Tweaking Netscape's Site Mail Features »
Posted by: JamesMarcus 1 year, 7 months agoAt the moment we're reevaluating some of Netscape's site mail features, looking for the best balance between social networking tools and potential headaches for the community. To that end, we've disabled the "All Mutual Friends" checkbox in the Send A Message interface--for now, anyway.
Read Full Story at blog.netscape.com
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Comments So Far: 91
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coreyspring1 year, 7 months ago
OMG! VOTE FOR THIS STORY
http://news.netscape.com/story/2007/01/31/tweaking
(Site messaging that isn't en masse continues to work just fine)
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SusanParrish1 year, 7 months ago
That's cute, spamming the thread with it's own link, lol!
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pratt1 year, 6 months ago
I agree with David on this one. It is one of the great benefits of Netscape. What is the point of wasting 10 extra minutes of our lives so we can send it to each individual person? No one will stop "mass mailing" just because they can't do it all at once. They will still send a message to each and every friend. This is a waste of time.
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Searchbeam1 year, 6 months ago
Folks,
I just sent a message to msaleem, and a copy of it to JamesMarcus.
I am reproducing it here for the benefit of our community:
**********...
From: searchbeam To: msaleem
msaleem,
I saw your post and I agree with most of what you are saying.
Posting a story and informing your friends about it is very important to building a community, like we have done here.
However, multiple posts on the same message takes something away. It gives the appearance of self-promotion.
However, we have to be very careful about how we want to change it! A heavy-handed proclamation to cease and desist such activity reeks of dictatorship and censorship rolled into one.
My suggestion would be to use persuasion to accomplish the same goal. We are all grown up and smart people here, and we should be treated as such.
For example:
"Folks, Our feature of direct messaging among our community has become a great success, and we are all better for it!
More..
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nakedtruth1 year, 6 months ago
I don't believe it. For once I agree with DavidHaiko! :)
Really, it's lame to say this was done away with because of "spamming". Your mutual friends list consists only of people who WANT to receive your messages. If someone's sending you messages you don't want, just remove them from your mutual friends list. If they still send you messages you don't want, block them. Mass emailing mutual friends has NOTHING to do with spam.
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SusanParrish1 year, 7 months ago
Why don't they remove themselves from that person's "friends" list?
And all the messages I get from people usually say "If you don't want to get these messages, let me know and I will remove you". I deleted one friend because I was getting 20 messages a day about his submissions or his friend's submissions. I just look for him now and check out his stuff, sometimes it's good. But that way I don't get a million submission emails. I don't know why anyone would have a problem with it.
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Spadecaller1 year, 6 months ago
SusanParrish,
I agree! You should retract your vote and sink this story.
"Tweaking" is not what they are doing by removing our freedom to exchange in mass.
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jovial1 year, 6 months ago
Kinda vica-versa, Dave. The fact is a lot of conservatives left this site, and as I see it, that is a detriment to their cause. It's no time to "cut and run".
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Searchbeam1 year, 6 months ago
David,
I don't think "libs" do that.
When it comes to freedom of speech and issues of that flavor, libs see eye-to-eye with the "Cons".
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nakedtruth1 year, 6 months ago
Well I suspect it's concern over the "9/11 truth" posts. Naziscape censors have been working overtime. They've even gone beyond simply "closing" stories to actually "disappearing" them. Take this story for instance.
http://politics.netscape.com/story/2006/10/17/a-fr
Netscape says *Sorry, this url looks like it's pointing to a story but we can't find it.* But the story had 113 votes and 475 comments. I've seen the same pattern multiple times. In fact you can "kinda" still see it here.
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/10/17/a-fre
But if you click on "comments" you get the "disappered" page.
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Wil1 year, 7 months ago
Yeah, that's why I almost exclusively surf Netscape through the Friend's Activity Sidebar in Firefox. Not only do I see the stories my friends (who I've added because I like their submissions) have submitted, but I also get to find stories that my friends are commenting on, which leads me to discover all sorts of cool new things.
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caimen621 year, 7 months ago
I just checked my messages and it lets me select mutual friends.
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deathray1 year, 7 months ago
I'd lke to suggest that we allow some middle ground with regard to sending site mail...sometimes I want to send a message to three or four people, and I'd like to have multiple enumerated recipients, rather than send out multiple messages...
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STONERS1 year, 7 months ago
I get alot and I DO mean alot of messages and I like it that my friends send them to me,sometimes they can be a bit much but none the less Im glad they send them to me..May I say that I think Netscape should add a Delete all button for sent messages.Now thats a GREAT IDEA:}:}:}:}It takes forever to delete one message at a time.And when I answer all the messages back then I can rack up like 20 to 30 PAGES and sometimes even more in one night.
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STONERS1 year, 7 months ago
I agree with ind06 also because some days I dont have alot of time to spare so I go to my messages and check out the ones they send to me and vote if they are good stories to me.And then thats all.Because Im in a hurry.And then get to the others when I have more time.
Please keep this button.
Whats a few messages from friends,if they are truely a friend then they wont mind but,why dont they just say they dont want them then the problem is solved.
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Mintyfunk1 year, 6 months ago
Exactly, the PM's are nice because they highlight stories of interest from friends that may be above thier normal submission. something that they would like to draw extra attention too. I still think being able to select multiple recipients or custom mailing list would be cool to allow you to mail things to a select number of people. The all or one approach was doomed anyways.
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catstevensComment removed: User banned.
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Searchbeam1 year, 6 months ago
I think a friend should be bold enough to tell his friend if he goes overboard.
That is a sign of a good friend, one who gives you the benefit of perspective.
I like the middle of the road approach that deathray , ind06 and others are proposing! Mass Messaging is a very good feature, but it must be used judiciously.
And I understand DavidHalko's exasperation. I think by now, Netscape Navigators and their admin crowd should understand that this is a lively and vigorous community and they are bringing Advertisers to their site!
Don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg!
Peace and Blessings!
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stephen-johnson1 year, 7 months ago
I pretty much echo other posters who asked for
1 - The ability to send messages to multiple recipients
2 - The ability to delete messages en masse
The mail feature here is really primitive
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STONERS1 year, 7 months ago
And another thing,if its such a problem and you are afraid of loosing your ""GOOD VOTERS"" then just block that persons messages.Thats another problem solved.But now once again we are having another awesome thing taken from us.But who am I to argue about it just like in the past we cant get what we like,its the couple of complainers that gets their way.So to whom ever if you dont wont me to private message you then REMOVE ME FROM YOUR LIST. This is very CHILDISH and Im not going to continue with this any longer.Ive ask each and every one of my friends if they want these messages and the ones that didnt told me and I deleted them from my list.BUT I STILL LOOK AT WHAT THEY SUBMIT and vote if I like the story. So CONTINUE taking away the things we like and you will sooner or later have a bunch of members that arent SOCIAL AT ALL....THANK YOU...
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Spadecaller1 year, 6 months ago
I agree STONERS. Retract your vote and sink this story. "TWEAKING" is not the word for what they have done by removing our freedom to communicate in mass.
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STONERS1 year, 7 months ago
And seriously come on now,this story has been up almost 24 hours now.So where is all the people that are complaining?? Is this another attemped to control us and get your way? Im curious about this.Why isnt anybody on here complaining?? Dont get mad or bash me,Im trying to understand this simple problem that can be fixed with one message((please dont message me with your links))
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ind061 year, 6 months ago
It's a very good point, David.
Letting your friends know about this issue is an excellent use of the mass mailing feature.
If people can't communicate on this string to voice their opinion I suggest (without rancor) that they send a brief PM to JamesMarcus (because he posted it), or , I guess any other anchor or navigator.
Ofcourse, it would have been oh so much easier for me to simply mass mail my friend group with the above message , I feel like I'm shouting into the void, hoping someone hears me.
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Searchbeam1 year, 6 months ago
I have a message for the anchors:
These anchors are weighing this ship down!
Unless you say "anchors aweigh!" this ship won't go much further!
Peace and Blessings!
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okitech1 year, 6 months ago
yeah...? lets take a social portion out of the social networking? hahahaha just like good ole NS knee jerk reaction. Why not add to the network portion of social networking? Why not add the ability to delete enmass emails, block emails while maintaining friends, etc...Remember the whole web 2 thing and ajax?
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Searchbeam1 year, 6 months ago
That's what they call "DICTATORSHIP"!
Do we like dictatorship?
I didn't think so!
Peace and Blessings!
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Spadecaller1 year, 6 months ago
Not that my opinion was sought by Netscape, but I want management to know my thoughts regarding the elimination of the mailing feature that had once allowed us the freedom to send all our friends updates about our thoughts, activities, and submissions.
This new system is cumbersome and more importantly -- isolating. I have a number of regulars who I send out my daily submissions to, and we often communicate in mass.
Having the ability to get the most amount of exposure in the least amount of time was important to me.
Some of us believe, as I do, that Netscape provided a free platform, where newsworthy information and meaningful issues could be exchanged conveniently, where influence on others could make a positive difference, and where people of like-minded and opposing opinions could mingle without interference.
Whatever the reasons for removing this feature, I am opposed to them and it will affect my participation.
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Spadecaller1 year, 6 months ago
Obviously, Netscape wants to have greater control over its members.
If it is Netscapes' desire to limit exchange and to thwart the influence bloggers can have, this change will certainly achieve those ends.
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catstevensComment removed: User banned.
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catstevensComment removed: User banned.
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catstevensComment removed: User banned.
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Amazing11 year, 6 months ago
I liked the feature. Did not use it often myself. But I did appreciate getting messages from mutual friends who would give me a heads up about a story that might interest me. If you take away this feature, how about adding another. One that will let you pick which friends you want to send to.
That's why I'm sinking this story. I do not want this freedom taken away.
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Spadecaller1 year, 6 months ago
It's like big brother needs to watch over us because we are not trustworthy. Isn't that the messasge Netscape is conveying to us? Apparently, they feel we cannot handle that much freedom.
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ind061 year, 6 months ago
If it is true that a vote for this story is being regarded as a vote for the removal of the "Message All Friends" button, then I would urge those who voted for this story and like the feature to also retract their vote. I can not, however, in good conscience ask you to use the sink feature.
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catstevensComment removed: User banned.1 Reply
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Searchbeam1 year, 6 months ago
Come on David,
Don't put yourself down!
Remember, its not the size of the ship but the motion of the ocean that makes it move!
LOL!
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Spadecaller1 year, 6 months ago
That's right Teech, We can all have our rights protected this way:
"1 - The ability to send messages to multiple recipients "
"2 - The ability to delete messages en masse "
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Spadecaller1 year, 6 months ago
Those who complain about spam on netscape, have another agenda. The complaint is a farce!
What does it take to block the sender or request that the sender remove them from future mailings? Ridiculous! But to penalize everyone by removing a good feature, does not come off as "tweaking" the site mail features. At least be honest!
It comes off as control and interference with our ability to share with those we want to in a convenient and effective way.
If netscape was truly interested in improving its features, it could have just added the new benefit without removing the "send to mutual friends" option.
Netscape had a good thing going, but they are now ruining it by over-managing its greatest asset -- freedom to exhange ideas without unnecessary interference. These kinds of changes will be its downfall. Too bad.
A better title for this article would have been:
"Under Which Cocunut Shell is the Real Benefit?"
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Submitted By:
JamesMarcus
James Marcus is a writer, translator, critic, and editor. He is the author of Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot-Com Juggernaut and ...
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