Alert me when a favorited question has been resolved January 27, 2014 5:14 AM Subscribe
Pony request: A checkbox in our profile settings to "Alert me via MeMail when a question I've marked as a favorite is marked resolved."
Similar to the checkbox to "Alert me to IRL events," this would alert someone that a question they were interested in has been answered/resolved. (I try to make it a point to periodically go back through favorited questions to see, but as with events, they often slip through the cracks.) This would be very, very useful and convenient, if possible.
Similar to the checkbox to "Alert me to IRL events," this would alert someone that a question they were interested in has been answered/resolved. (I try to make it a point to periodically go back through favorited questions to see, but as with events, they often slip through the cracks.) This would be very, very useful and convenient, if possible.
Here's a wrinkle. Some questions (like, uh, this one asked by me) get quite a few answers marked as best answer. If this pony were to happen, people might also want the ability to opt out of getting MeMailed for particular questions.
posted by Going To Maine at 6:11 AM on January 27, 2014
posted by Going To Maine at 6:11 AM on January 27, 2014
When someone marks a post as 'resolved' there isn't necessarily new information at the thread. Someone can mark a thread as resolved without leaving a comment of any kind.
We send out mefi mail to the OP after 30 days asking them to mark the thread as 'resolved' and add any updates if they have them. People often just click the link to mark the thread resolved. In that case, you'd get an alert 30 days after a thread is open and there wouldn't be any obvious new information.
You might be better off keeping an eye on the 'My Favorites' tab in Recent Activity. You'll see any new comments on threads you've marked as favorites, including updates from the OP which are marked as such. I think you'll get a better sense of how threads resolve that way.
I think alerts about threads being marked resolved would just end up being frustrating and create a WHY?! in people's minds.
posted by pb (staff) at 6:15 AM on January 27, 2014
We send out mefi mail to the OP after 30 days asking them to mark the thread as 'resolved' and add any updates if they have them. People often just click the link to mark the thread resolved. In that case, you'd get an alert 30 days after a thread is open and there wouldn't be any obvious new information.
You might be better off keeping an eye on the 'My Favorites' tab in Recent Activity. You'll see any new comments on threads you've marked as favorites, including updates from the OP which are marked as such. I think you'll get a better sense of how threads resolve that way.
I think alerts about threads being marked resolved would just end up being frustrating and create a WHY?! in people's minds.
posted by pb (staff) at 6:15 AM on January 27, 2014
I think alerts about threads being marked resolved would just end up being frustrating and create a WHY?! in people's minds.
But the only people who'd get them would be people who opted in to getting them. Presumably if they're like jbickers and have been revisiting threads periodically, they know that most peter out after a few days. The alert is just a final reminder to see if there's new info available.
posted by Diablevert at 6:37 AM on January 27, 2014
But the only people who'd get them would be people who opted in to getting them. Presumably if they're like jbickers and have been revisiting threads periodically, they know that most peter out after a few days. The alert is just a final reminder to see if there's new info available.
posted by Diablevert at 6:37 AM on January 27, 2014
When someone marks a post as 'resolved' there isn't necessarily new information at the thread. Someone can mark a thread as resolved without leaving a comment of any kind.
I don't think that makes this any less worthwhile, maybe even makes it more so. "Resolved" just indicates that the asker has popped back in and said, "Hey, yes, this question has been definitively answered," and that to me is as much of a notable "event" as the publication of a new IRL event.
(Going To Maine, notice that I'm not asking about best answers, but rather when the "resolved" check box is ticked.)
posted by jbickers at 6:42 AM on January 27, 2014
I don't think that makes this any less worthwhile, maybe even makes it more so. "Resolved" just indicates that the asker has popped back in and said, "Hey, yes, this question has been definitively answered," and that to me is as much of a notable "event" as the publication of a new IRL event.
(Going To Maine, notice that I'm not asking about best answers, but rather when the "resolved" check box is ticked.)
posted by jbickers at 6:42 AM on January 27, 2014
What about adding a smart threshold that sends an email if a thread hits a metric calculated from closed, added to, favorited, comments favorited, and linked to from other threads? A system like that would put google+ out of business!
posted by sammyo at 6:48 AM on January 27, 2014
posted by sammyo at 6:48 AM on January 27, 2014
(Going To Maine, notice that I'm not asking about best answers, but rather when the "resolved" check box is ticked.)
Yeah, I'm a doof.
posted by Going To Maine at 6:54 AM on January 27, 2014
Yeah, I'm a doof.
posted by Going To Maine at 6:54 AM on January 27, 2014
Here's a DIY option. The Answered tab at Ask has a Recently Resolved sidebar. We have an RSS feed of that sidebar—click the orange feed icon at the top of the sidebar to find that feed.
With that feed URL, you can use an RSS to email service to get notified whenever a thread is marked as resolved. I use a free service called If That Then This for this sort of thing. Here's an rss to email recipe that could do the trick. Just replace the feed URL in that recipe with the one you copied from Ask and adjust the email format so that it appears however you'd like.
posted by pb (staff) at 7:09 AM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
With that feed URL, you can use an RSS to email service to get notified whenever a thread is marked as resolved. I use a free service called If That Then This for this sort of thing. Here's an rss to email recipe that could do the trick. Just replace the feed URL in that recipe with the one you copied from Ask and adjust the email format so that it appears however you'd like.
posted by pb (staff) at 7:09 AM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
oops, this wouldn't give you just your favorites, however. Sorry about that. You'd need to have a feed of your favorites and do some filtering which complicates a DIY option quite a bit.
posted by pb (staff) at 7:21 AM on January 27, 2014
posted by pb (staff) at 7:21 AM on January 27, 2014
Memail is old and boring, and nowadays all the cool kids are getting alerts in the form of postcard. To receive your own quidnunc kid "postcard vote," which you can send on to MetaFilter Networks Inc. in order to vote #1 quidnunc kid (by post), simply favourite this comment and memail quidnunc kid your postal address - because I am here to help you help me to help you. To help me.
Also have you ever noticed how weird a word looks when you type it out over and over? "Help" looks like that now. Especially in lowercase. Really weird. Wait, now "weird" is looking weird too.
OK I'll stop typing now. Heh. "Typing". "Ty-ping". Weird.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 8:08 AM on January 27, 2014 [6 favorites]
Also have you ever noticed how weird a word looks when you type it out over and over? "Help" looks like that now. Especially in lowercase. Really weird. Wait, now "weird" is looking weird too.
OK I'll stop typing now. Heh. "Typing". "Ty-ping". Weird.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 8:08 AM on January 27, 2014 [6 favorites]
...Help!
posted by this is a thing at 8:36 AM on January 27, 2014
posted by this is a thing at 8:36 AM on January 27, 2014
Typing "weird".
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 9:16 AM on January 27, 2014
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 9:16 AM on January 27, 2014
I would support this. I look back with occasionally with heavy heart to see if this one has been resolved or updated.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:48 AM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:48 AM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
How much can be expected of pb? Didn't our mamas teach us to pick up our clothes, make our own beds? If not, I will send pb my home address for more personal service.
posted by Cranberry at 12:31 PM on January 27, 2014
posted by Cranberry at 12:31 PM on January 27, 2014
Will the postcard be typed?
posted by JanetLand at 12:37 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by JanetLand at 12:37 PM on January 27, 2014 [1 favorite]
The postcard will be printed lovingly by my lovely team of loving lovelies. So act now, for supplies are truly limited, especially because I am running out of stamps.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 10:46 AM on January 28, 2014
posted by the quidnunc kid at 10:46 AM on January 28, 2014
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posted by MuffinMan at 5:32 AM on January 27, 2014 [9 favorites]