Motivation
This proposed feature is to send users email notifications when events of interest occur on WikiLens that might spur contributions. Although notifications can be used as a means of monitoring, the sole purpose of this proposal to encourage contributions from existing users.
DanFr: I plan to implement this as the next WikiLens feature (after recent-changes changes I am working on now). I'm putting this description in public to allow people to comment if they wish.
Currently, you can sign up for immediate notifications if a page changes, although the interface is hidden and geeky enough that probably most people don't use it. Although page change notifications are useful, and their interface should be improved (i.e., "Watch This Page" or maybe "Watch This Category" links), this feature is not about that either.
Description
This feature is a periodic (weekly?) summary email that goes to every user. Those who don't want to receive it can shut it off in preferences (pointed out in the email).
All statistics are computed only over the last period (e.g., week) unless otherwise noted. If there is no activity to report, then no email is sent. Thus, when an email arrives, it always has real things in it.
The email has several sections.
- Direct appeal (or suggestions of how) to contribute?? How to relate this to the sections below?
Activity on items of interest to me directly
- Ratings of items I contributed
- Ratings of items I rated highly
- Ratings in categories I like (or don't dislike, i.e. no rating is a good rating?)
- New items in categories I like (or don't dislike, i.e. no rating is a good rating?)
- Ratings/New items in categories with items I liked.
Activity by my buddies
- Pages my buddies added
- Pages my buddies rated (highly?)
Mock-up of an email
Put a mock up here
Comments
DanFr: Note: please feel free to add ideas about what fun things could be in such an email. Also, if it's too much information, we'll have to pare it back. (added at 02:12:44 PM on 06/04/05)
DanCo: Seems like a good idea. It'd be nice to have some recommendation component, though I'm not sure what. The activities are good. New comments on things you've commented on? (added at 12:30:26 PM on 06/06/05)
vtaylor: This would be great for the "push" thing I want to work on - "here are 3 new things that you might be interested in" (added at 12:29:51 PM on 09/13/05)