tatewise wrote: ↑30 Jan 2024 21:54
Helen, IMO it would help if you made it clearer exactly what settings you are referring to:
Mike, I'm referring to this setting that users see when they
create a topic:
- Screenshot 2024-01-30 172025.png (5.05 KiB) Viewed 1050 times
At present it defaults to whatever the user has selected in their Profile here:
- Screenshot 2024-02-01 110934.png (33.24 KiB) Viewed 789 times
So if a user has chosen to be notified by default, it will be ticked; and if they if have chosen not to be optified by default it will be cleared.
Before they post, they have the opportunity to change the setting
for that topic; and they can always change it subsequently via the Topic tools menu.
The change that I am seeking views about would default the setting that users see when they post to ticked (
ignoring the setting in the Profile). Before they post, they would still have the opportunity to change the setting
for that topic; and they can always change it subsequently via the Topic tools menu.
Why?
It has been argued in the past that receiving notification of replies is "what everyone expects these days!". And also that, "surely, nobody would create a topic and not want be notified when there are replies?" (I'm replaying what has been said when the subject has come up (repeatedly) before.)
Why this method?
- It makes life easier for people who have registered but not posted yet. They're unlikely to read any guidance before they post to change a setting in their profile; and when they don't get notified of replies (because that is default behaviour in a lot of places) they assume that nobody has answered and (maybe) that FHUG is no use to them.
- It still allows users to choose not to be notified. On the balance of probabilities(???), fewer people will not want to be notified of replies to a topic they create than do want to be notified, so most people won't need to do anything different. (Forcing everyone to always be notified would be wrong).
- It's reversible. Yes, I could hack the database to turn the relevant Profile setting ON for everyone, and tell them to turn it off if they really wanted to, but I couldn't undo that. I can turn this approach off and revert to using the existing Profile setting if it causes unforeseen problems.