# Notifications



## jmt356

Is it possible to get not only notifications that a new message was posted on thsi forum, but the actual message itself delivered to my inbox? I would like to be able to download this information so it is accessible when I am not online.


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## Cagey

jmt356 said:


> Is it possible to get not only notifications that a new message was posted on thsi forum, but the actual message itself delivered to my inbox? I would like to be able to download this information so it is accessible when I am not online.


If you are asking to have the text of a post to be delivered with the email notice, no it isn't possible.  This is not an individual option. 

You probably have noticed that one of the options available under the _Thread Tools_ is "Show Printable Version."  This would enable you to save the entire text as a PDF file, or in some other form.  I realize this does not solve the problem of giving you access to individual posts as they are submitted.


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## AngelEyes

I used to get the post in my inbox. I liked this feature. I didn't have to visit the site to read what's going on. Why was that dropped? And if Mike can bring it back, I'd be happy about that.


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## swift

Good morning, AngelEyes. 

A possible explanation here: Text in e-mails.


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## Youngfun

I must be missing something. 
When I get emails, I also get the text of the posts.


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## jmt356

Swift, your link is to a thread where the possibility of receiving an occasional spam message is cited as the reason for not including messages with the notifications. But there seems to be consensus that spam is so rare and the inconvenience caused thereby is outweighed by the inconvenience of having to click on the link of each notification to read the message. So why then doesn't WordReference allow it?


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## jann

The thing is, Jmt356, the notification email feature never delivered all posted content to your email inbox.  It only ever delivered the text of the first reply received in the thread after you signed out.  Any subsequent replies -- and any replies received while you were signed in -- were not delivered via email.

The point of the email notification feature on a forum is not to make forum the content available to members in their (downloaded) email offline.  It's so that members don't have to sign in to check their threads needlessly when there are no new replies... and so that members don't forget to come back and read the answers they do receive.


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## AngelEyes

swift said:


> Good morning, AngelEyes.  A possible explanation here: Text in e-mails.



Thank you, swift.  I have Outlook. All I know is that I used to get the message in the e-mail along with the notification, and now I don't. 

I thought I did receive a notice every time something new was posted in a thread I was involved with, but it's been so long, maybe not.

I really liked that feature, though. It was convenient, and also on the few occasions when the thread itself or the post specifically was deleted for whatever reason, I was at least able to read what was there before it disappeared.

I guess I'm lazy. I have to actually click on the link and go to the thread to read the latest activity now. Poor little me.


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## Youngfun

jann is right. It would be pointless to receive 10 emails for 10 posts if you never went to the forum to read them. Emails are just reminders that in a thread somebody wrote new posts.
Maybe you should go to the options. Are you sure you did enable the notifications by email?


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## AngelEyes

Hi Youngfun,

Yes, my instant e-mail notification option has always been activated, so I receive the notices. I used to actually get the post in my e-mail, though, and that's gone. That happened after one of Mike's upgrades at least a year ago. Are you saying there's an option to get the whole post in the e-mail? If so, where is it, please?

I can understand memebers who post a lot in the forums not wanting to be inundated with notifications. I don't post THAT much, and when I do, I'm always interested in reading all feedback, so that's why I liked getting the posts right in my e-mail. If I had something more to contribute, I'd then know to go to the forum. If the latest entry posted was something that didn't need a reply or I had nothing new to say that might help, then I could move on with my day. It was a timesaver for me, that's all.

Thank you for you comments.


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## Youngfun

Hi, Angeleyes.
The option "Immediate notification" is already the one that sends more often. But you have to visit the forum to get more.
I still think that clicking on the link to visit the forum is more convenient, because on the email you don't see the format, and you can't read the previous posts. So I would visit the forum anyway, because I don't remember what's been said in the above posts.
The other options are: no notifications, daily notification and weekly notification.


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## AngelEyes

Yes, understood, Youngfun.

I did like that option, though. 

Thank you for your input. I appreciate it.


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## jmt356

AngelEyes said:


> I can understand memebers who post a lot in the forums not wanting to be inundated with notifications. I don't post THAT much, and when I do, I'm always interested in reading all feedback, so that's why I liked getting the posts right in my e-mail. If I had something more to contribute, I'd then know to go to the forum. If the latest entry posted was something that didn't need a reply or I had nothing new to say that might help, then I could move on with my day. It was a timesaver for me, that's all.



This very much expresses my own view. On other forums on which I am a member, I can read each post to one of my threads directly from my email without having to go to the web site. If I feel I need to add something, I can go to the web site to post. Otherwise, I read the information directly from my email. It is great for when I am offline (_e.g._, on a plane, train, etc.). I have all the information downloaded to my computer and at my fingertips. 

There are some people who for whatever reason may not want the messages sent to their emails. I think it would be great if it were possible to have that option so that those that wanted to have the messages in their email could have them and those that did not want them did not receive them.


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## jann

jmt356 said:


> [...] If I feel I need to add something, I can go to the web site to post. Otherwise, I read the information directly from my email. It is great for when I am offline (_e.g._, on a plane, train, etc.). I have all the information downloaded to my computer and at my fingertips.
> 
> [...] I think it would be great if it were possible to have that option so that those that wanted to have the messages in their email could have them and those that did not want them did not receive them.


Although I do not personally use email notification, I absolutely understand where you're coming from. 

But what I'm trying to explain is even when we did have email notification fully enabled on our forums in the past, it did not work the way you describe.  Instead, the content of the first unread post -- and only the first unread post -- was delivered to your email inbox.  It was always impossible to get the content of any subsequent unread replies delivered via email.


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## AngelEyes

Jann,

Maybe I'm totally losing it, but I _swear _I used to get every new post in my e-mail. This is going back a few years. In fact, I do remember that it must have been more than just the first post, because it contained information that clarified something I posted.

I've saved some posts. Maybe I can find one that proves my point.


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## Youngfun

It's possible that you got every new post. If after each one post, you visited the forum. 
Btw you have been here since 2006, I'm a much newer user, so I don't know how was the situation earlier.


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## AngelEyes

I see that Jann has been here that long, too, though. And I'm almost positive it was more than just the first post because I remember there were followups to what I contributed in a thread.

Oh well, it doesn't matter now.


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## jann

AngelEyes said:


> And I'm almost positive it was more than just the first post because I remember there were followups to what I contributed in a thread.


Now I confess that I disabled notification emails very early on, and so  it's conceivable that I have forgotten about some early  version of our forum software that sent one notification per in-thread reply (for replies posted while you were offline, there were never notifications for replies posted while you were signed in).  But if that was ever the case, it was a very long time ago indeed.  If you do find an old notification email that proves it used to be possible to get multiple notifications for sequential replies in a single thread, I'd be curious: feel free to forward it to me via PM.


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## swift

I have lots of them, Jann.


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## Youngfun

Today I went into options and choose "Do not send notifications by email". But I still get them by email. Is this a bug?


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## Kelly B

No - you won't receive notifications for threads in which you participate after you made the change today, but you will continue to receive them for threads you subscribed to before you made the change. To turn them all off, go to your list of subscribed threads, either through your User Control Panel or My Threads. Look for check marks in the notification column, and remove the check marks from those boxes to turn each one off.


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## jann

Youngfun said:


> Today I went into options and choose "Do not send notifications by email". But I still get them by email. Is this a bug?





Kelly B said:


> No - you won't receive notifications for threads in which you participate after you made the change today, but you will continue to receive them for threads you subscribed to before you made the change. To turn them all off, go to your list of subscribed threads, either through your User Control Panel or My Threads. Look for check marks in the notification column, and remove the check marks from those boxes to turn each one off.



Please see Email notification.


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## Youngfun

Thanks Kelly B and jann.
I just ntoiced that under "My Thread" there is a column "Notification". On some of them (new subscribed threads) there is "none", on some (old ones) there is "instant". I selected them all and clicked on "Don't sent notification".


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## jmt356

jann said:


> But what I'm trying to explain is even when we did have email notification fully enabled on our forums in the past, it did not work the way you describe. Instead, the content of the first unread post -- and only the first unread post -- was delivered to your email inbox. It was always impossible to get the content of any subsequent unread replies delivered via email.



Thank you for clarifying. Yes, this is how most other forums work. I still find that forum useful. I often go back to the forum when there is an important topic and I want to read earlier posts or want to reply. Visiting the forum causes future messages to come to my inbox. The important thing is I have everything in my inbox, which to me is much easier to search than going to the web site, especially in my case, since I participate in multiple forums. It is convenient to have all of the messages in my inbox.


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## jmt356

Each time I receive a notification, it states "There may also be other replies, but you will not receive any more notifications until you visit the forum again." However, it appears that when I am subscribed to a thread, I get a notification each time there is a reply, even if I have not visited the forum since receiving the last notification. Why is this? Is it based on my settings?


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## jmt356

Is it normal to receive multiple notifications in the same day when different people reply to a thread I am subscribed to even if I have not visited the thread in the time between each notification?


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