MeFi Messaging

June 24, 2006 7:32 AM

Can i just say I think it'd be great to have a messaging system on Mefi? (Primarily because I've belatedly added what I hope will be a helpful response to an AskMefi post, and I've got no way of alerting the person who asked the question..)

It's been discussed before, but I can't see a definitive ruling..
posted by ascullion to Feature Requests at 7:32 AM (20 comments total)

If people wanted to be contacted, they'd put an email in their profile.
posted by Orange Goblin at 7:50 AM on June 24, 2006

The cabal would find this useful for coordinating its activities.
posted by LarryC at 7:50 AM on June 24, 2006

There is no cabal.
posted by cortex at 8:14 AM on June 24, 2006

This is where "My Comments" shines. If anyone that had posted in that thread views their My Comments page right now, they will see your reply, since the page is sorted by the time of the last comment in the thread. There's no need for any kind of messaging or notification as long as you just check that page frequently. The only downside is that it only shows 10.
posted by Rhomboid at 8:16 AM on June 24, 2006

*HAY G3SS WER I AM L0LZ*
*N0 N0 GH3SS*
*N0 N0 N0 G3SS*
*U SUC IM N T3H BLU*
*G3DDIT P3P C BLU R0FLZ!!11!*
posted by Smart Dalek at 8:24 AM on June 24, 2006

If people wanted to be contacted, they'd put an email in their profile.

Not true. I put an email in my profile I check less than once a month. I don't want to be contacted, but I don't want to miss out on my rare fanhate mail.

Seriously, though, my email address is private. I don't share it with many people. And when I do? I tend to create an alias so I can shut them off when they become annoying.

Furthermore, people fear spam. Spam is evil, it's probably good to be afraid of it. In fact, that's also why I share an email address I don't care much about in my profile.
posted by sequential at 8:31 AM on June 24, 2006

There's no need for any kind of messaging or notification as long as you just check that page frequently.

I love it when people undermine their own argument :) The whole point is that you can't rely on people to do that..
posted by ascullion at 8:44 AM on June 24, 2006

This is where "My Comments" shines.

My understanding was that "My Comments" only applies to comments that you've posted within the last 7 days. In other words, if I comment on June 11 and you reply on June 24, your reply will not appear on my page of "My Comments" on June 25.

If I'm wrong, please correct me. I just returned from a 7+ day hiatus, though, and "My Comments" was empty.
posted by cribcage at 8:49 AM on June 24, 2006

I suppose it would be nice if [e-mail] forwarded to whatever email address you've entered. The user page could then make display of email optional. But then people would start giving out their metafilter addresses, I guess. And Matt would become a mail administrator.
posted by scarabic at 9:20 AM on June 24, 2006

Kuro5hin had a usefull system where you would be notifed if someone posted a comment on one of your posts, IIRC.
posted by delmoi at 9:25 AM on June 24, 2006

if [e-mail] forwarded to whatever email address you've entered

That'd be ripe for spamming, though.
posted by cortex at 9:51 AM on June 24, 2006

And Matt would become a mail administrator.

Not to mention have to manage 35,000 email forwards, bounces, and spams.

Woot! Where do I sign up for that!
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:02 AM on June 24, 2006

Oh, as for definitive ruling, I personally don't find much use out of internal messaging systems in web apps, especially the ones that just send you an email with the message, replicating email entirely.

So I doubt I ever build messaging into it.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:05 AM on June 24, 2006

Fair enough. I still think something similar to what you get on phpBB bulletin boards would be be really useful.
posted by ascullion at 11:01 AM on June 24, 2006

How about a single page per user that's write-only for other users. Not for conversations, but for notifications, like a drop-box, or putting notes on a door.
posted by fleacircus at 11:02 AM on June 24, 2006

I always thought it'd be kinda handy to have a messaging system on MeFi, but it's really not a good idea.

Here's why:

Server load would suck. People would squabble and bitch about it - like the whiners don't have enough to bitch about. There are other features Matt should probably focus on rather than giving us a PM/IM system. And then he'd also probably have to set up a system that allowed for ignores, filters, blocks, etc. Which is just more work, more server load, and more bullshit.

Just allowing people to list their IM and email contacts is plenty. It's more work for the user, but it does all of the above naturally without having to load up the server with more gizmos. People can be incognito or they can be as accessible as they choose, and Matt (and the server) don't have to know about any of it.
posted by loquacious at 1:07 PM on June 24, 2006

I just buy a chicken, baptize it with the name of the user I want to reach, and sacrifice it in the backyard while chanting the message I wish to convey. So far it's always worked, and the chicken makes excellent soup.
posted by languagehat at 1:21 PM on June 24, 2006

You ate it?! That chicken was a sacrifice to me, you bastard! See if I reply to your chanted messages again!
posted by graventy at 3:17 PM on June 24, 2006

Hey, I leave the head, feet, and giblets, which is what the instruction manual says. Don't get greedy.
posted by languagehat at 5:36 PM on June 24, 2006

We should get some kind of jabber server or something for mefites.
posted by Eideteker at 3:47 AM on June 25, 2006