Beta feature: Yesterday on Loomio
This week we’ve been looking at how people interact with Loomio via email.
The number one problem we’ve heard is that people don’t get emailed about new comments, so sometimes it can feel like you’re speaking into an empty room.
We’ve built a prototype solution to this problem: an email that arrives once each morning, with all of the new content that you haven’t read from the past day.
We’ve been playing with it for the last few days and we’re pretty excited, but we want to get some more feedback before we release it widely. If you want to try out this new feature, just go to your email preferences page and switch it on - you should get an email at 6am tomorrow.
Then come back here tomorrow and add your feedback! Together I think we can come up with a really great feature!
Some more details for the geeks :)
Currently, the ‘Yesterday on Loomio’ email is generated based on your Inbox preferences - which means you can configure what groups you are interested in. We’re thinking about this as the groups that you are following - we’ll probably change the interface to reflect that soon.
This is the first step in a major overhaul in how we keep you up to date with content.
The next phase will look at the discussions you are participating in (a subset of following) - i.e. if you have commented, started the discussion, or been mentioned in it. You’ll have the option to be emailed immediately about new content in those discussions.
We imagine eventually the default setting will be: you'll be emailed once per day, with a summary of all the content you haven't read yet, and you'll be emailed immediately about stuff you’re participating in.
Once that is sorted out, we get to the really exciting stuff: reply by email. This means you will be able to reply from your email client, and your comment will be added to the discussion on Loomio.
Sir Wumpus Fri 4 Jul 2014 7:39PM
The privacy policy on the website says: "From time to time, Loomio team members may access your email address to send you information about the site or ask for feedback, either personally or through an email provider. If you do not wish to receive these emails please respond with a request to be taken off the contact list, or unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email."
Rather than updating people's preferences to turn on the option, why not an email announcement to make people aware of it so they can turn it on for themselves? This way, if they don't want it turned on, no action is required.
Sir Wumpus Tue 8 Jul 2014 4:33PM
@carolyndixon you can turn it on for yourself, just go to the menu with your name on it in the upper right, and select "email settings". :)
Tim Huegerich Tue 22 Jul 2014 5:46PM
Is it supposed to include all new comments from the previous day or only comments I haven't look at yet (and/or comments I didn't author)? As it is, it seems to have only included one discussion, whereas there were actually 2-3 new discussions yesterday in my group.
Richard D. Bartlett Tue 22 Jul 2014 8:32PM
Hi @timhuegerich, it is supposed to send you all the new content from the past 24 hours that you haven't read yet.
It could very well be buggy though :)
Robert Guthrie Tue 22 Jul 2014 9:28PM
@timhuegerich, it only sends stuff you've not read.
@richarddbartlett - I have been keeping an eye on it, and it seems to be behaving correctly. We even get motion outcomes in there.
Tim Huegerich Wed 23 Jul 2014 11:31AM
Thank you. I think that explains it.
Anthony Liu · Fri 4 Jul 2014 7:52AM
An A/B test should help to clarify the actual feeling from the whole Loomio users.