Following Users

[Treamayne]

So, I have a stupid question:

The Welcome Thread says (emphasis mine):

Quote

Member Statuses, Following Members

Yes, you can post statuses here, kind of like Facebook. On any member’s profile, you can follow them to get notified about content they post. Then, you can post status updates. Lastly, on any member’s profile, you can also comment there, which acts somewhat like a Facebook wall.

But I can't seem to find anywhere what the definition of "content" is in this context? Is it only for following "profile" stuff or does a follower get notifications of every post in the Forums? PMs? 

In essense, what "Content" has been "Followed?"

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

27 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

So, I have a stupid question:

The Welcome Thread says (emphasis mine):

But I can't seem to find anywhere what the definition of "content" is in this context? Is it only for following "profile" stuff or does a follower get notifications of every post in the Forums? PMs? 

In essense, what "Content" has been "Followed?"

Mentioned some of this in the other thread, but it may be good to bring it up here.

Content is defined, with how the forums works at this point, as SUs, posts on threads (including in FGaRS, I thiiiink).

[Treamayne]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Black Sock said:

Mentioned some of this in the other thread, but it may be good to bring it up here.

Content is defined, with how the forums works at this point, as SUs, posts on threads (including in FGaRS, I thiiiink).

So, all of those poor souls "following" me are seeing these posts? It's not just Profile posts (or whatever they're called - I don't use them so I'm not sure)

[Ravenclawjedi42]

1 minute ago, Treamayne said:

So, all of those poor souls "following" me are seeing these posts? It's not just Profile posts (or whatever they're called - I don't use them so I'm not sure)

That depends. People can choose in their settings whether they want to be notified for everything, many people have it disabled. Before the site update you would get notified for Status Updates, but that hasn’t worked since the update and I think the mods said that they can’t get it back. So now for most people following is more of a gesture than anything else, but some people do enable getting notified whenever people post. (Does that answer your question?)

[Treamayne]

4 minutes ago, Ookla thePresentParticiple said:

Does that answer your question?

I believe so, thank you very much.

[Chaos]

The Welcome thread definitely may need adjustment to correspond to the new version, but yes, if they have the notifications set to notify for people they follow, it will be everything.

[Treamayne]

4 hours ago, Chaos said:

The Welcome thread definitely may need adjustment to correspond to the new version, but yes, if they have the notifications set to notify for people they follow, it will be everything.

So, what happens if you have followers, but then change the "allow users to follow me" setting? Do they get rejected (notified of the cease-follow)? Does the following just stop?

I don't want to offend the people that used that feature, but I don't want to feel stalked either (and I was unaware of such a setting before there were followers to "reject"). Is there a feature that I can control what followers are allowed to see, or is it only their choice?

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

5 hours ago, Treamayne said:

So, what happens if you have followers, but then change the "allow users to follow me" setting? Do they get rejected (notified of the cease-follow)? Does the following just stop?

I don't want to offend the people that used that feature, but I don't want to feel stalked either (and I was unaware of such a setting before there were followers to "reject"). Is there a feature that I can control what followers are allowed to see, or is it only their choice?

Hmmm... I will have to research that, actually. I don't think so at this point. It's really just all or nothing. I will come up with another response after looking into this because I really am interested in all of this.

[Chaos]

20 hours ago, Treamayne said:

So, what happens if you have followers, but then change the "allow users to follow me" setting? Do they get rejected (notified of the cease-follow)? Does the following just stop?

I don't want to offend the people that used that feature, but I don't want to feel stalked either (and I was unaware of such a setting before there were followers to "reject"). Is there a feature that I can control what followers are allowed to see, or is it only their choice?

All or nothing. Do note your posts are public anyway, remember. We don't tolerate stalking though so if you believe that is the case in any particular scenarios let us know. But yes, if you turn off that setting people won't be able to follow you. Up to you.

[Treamayne]

1 hour ago, Chaos said:

All or nothing. Do note your posts are public anyway, remember. We don't tolerate stalking though so if you believe that is the case in any particular scenarios let us know. But yes, if you turn off that setting people won't be able to follow you. Up to you.

Thanks. Also, sorry if I was unclear - I don't think anybody is actually "stalking." I meant the feeling that, potentially, a crowd of people may get notified about everything I post feels like being stalked to me. I know the posts themselves are public - it's not the posts, but the notification of posts and the loss of choice. For example - it would not feel nearly as creepy if I controlled the setting that set "followers get notified for <this> but not <that>" because then it feels more like they are saying "I want to know more about you" and I am offering what I want to share. They would still have their current settings to "say" what they want to know more about. Choice on both sides.

However, in this incarnation it's like those location tracking apps - if a person found out their <Parent/Spouse/Other> received a notification for each location they went and the tracked person had no choice but to delete the app and lose other functionality (rather than the app only being used to locate a missing phone only or having the choice of what was shared from the app) I can't imagine, barring health or other reasons, that would be acceptable.

Honestly, I can't understand why anybody would want to Follow or be Followed. Topics, maybe - people, creepy.

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

5 hours ago, Treamayne said:

Thanks. Also, sorry if I was unclear - I don't think anybody is actually "stalking." I meant the feeling that, potentially, a crowd of people may get notified about everything I post feels like being stalked to me. I know the posts themselves are public - it's not the posts, but the notification of posts and the loss of choice. For example - it would not feel nearly as creepy if I controlled the setting that set "followers get notified for <this> but not <that>" because then it feels more like they are saying "I want to know more about you" and I am offering what I want to share. They would still have their current settings to "say" what they want to know more about. Choice on both sides.

However, in this incarnation it's like those location tracking apps - if a person found out their <Parent/Spouse/Other> received a notification for each location they went and the tracked person had no choice but to delete the app and lose other functionality (rather than the app only being used to locate a missing phone only or having the choice of what was shared from the app) I can't imagine, barring health or other reasons, that would be acceptable.

Honestly, I can't understand why anybody would want to Follow or be Followed. Topics, maybe - people, creepy.

Before, as it only notified you for status updates, it wasn't as creepy as you are putting it. The goal of following someone is mainly to see their status updates. Instead of in notifications, however, it can go to a stream which you can set up for only seeing the status updates of those you've followed. The reason why people have all the notifications on is that they want to be able to get the notifications for the SUs and are willing to go through all those notifications. At least, that's what I've seen. Someone might be doing stuff like you described.

However, I don't think it's as big a problem as you're putting. It may be weird that they're wanting to see every post you put out, but there could be a few reasons as to why. For example, you're one of the big theory responders and someone might just really like the way you respond to those, so they follow you and get notified for each time you respond to stuff, including to theories. Do you see what I'm saying? 

[Treamayne]

24 minutes ago, Ookla the Black Sock said:

Before, as it only notified you for status updates, it wasn't as creepy as you are putting it.

<snip>

Do you see what I'm saying? 

I do, and as I said above, I don't think there is any malicious intent. But that doesn't change the fact that, even if only one person had "all notifications" turned on, it creeps me out that I do not have the control of what I share (it should be both or neither - not only one person of the two). For example, I should be able to select:

• Followers receive notification for posts in: <list>

Where "List" functions just like the Advanced search, where you set everything, or a curated list of topics, SUs, Articles, etc. The result would be:

• No Notification is I don't share that area
• No Notification if they chose not to receive that area
• Notification sent, only if both I choose to share, and they choose to recieve

I'm the type that does not have Facebook, LinkedIn or any other social network because I don't approve of how much data is used in ways the person cannot control.

I have not yet pulled the trigger, because I'm hoping for an answer on what, if any, notification occurs when I (anybody) selects "don't let users follow me" after they already have followers. Are they forceably "unfollowed?" Are they notified "Treamayne rejected you" (not in those words), does nothing change, but new Followers are blocked?

I'll probably change the setting next week even if I don;t get an answer, but I was hoping for an answer before I chose to thange that setting. . .

[Chaos]

There's no way they would be notified you did it. That much I think is certain. I suspect the follower list still exists in the background but they wouldn't be notified any longer. But I don't have answers, I haven't tested this and probably won't have a chance to for the near future. There are lots of new things on the site and I don't think anyone is an expert.

[AonEne]

On 12/16/2023 at 4:09 AM, Treamayne said:

Honestly, I can't understand why anybody would want to Follow or be Followed. Topics, maybe - people, creepy.

I don't personally see it as creepy at all; if you are publicly saying things, and other people like the things you're saying, they may want to see further things you say. I don't follow people often, usually only when they don't post often so I won't be spammed with notifs more than I want and only when I'm sure all their content is of a caliber I want to see. Totally fair if you want to cut off the follower function, you have that option for a reason, but people will always be able to look at your profile and find the same things on their own; it's not telling them anything new, just making seeking out what someone has said easier. This has always been how following people works and isn't new to the site update (or new to the Shard as a website). 

On 12/16/2023 at 9:44 AM, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

Before, as it only notified you for status updates, it wasn't as creepy as you are putting it. The goal of following someone is mainly to see their status updates. Instead of in notifications, however, it can go to a stream which you can set up for only seeing the status updates of those you've followed. The reason why people have all the notifications on is that they want to be able to get the notifications for the SUs and are willing to go through all those notifications. At least, that's what I've seen. Someone might be doing stuff like you described.

It's not new that following notifies for posts. That's always been what it does with status updates being one of many things you can choose to be notified for. 

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

6 hours ago, AonEne said:

It's not new that following notifies for posts. That's always been what it does with status updates being one of many things you can choose to be notified for. 

Really? I didn't know that.

[Treamayne]

On 12/16/2023 at 12:21 PM, Treamayne said:

I have not yet pulled the trigger

So, mostly just updating the post so there is a record. I changed the setting yesterday to "Don't allow others to follow me" - Nothing changed. Refreshed page (F5) and the "followers" section was now blank. Then, this morning, as a test, I changed it back to "Allow others to follow me" and, after a page refresh, the list was exactly the same. So, it seems that the setting doesn't actually change the status between accounts, just "turns off" the notifications for those "links"?

Anyway, it's off again, and if anybody gets a message from that change, maybe they'll post here about it. 

9 hours ago, AonEne said:

I don't . . .  you say.

No worries. I know it wasn't a function of the recent website change - it's that I only "discovered" the functions because of reports on what was or wasn't working after the update. I also understand that my finding it creepy is. . . abnormal? I'm sure it's partly a generational difference (Gen X), and partly my own brand of neurodiversity. I honestly cannot fathom how/why it is not creepy for everybody - it just doesn't make sense to me*. 

Besides, isn't the "Profile > See their activity" button just a more active intentional method anyway. If they are thinking "What hijinks has Treamayne been up to" then they can always use that if they haven't stumbled across my posts recently (since it is very unlikely I will ever use any features outside of Forum and PM). 

*Note:

Spoiler

I realize all non-PM posts are public. I don't know how/if I can explain it - the best I can come up with is a simile.

• It's like running into a friend while out on errands. Happy Coincidence - not creepy.
• Realizing that person isn't a random encounter, but has been following your footsteps at stop, after stop, after stop - Super creepy

I realize it's not the same in the digital world, but it feels the same to me. Keeping in touch is deliberate - automated tracking is creepy. To me at least.

I'm sure having one foot in the door of CyberSecurity for my job also does not help feeling comfortable with this type of "interaction."