Does the receipt of email notifications require changing the Alert Preferences

[slinke]

When users change the alert status of a board or topic from "No Alerts or Emails" to "Receive Emails and Alerts," it seems that they do not receive emails. Do they also have to go into their Notifications > Alert Preferences and select the boxes to "Receive email"? If not, what could be wrong? If so, it is not very intuitive--and actually quite confusing--to have the alert selector on individual boards/topics read "Receive Emails and Alerts," but they will not actually receive them due to a hidden setting elsewhere. Perhaps there should be some sort of warning when the selector box is changed to add a notification when such alerts are globally turned off in the preferences.

[Kindred]

Yes, they do, and it's not counter intuitive...

One option just says that the user wants to allow emails to be sent... but if nothing in the account is currently set to send emails, then there will still be nothing received...

You have to allow emails AND configure which systems will send email notifications instead of alerts

[Steve]

Didn't know this. Will have to go check my preferences.

[slinke]

Yes, they do, and it's not counter intuitive...

I would maintain that the following makes it counter-intuitive. When users first register, they register and must activate their accounts using their email address. Then, when they are looking at the list of boards or within an individual topic, they change the default NO ALERTS OR EMAILS button to RECEIVE EMAILS AND ALERTS. From that point on, the RECEIVE EMAILS AND ALERTS button is visible next to those boards and topics, so they logically assume that they should receive email alerts.

However, they do not receive anything, because they also have to click Profile > Notifications > Alert Preferences > Receive emails, because emails are turned off by default. This part is only a one-time thing, but, for new and infrequent users, this is not an obvious thing. Or am I missing something?

I am suggesting that, whenever a user's preferences are set in such a way that they will not receive any email alerts, the button saying they will receive email alerts should not appear without some warning that their preferences need to be changed first.

[slinke]

Never mind. Now I am receiving email notifications when topics are flagged for them, even when my preferences don't have the email boxes checked. I have no idea what changed.