[Updated: please read] Fedora Discussion Default notification when replying changed to “Watching”

As suggested by @jflory7 in How can I figure out what emails are to me and which arent, I’ve changed the site-wide default so that when you reply to a thread, you are automatically set to “watching” that thread, meaning you will get notifications (and potentially email) about any further replies. I also set the threshold by which the site considers posts to be
“new” from two weeks to 2 days.

You can change these defaults on a per-user basis in your notification preferences at Fedora Discussion - Fedora Project community discussion happens here!.

(Note that the site had an option to make this retroactive. I did not enable that, so this will only affect new posts going forward.) (See below)

2 Likes

So, @jflory7 let me know that I misread the setting and that in fact the “retroactive” option would change the defaults for existing users rather than for posts. Given that, it might make sense to change it. However, that would change the setting for 4686 existing users, so I’m hesitant to just do it without discussion. Please discuss here. Thanks!

Here are my two cents about this:

1.That will be a personal decision instead of a Global Directive.
2. When you post a topic, the site set that topic to Tracking. if someone mentions you @user or replies to you.
3. When you spend more than 4 minutes the system changes the status to Tracking, see point 2.
4. When you create a topic, set that topic to Watching, You will receive notifications because you created this topic.
5. You can set this in Preferences → Notifications for personal preferences.
6. It will too noisy trying to implement this gamification system because from a point of view of a person who helps others I don’t think they wouldn’t like to receive all the track of a TOPIC.
7. Maybe this will be applicable in some way on the Discussion side, for the explanation in point 6, because TOPICs and POSTs are a set of record/History and are parts of a Discussion.

Regards.,

Yeah, to be clear, it’s always going to be a personal preference changeable at Fedora Discussion - Fedora Project community discussion happens here!.

There is, however, a global default, which becomes the default for any new user. We think we set that default to something that wasn’t the right choice, and have changed it so any new users get the new default. The question is: should we also retroactively change it for all of the existing users?

Since most people probably haven’t even noticed that there is an option, they probably just went along with whatever the default was. They’ll still be able to reset to whatever they like if they don’t like it.

IMHO, How is a transparent change, The best things we can do it here is the following, Instead of gamification of all old Users.

Make a TOPIC and explain the following:

  1. Behaviour for new $USER:

Global default notification level when replying is → to Watching, this MEAN

  • You’re going to be notified when someone replies to you.
  • When someone mentions to you like @user.
  • When a reply occurs in that TOPIC you’re involved/subscribed.
  1. Behaviour for OLD $USER:

Global default notification was set to level when replying, is → to Tracking, this MEAN

  • You’re going to be notified when someone replies to you
  • When someone mentions to you like @user
  • Other interacts in TOPIC you’re involved/subscribed aren’t notified/included.

NOTE: If old $USER would like to change this behaviour and benefit from this functionality, please go to → notification and change from Tracking to Watching.

Also, you can change this behaviour by TOPIC:

Othe things to considere, If you spend more than 4 minutes in a TOPIC you’re automatically Tracked to it.

REFERENCES

And Let’s the $USER to Decide…

I’ve changed my personal preferences to Watching.

Regards.,