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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:
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31
PrivatePike · 05/08/2015 13:29

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SmartAlecMetalGit · 05/08/2015 13:30

I loved all the old options but I'll be happy if we can just have a slightly less awful colour than the green.

I really can't read the green posts, highlighting them (as in clicking and dragging my cursor over them) helps a little but it's a pain to have to do all the time.

cozietoesie · 05/08/2015 13:32

Esepcially for you, Moving, I went on to the desktop site on the ipad and I agree - the green isn't quite as bad there as on the desktop. It's a darned close run thing, though.

BIWI · 05/08/2015 13:33

My posts are still pink - presumably this is because I haven't clicked anything? I don't want them to change Sad

It makes reading a thread - especially a long thread - much easier if you can distinguish the OP's posts and your own.

Please MNHQ find a way to distinguish our own threads from the OP's

BertieBotts · 05/08/2015 13:35

Well I was going to leave it for a few hours and then forward it, but it's at 250 posts after one hour already...

Although Soup has just pointed out to me that all this time they've been talking about the 8% being the CUSTOM option, not the highlighting option in the first place. So I feel a bit silly about that Blush But still assert that it ought to be two separate colours, and agree that the green is far too strong and doesn't match the site theme (should be blue/purple/grey, and I understand them not wanting to do blue because of MNHQ posts being blue)

BlueKarou · 05/08/2015 13:36

I don't get it at all... Threads I'm On is where I go to look at threads I've posted on. Threads I'm Watching is where I put the threads I'm interested in coming back and reading at a later date; i.e. what to pack in your hospital bag. Putting the threads I post on into the watching list just doesn't work for me; it swamps out the older threads I've watched, and it makes TIO and TIW just two identical lists. Noooooo!

Also, I love the OP/My post colour feature. Totally don't see why you're ditching that, it's one of the most helpful things on the customisation page!

I liked typing and then ctrl+enter to post. Now you're making me get the mouse involved. Not cool, MNHQ, not cool at all.

SoupDragon · 05/08/2015 13:37

It absolutely ought to be two different colours! :)

I'm really pissed off that in order to get rid of the automatic watch option, I've now lost my nice pale custom colours. If I hadn't had to remove the watch thing, I could still have them.

MNHQ should reinstate them for a short while To sort it out.

BertieBotts · 05/08/2015 13:38

Yes. Totally agree :)

PrivatePike · 05/08/2015 13:39

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BertieBotts · 05/08/2015 13:42

In fact I wouldn't even have opted out of watching, since I never use watched threads (although Blue makes a good point and I might start using it for that) and I already had it set not to email me, so I could have just let it build up quite happily, except that when you click "Watch this thread" and post, it doesn't scroll you to your post, it scrolls you to the top and a green banner saying "This thread has been added to your watch list". That was just cluttery and annoying which is why I wanted to opt out (and to check the email thing which was already unset for me).

HQ: Is there any news on us being able to reduce the number of replies TIO pulls up? 18 is too many.

BlueKarou · 05/08/2015 13:45

PrivatePike It's ok; I haven't done it on the customise page; that was just on this thread. Thankfully it remembered I unticked it, so I'm not having to untick it on this thread again.

Every other thread has it ticked as default though. What a bloomin' palaver!

PrivatePike · 05/08/2015 13:48

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BlueKarou · 05/08/2015 13:51

I would be ruing them had I not found this thread through Bertie's AIBU. Thank goodness people are getting the message out otherwise we'd all be losing our carefully picked colour settings (purple for the OP, green for me, not to rub salt in your oh so recent wounds. Sorry for your loss Flowers )

BertieBotts · 05/08/2015 13:53

Mine were lavender for OP and pale mint green for me, too. Seems lots of us chose those.

They should do a poll and run with the most popular option, they'd have one option with no confusion, and nobody could complain. Simple!

PrivatePike · 05/08/2015 13:53

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PrivatePike · 05/08/2015 13:54

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Sparklingbrook · 05/08/2015 13:59

I used to be pink too.Sad

PrivatePike · 05/08/2015 14:00

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ThumbWitchesAbroad · 05/08/2015 14:00

Oh FFS. Why mess with it?

I guess I'm never going to change my customise options ever again then, because I do NOT want to lose my colour choices, NOR do I want to lose my MN Classic view, which is the only one I find at all bearable! NOR do I want to lost the option to reduce the number of posts I can see in TIO to 10!

Why in the name of God do you have to mess with things like this?! Angry

I don't give a shiny shit about emails - in fact I almost never go into my associated email address now that hotmail delinked everything - I'm quite capable of clicking on the link to Threads I'm Watching to see if anything has happened!

I really can't bear it when you start taking away options that were really useful. I asked ages ago if you could routinely highlight the OP's posts in a separate colour regardless of whether or not the individual poster had selected that option, but nothing ever came of it - but perhaps it would have been a better choice to really obviously point out to people that they could highlight OP's posts.

Not much use now though! Grrrr.

Thetruthshallmakeyefret · 05/08/2015 14:00

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ThumbWitchesAbroad · 05/08/2015 14:01

And another thing - WHY In the name of all that's holy is every single thread I'm posting on just now being added to my Watch list??! I don't WANT them on my Watch list!

PrivatePike · 05/08/2015 14:02

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Thurlow · 05/08/2015 14:04

I feel a bit sorry for HQ - they've made this change and are now getting a hammering for it. It can't be nice when you think you've done something people will like, only to find out it is universally hated...

Having said that, I don't understand at all what the overall strategy here is?

MrsVamos · 05/08/2015 14:05

Right. Posted on AIBU thread.

I am pink (on mobile). Should I just not change ANYTHING ?

More changes mnetters aren't happy with. Just like mobile site which was painful when 'upgraded'.

I don't want to be trending on twitter, or to have a like button. I just want to mn. Sad

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 05/08/2015 14:06

But why the hell do it and then tell us? Why not ask first - "do you think this would be a good idea" and find out that No, actually, it's a sodding awful idea - then they wouldn't have to put up with the hammering, or have to decide whether or not to keep it and risk angering and losing posters.