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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

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:
Thread gallery
31
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

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.

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.

Crosbybeach · 05/08/2015 11:49

Ta sparkling.

songbird · 05/08/2015 11:53

Je suis le 8%

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

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 12:03

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

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)

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.

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?

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 12:09

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

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.

overthemill · 05/08/2015 12:16

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

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.

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

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.

SoupDragon · 05/08/2015 12:22

I'm guessing there is no customise option on the App. I'm not surprised TBH - isn't an app meant to be a scaled down version of the full site?

Shakey1500 · 05/08/2015 12:25

I'm also staggered only 8% highlight own/OP's posts?!

It's ideal for a long thread as not only can you go from your last post, you can read all OP's posts, and thereby skim and get the gist of the whole thread if you can't be arsed haven't had time to read the whole thing.

cozietoesie · 05/08/2015 12:33

overthemill

I don't think there is one, I'm afraid.

magimedi · 05/08/2015 12:35

It annoys me that any thread I post on automatically goes to my watch list - I don't want to watch every thread I post on.

BertieBotts · 05/08/2015 12:37

Right, I have just done an advanced search on Site Stuff for the word "highlight" (apparently this was not a great choice because it came up with others like "thanks for highlighting this issue" Grin) It returned more than 500 so there may be even more. But I counted forty seven posts (Almost 10% of all Site Stuff posts!) speaking positively about thread highlighting. Either posters saying thank you this is great, complaining that it wasn't working (I did not count these two recent ones), asking for it to be added to the app, suggesting that it would be a welcome/useful addition before it was added, and a great number where posters asked for the feature and were very happy to be told by other posters that it was already available. (Backing up my theory that more people would use it if it was more well advertised).

I saw about three complaining about it, and that was a general "Ow it's too bright" (interestingly it was green to begin with, too)

And a selection of happy threads:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/1145700-Thank-you-so-much-for-the-colours

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/1032645-Highlighting-authors-posts

Look how happy we all were! Flowers

cozietoesie · 05/08/2015 12:39

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

Yes indeed - in fact I'm getting the sense that if the colours were changed between OP and poster and muted or changed (for me, because my eyesight isn't good and I find the dark green difficult to use) then a lot of the current troubles would be eased.

Fiderer

I suspect that Classic's days are numbered so I'd change now if I were you and get used to the different layout.