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Heads up - Improvements to watched threads coming

868 replies

BeccaMumsnet · 04/08/2015 12:52

Hullo everyone,

Just a heads-up: we wanted to let you know we've been working on some changes to improve the way our 'watched threads' option works, and we’re going to be releasing them today.

As you know, at the minute, if you want to receive an email notification when someone posts on a thread you yourself have posted on, you have to check the ‘watch this thread’ box when you post your message. From today, the box will be automatically checked.

Our thinking was that because, in the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, , it can be easy to miss replies to threads you’ve posted on, so it’d be useful to keep you updated as a matter of course.

Some crucial points:

  • Fear not: we absolutely won’t email every time someone posts after you have - and if you’re still looking at the thread, we won’t mail you at all.
  • You’ll only get ONE email after you’ve left the thread, to say it’s been updated.
  • If the idea of receiving any such emails makes you want to weep/tear out your hair/throw a toddler-style tantrum on the kitchen floor, DON’T PANIC: you can do a one-time-only opt out, by clicking on customise at the top of any thread, and unchecking ‘Auto-watch threads I start’ and/or ‘Auto-watch threads I post on’.
  • If you’d like to adopt a mix-and-match policy and be alerted to replies on some threads but not others, simply uncheck the auto-watch options in customise, and check the ‘watch this thread’ box underneath the message box on the thread you’re interested in.

Hope all of this makes sense, and sounds useful. Do shout if you've any questions (we know we can rely on you Wink)

Thank you all Flowers
MNHQ

OP posts:
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31
BertieBotts · 05/08/2015 12:21

I don't think it was, Soupy. And Moving: It was when they originally added it. Not now apparently.

ShuShuFontana · 05/08/2015 12:19

I am another who finds it really hard to believe that only 8% of MN are using custom colours. considering the outrage

the green is vile and very hard to read again

SoupDragon · 05/08/2015 12:19

I've never bothered with the iPad app so I don't know. Desktop site works just fine so I've never understood why there is an app.

overthemill · 05/08/2015 12:16

Shouting now: where the heck is CUSTOMISE on iPad app????

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 05/08/2015 12:14

And when choosing colours could some thought to those with impaired vision and/or colour blindness be given please?

Ta.

SoupDragon · 05/08/2015 12:09

Was Sludge Green ever one of the possible custom colours BTW?

BertieBotts · 05/08/2015 12:07

Oh okay Fiderer, useful to know, I didn't realise.

WOW. Green is strong. To the point that it makes the blue post dividers move around and disappear. It's not an unpleasant colour, but it could do with being a lot more subtle.

SoupDragon · 05/08/2015 12:06

Why are both our own posts and the OPs posts the same colour? I have no problem with them not being custom colours (apart from the awfulness of the green chosen - too dark IMO) but surely they could be different colours?

Fiderer · 05/08/2015 12:05

Bertie I use Classic and had/have the option. Would check but am afeared that going anywhere near the Customise Click of Doomâ„¢ may change all that.

BertieBotts · 05/08/2015 12:04

I'm going to run a poll in AIBU, because it's full of bored people, most MNers visit there, and it won't be full of the ones who hover on the edge of Site Stuff waiting to make a complaint (Blush)

Sparklingbrook · 05/08/2015 12:03

The Envy face isn't great on the green background....

BertieBotts · 05/08/2015 12:01

I am astounded that only 8% of users use it. And would like to echo: 8% of all users, or 8% of active users?

And it DID work on the mobile site, it never worked on the app IIRC, but I never used that.

Maybe the 92% are mostly

  • Using classic, and hence didn't have the option anyway
  • Dormant accounts
  • Ex-mumsnetters who left before the change came in
  • Totally unaware of it
  • App users

I really wish this had been trialled :( Am about to check out the new option. Green sounds odd because it doesn't match the colours of the rest of the site. (Though I used to use a minty green.) What about a pale purple to match the branding, if you don't want to use blue? Or grey. Would be less cheerful, but ah well.

I think the revelation that only 8% of people use it tells you more that you need to advertise your features more, not that it's a totally unwanted feature. I'm sad. I remember the joy and excitement on the thread where it launched. RIP colourful highlighting!

Sparklingbrook · 05/08/2015 11:56

It's all being done by stealth I think. Alert us to one thing and tinker with another and claim it's a coincidence. Wink

songbird · 05/08/2015 11:53

Je suis le 8%

Crosbybeach · 05/08/2015 11:49

Ta sparkling.

ViewFromThe4thFloor · 05/08/2015 11:49

LittleBearPad, let me try again.

What I (with no imagination, eh, movingonup?) imagine is that lots of users didn't realise there was a subscribe function to get notifications. This is suggested by the fact that several people on this thread have commented that they weren't aware of various advanced functions. So they made the change to make it the default.

Sure, maybe they cocked up the colours, but that's nothing to do with the Threads I'm Watching as far as I can see. They just came at the same time.

WorraLiberty · 05/08/2015 11:47

Worra looks like green for you and the OP is as colourful as it's gong to get (on the laptop at least)

How about 2 different shades of green MNHQ?

I keep reading posts by the OP and thinking WTF?? I did not say that!

Then I realise it's cos it's highlighted the same colour.

songbird · 05/08/2015 11:46

Well yes this is better, but not as good as I had it before. The green is too in your face, and it's better to have OP's and my posts in different colours. As others have said, don't care what those colours are, so long as they're pastels no pleasing some people

Sparklingbrook · 05/08/2015 11:44

In Customise Crosby. Tick it. Then when you are on a thread and you get to the last post you have read, you can bookmark it so that next time you go to the thread it starts from there.

Crosbybeach · 05/08/2015 11:41

Where's the bookmark function??That sounds good.

LittleBearPad · 05/08/2015 11:40

But that doesn't answer my question View in any way Confused.

The fact that people didn't know they could set up different colours is not actually relevant to the automatic opt-in to TIW. Mnhq just cocked the colours up whilst making thus ridiculous change.

Sparklingbrook · 05/08/2015 11:40

Worra looks like green for you and the OP is as colourful as it's gong to get (on the laptop at least)

ViewFromThe4thFloor · 05/08/2015 11:37

"Why has this change to automatically opt-in been done and why do you think it's an improvement? Please explain as so far no one so far seems to agree."

I think this thread may already contains the answer:

"I didn't know about it until about a year on MN and it made things so much better. Maybe loads of users don't even know it's an option."

"Agree with Sparkiling most people probably didn't know about it."

"It was like the bookmark function cozie. I found that ages after I registered, I bet loads of people don't know about it. perhaps that will be the next thing to go."

RealHuman · 05/08/2015 11:32

I was going to cite my patented look-somewhere-else-and-sing method of ignoring compulsory videos, but I can get on board with an entrance exam Grin

overthemill · 05/08/2015 11:31

Oh yes and I can't bookmark on iPad app so I have to scroll down whole thread which is really really annoying