Give the admin the option to trigger an Alert when posting a post

[Grover]

Digital Doctor posted a really useful idea in this discussion: http://xenforo.com/community/threads/how-do-you-get-your-forum-users-to-read-announcements.7532/ and I took the liberty to re-post it as a feature Suggestion:

(1) IDEA: Trigger an Alert !
- a modification, that an admin can post an announcement and it would automatically trigger an alert to everyone.

My ideas on this:

Since XenForo doesn't and (thankfully, because it is not needed) will not offer an Announcement system (like vBulletin), this idea of Digital Doctor could be implemented just on the post-level, only available (obviously) to admins (and maybe mods). So, when you as an admin posts something in your dedicated 'Announcements'-forum and you want to get this Announcement really the attention it needs/deserves, then it would be really great to be able to check an additional checkbox like this:

Options: [ ] Watch this thread...
------------[ ] and receive email notifications
----------[x] Send Alert to everyone

So, when you then press [Create Thread], an Alert (we don't need a 'special alert' IMHO, just make use of the great stock XF functionality that is already available) is send to every member, giving you full community attention on your important 'Announcement'.


Please do [like] this first posting if you think it is a good feature suggestion for XenForo

 

[DoctorWatsOn]

The only reason we haven't already done it is that it potentially adds millions of rows to the alerts table in a single hit, whereas normal alerts tend to only insert records for active users. If you insert alerts for users who never log in, they will never be cleared from the alerts table, and your performance will suffer.

Oh, that doesn't sound good.

So, I assume in that case that performance will get worst as you send more and more alerts over time, is there no way to clear old alerts from the alerts table after a set period of time?

 

[dieketzer]

query + cron

 

[DoctorWatsOn]

query + cron

Whoosh…
….that went right over this noob’s head.

 

[dieketzer]

Whoosh…
….that went right over this noob’s head.

xenforo uses a kind of faux cron to do x action every y hours (such as update thread count and such). it shouldnt be too difficult for some clever person to create a cronjob to run a mysql query to remove unread alerts after x amount of time.

 

[Paul B]

I've just posted in the add-on thread suggesting functionality for purging the table of old alerts.

 

[DoctorWatsOn]

xenforo uses a kind of faux cron to do x action every y hours (such as update thread count and such). it shouldnt be too difficult for some clever person to create a cronjob to run a mysql query to remove unread alerts after x amount of time.

Oh, thanks for explaining that, Jaxel posted about using a 'cronjob' for recurring events in his XenAtendo add-on, which puzzled me - now it makes [some] sense.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Could the alert ... be an alert for 3 days, then unseen alerts get converted to an email .. and get purged ?
There could be many different scenarios.

 

[Digital Doctor]

The only reason we haven't already done it is that it potentially adds millions of rows to the alerts table in a single hit

This was solved by the addon MassAlert by making a new Table for mass alerts !

 

[jonsidneyb]

Looking up MassAlert

 

[Grover]

I'm on the fence on this one.
Gover has 12 likes on this on November 03, 2010 at 12:24
I bet if I posted it - I'd have 1/2 that.
I think it's his nice smile.

*quickly changes his avatar ;-)

The idea has now 51 likes, but unfortunately:

The only reason we haven't already done it is that it potentially adds millions of rows to the alerts table in a single hit, whereas normal alerts tend to only insert records for active users. If you insert alerts for users who never log in, they will never be cleared from the alerts table, and your performance will suffer.

The suggestion is not an essential one by any means (just a rather useful one), but who knows maybe some clever way of implementing this can be thought up for a future version. I'm unable to chime in on that level, since I know zero point zero about the technical side of things . Somebody else has any ideas?

 

[Mouth]

*quickly changes his avatar ;-)
else has any ideas?

Only send the alert to users have logged on with the last xx weeks (where xx is defined within Admin CP options)

 

[Digital Doctor]

(1)

Could the alert ... be an alert for 3 days, then unseen alerts get converted to an email .. and get purged ?
There could be many different scenarios.

(2)

Only send the alert to users have logged on with the last xx weeks (where xx is defined within Admin CP options)

Good idea.
won't these options minimize the MASS alert ?
As well ... some people don't run sites with mega users ... adding millions of rows seems to apply for sites with tens of thousands of users who use MASS alert ... alot.
Mass alerts would be relatively rare things ... for special situations.

 

[Biker]

I'm a bit hesitant to use something like this, especially if it touches email. If you have users who haven't logged in for some time, and there's been an email change, you're going to start getting a ton of bounced email messages. Some providers are getting pretty touchy about this. I'm constantly having to whine at Microsoft because either users are flagging site emails as spam, or the provider detects the bounced email messages and adds the site to email blacklists.

I've long been of the opinion that there needs to be some checking mechanism built into forum software that allows admins to run a check on emails for the membership. Any that show up as questionable or outright bad should result in an account flag that prevents mass emails from being sent to those accounts.

 

[Mouth]

I've long been of the opinion that there needs to be some checking mechanism built into forum software that allows admins to run a check on emails for the membership. Any that show up as questionable or outright bad should result in an account flag that prevents mass emails from being sent to those accounts.

http://xenforo.com/community/threads/update-user-account-from-bounced-emails.44174/

 

[Biker]

You want the checks made before emails start bouncing. If you do a mass mailing and emails start failing, you're already behind the 8 ball.

 

[Digital Doctor]

I'm a bit hesitant to use something like this, especially if it touches email.

Good point.
Maybe no email.
To me, this is an alerts only thing.
YMMV.

 

[Morgain]

Good point.
Maybe no email.
To me, this is an alerts only thing.
YMMV.

Nope - I want cut off members to be drawn back in. Most of those who have visited recently don't need the email - they'll see the alert or the thread on Whats new.

This needs fine tunuing according to type of board.

Micro board (250 or less) doesnt really matter maybe auto cancel alert after a month.
Small board 1,500 or so upwards - admin deselects notification emails on recent visitors in last month, but they get alert, auto cancel alert after a month/ week whatever admin sees as useful.

Something like that.

 

[Grover]

I just noticed this when I went on Facebook a minute ago:



Never before I got an 'official' notification from Facebook itself in my notification-overview. So I am not sure if this is new functionality, but it reminded me of my (or better said: @Digital Doctor 's one) suggestion above.

Ofcourse in Xenforo we already have the Notices system (not to be confused with the Alerts system), so side-wide admin announcements are already handled by the Notices system. However, seeing how Facebook now puts side-wide admin announcements inside their notification system reminds me how practical and useful it is to be able to put admin side-wide content there.

 

[Digital Doctor]

The only reason we haven't already done it is that it potentially adds millions of rows to the alerts table in a single hit, whereas normal alerts tend to only insert records for active users. If you insert alerts for users who never log in, they will never be cleared from the alerts table, and your performance will suffer.

Have the alerts auto-expire ?
Create a different kind of alert ?
Seems like there could be a way around this.

 

[Xon]

Have the alerts auto-expire ?
Create a different kind of alert ?
Seems like there could be a way around this.

Keep in mind, that post from Kier is from 2011. In modern versions of XF, Unread alerts eventually expire.