I am having a problem with threaded messages that I have been using for Committee Correspondence. No matter how nicely I ask, some members can't seem to understand that responding to a threaded message results in a new email notification in EVERYONE's mailbox. They treat it like a chat, and some users are getting pretty upset with all the email notifications they are getting. I am looking for options and ideas.

One thought is to use our Forums, where we could all talk to each other. Those who don't want notifications could turn them off for our Committee topic. Then members could just check the forum each time they sign on.

I need to give committee members instructions to use the forum notifications, but I don't understand them. The notification option inside individual topics is "Email all new Posts" or "Email all new posts in Forum". What is the difference between this, and the single option "Email all posts" on the main list of all forums? Then, when I get inside a Title, I have the additional option, "Subscribe to this post". Could you explain how one might use each of these options? Will the one on the main board override the ones on the inside?

Gosh this reads badly!! I don't know how else to explain it. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?

Additionally...any thoughts about my threaded mail situation?

Yes, you need to watch the use of threaded email. It's just like any other email program -- if anybody on the entire thread replies, everybody on the thread gets that reply. And that can get annoying pretty fast indeed.

I think the best solution is what you've already come up with, utilizing the User Forums. Many Admins will create a separate, password-protected forum just for the committee. The subscriptions options work like this:

You can view the User Forums as having 3 levels:

Level 1: Simply all of the forums that are in there.

Level 2: A specific forum you've dedicated to a certain theme (like the Reunion Committe forum you're describing)

Level 3: A thread. Every time somebody posts a New Topic within a forum, that whole chain is considered a discussion thread. So the subscription options then work like this:

Email all new Posts: Every time a New Topic is started in any of the forums on the entire board, the New Topic is sent via email to the subscriber.

Email all new posts in Forum: If you're reading a specific forum, such as the Reunion Committee Forum, then subscribing to this forum (while you're in there reading it) will ONLY email you New Topics that are specifically placed in the Reunion Committee forum.

Subscribe to this thread: Doing this will email you every single response that is posted within a New Topic (discussion thread). You should only do this if you're really interested in the thread and want EVERY SINGLE RESPONSE that happens in that thread to be emailed to you.

Give it a whirl and play around with it a bit, it seems a little daunting at first but once you understand the levels and what you're subscribing to it all becomes old school pretty quickly.

Wouldn't I first have to say "No" to email all posts on the master forum list, to be able to choose the specific subjects or threads I want to hear from?

I think it is confusing, because the options available allow me to make multiple yes or no answers. And, when I choose "No" on an individual Subject Page, it blindly changes the All Forums page to "no" as well, without pointing out that I have now unsubscribed from all.

For me, there just aren't enough explanations.

If I could set it up, I would add a drop-down explanation when someone chooses "no" under "send notifications". It would say something like: "You will not receive any email notifications under any topic by choosing this option. If you wish to receive updates on individual Topics you must set up each individual topic" ..and so on, with each choice that is offered.

Until I read this over several times, it did not occur to me that if I did not use the "subscribe" option, I still would not receive notification on all the new postings in within a subject group.

I guess I'm just asking for more instructions next to each choice. Anything you can do to make this foolproof would be appreciated, because it is really hard to explain these options in email to classmates (as evidenced by the jumble my question has become...ergh!)

Quote for the day...."It's hard to make things foolproof when the fools are so ingenious!" lol....

Note that as you progress from the Main Forums level, to the Topic Level, to the Thread Level, the number of subscription options increases. Ultimately all 3 have to show at the final thread level so people can make their decision (i.e. if they're going to subscribe to the Topic Level itself and get all new Topics within the forum, or if they're going to subscribe only to the thread they're on at the moment, and receive every single response that happens within that thread).

Anyway, yes I agree we need some instructions there to help people make their decision and better-understand what they're doing with forum subscriptions.

Hey,

I am having the same issues, is there a way to setup subscriptions for other users? That way I could get them started. I can’t get them to subscribe to the threads. So they are not getting the replies to important topics.

Thanks,

John Braunscheidel
SHHS Class of 1980

No, the only way to do that would be to actually log in as that Classmate. The forums use cookies and things that have to be unique to the user's account. Let's add some instructions first and see how that alone fares. If you're interested in knowing the verbiage I put on the task for the programmer, here it is:

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1) On this page, class_forums.cfm, under the 1 subscription option on the page please put this help text:

"Email all new posts: Selecting "Yes" above will send all New Topics posted in all forums to your email. You will only receive the topic posting itself, you will not be emailed every response to the topic. If you wish to receive every response to a Topic you may subscribe to receive all responses while viewing the discussion thread itself."

2) On this page, class_forums_threads.cfm, under the 2 available subscription optins please put this help text:

"Email all new posts: Selecting "Yes" for this option will send all New Topics posted in all forums to your email. You will only receive the topic posting itself, you will not be emailed every response to the topic. If you wish to receive every response to a Topic you may subscribe to receive all responses while viewing the discussion thread itself.

Email new posts in this forum:" Selecting "Yes" for this option will send you all New Topics posted inside this specific forum. You will not receive any New Topics started in other forums."

3) On this page, class_forums_messages.cfm, under the 3 available subscription options please put this help text:

"Email all new posts: Selecting "Yes" for this option will send all New Topics posted in all forums to your email. You will only receive the topic posting itself, you will not be emailed every response to the topic. If you wish to receive every response to a Topic you may subscribe to receive all responses while viewing the discussion thread itself.

Email new posts in this forum:" Selecting "Yes" for this option will send you all New Topics posted inside this specific forum. You will not receive any New Topics started in other forums.

Subscribe to this thread: Selecting "Yes" for this option will email you all new Responses that are added to this thread. If a thread is popular and receives many responses, this will generate many emails to your inbox."

WooHoo! Brad you are the BEST!!! I was trying to think of a way to write a simple explanation...now I won't have to. Thank you, Thank you!!!!

It be done.

It be wonderful!!! Thanks again Brad!!!!

btw: Your responses have created a very enthusiastic Class Creator sales team from Battle Creek. We've sold two new classes so far, and we are actively soliciting several more!

Well that is fantastic. Did you know that 90% of new classes who join every day are referred? We do very little marketing, we count on you guys to brag about us.