (or play a sound) when you open a given page, as it is already done for private message notification. But if the threads you asked a notification for is rather active, you will get a whole bunch of pop-up windows each time you open this page. In the same way, you would get sound alerts for "friends log-in" only when you reload this page, not in real-time while reading threads or simply waiting.

I am the administrator of my own forum on my site, and I enable the users to receive the answers to the threads they supervise by e-mail. It is already possible here, through the "thread tools" menu.


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## Silvia

OlivierG said:
			
		

> I love "it should be possible and very simple". I wish it could be too
> 
> ...it is definitely not very simple, and even almost impossible.


I gather you don't know what AOL Instant Messenger is, and you don't sound too familiar with any other messenger available either.  

But there's always time to learn something new...


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## OlivierG

silviap said:
			
		

> I gather you don't know what AOL Instant Messenger is, and you don't sound too familiar with any other messenger available either.
> But there's always time to learn something new...


Don't worry for me, I know this, it is even my job. 
But in the other hand, do you know the difference between a Web browser and an instant messenging system?
Would you want a custom-made program to be installed only for the purpose of receiving sound alerts and notification for the wordreference forum ?
It would not be a request to the administrator anymore, but to a programming staff, on all the possible platforms (Windows, Macintosh, Linux...), and would need a tech support for firewall and proxies issues.
A bit "heavy" for a so small improvement in my humble opinion, knowing that you can already be alerted by e-mail when a message is posted to a thread.


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## cuchuflete

Olivier-  When I worked in software development, we had a saying for certain clients:

"You may have absolutely anything you want, so long as you are very patient, and have very deep pockets.!"  [Deep pockets=implies lots of money in those pockets.]

When clients asked for something, shall we say, unusual, we would ask them to describe, with as much precision as possible, exactly what they would do with the feature, how that was different from their current method, and finally, whether the estimated cost could be justified in terms of the process "improvement".  The requests usually went away.

Best regards,
Cuchu


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## vachecow

I'm all for it


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## mkellogg

I just don't think it is something that would be easy to create, so don't expect this feature anytime soon.  Sorry.  

Can you show me another forum that has implimented such a feature?


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## Silvia

Mike,

I'm not expecting it, I'm just hoping for the future   

I haven't seen any forum that has *implemented* such a feature yet.

Anyway, I want to thank you for the great job you've done with this site so far! And for listening to what we members have to say!


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## mkellogg

Glad to listen.  My best ideas for the site come from user suggestions.


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## anahiseri

It's nice to have an alert on the webpage, but I don't like my mailbox to be cluttered with WordReference messages.
Isn't it possible to receive alerts only on the web window and not as mail? it would be a great advantage for me.


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## siares

Hello,
do you mean notifications of replies to watched threads? 
(I don't know how other types of alerts work email-wise)
To stop email notifications for replies to watched threads, go to anahiseri - preferences. Black little screen will show, untick _receive email notifications of replies_


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## Peterdg

When you go to your profile, there is where you can unselect e-mail notifications.


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## anahiseri

Thanks a lot! How stupid of me, i've gone through everything but I didn't notice that line.


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