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In “Building Communities with Software” (2004), Spolsky writes: “Q. Could you make a feature where I check a box that says “email me if somebody replies to my
by pgt 7y ago
In “Building Communities with Software” (2004), Spolsky writes:
“Q. Could you make a feature where I check a box that says “email me if somebody replies to my post?”
A. This one feature, so easy to implement and thus so tempting to programmers, is the best way to kill dead any young forum. Implement this feature and you may never get to critical mass. Philip Greenspun’s LUSENET has this feature and you can watch it sapping the life out of young discussion groups.”
https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2003/03/03/building-communities-with-software/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2003/03/03/building-communiti...
- azhenley 7y agoHis rationale as to why: “If you offer the “notify me” checkbox, these people will post their question, check the box, and never come back. They’ll just read the replies in their mailbox. The end. If you eliminate the checkbox, people are left with no choice but to check back every once in a while. And while they’re checking back, they might read another post which looks interesting. And they might have something to contribute to that post.”
- gremlinsinc 7y agoHave a browser push notification that truncates the message...so they still get a notification but have to visit to see the full reply.
- stareatgoats 7y ago> the best way to kill dead any young forum Yet the website that implemented a similar feature (albeit not even opt-in) became the largest community yet history. It's annoying for sure, but the FB notifications system is surely one of the cornerstones of their success in terms of numbers. I guess they never read Spolsky ...
- pgt 7y agoThere is a difference between a social network and "any young forum" for Q&A style posts.