Jump to content

new message center


Cascadian

Recommended Posts

What was wrong with the old message center? It did two things I thought were useful and valuable given the intent of the page.

 

First, the old message center allowed a large window (box) into which you could type and edit your message. It even had a spell checker (which I thought ought to recognize the words 'geocache', 'geocaching', 'geocacher', etc., as valid words, but didn't!). Which brings me to what I'm typing now - since when does a respectably thorough and valid spell checker think that the word 'center' should be spelled 'centre'; or, that the word 'recognize' should be spelled 'recognise'?

 

Secondly, the old message center would send me a copy of my correspondence if I wanted one. I though that that was very useful and verified that the message was sent to where I wanted it to go, and provided me with a legible copy of what I said without having to go back into geocaching.com to look it up. I'm not sure of what I'm looking at in the new message center, or where the real messages are since they seem to appear in a number of places. I also couldn't find my original message to a cache owner until I got frustrated and clicked what appeared to be some sort of response to something... happened to be a response to my message, but who knew. With a lot of traffic going through this really poorly designed page, figuring where anything is would be total chaos.

Link to comment

It even had a spell checker (which I thought ought to recognize the words 'geocache', 'geocaching', 'geocacher', etc., as valid words, but didn't!). Which brings me to what I'm typing now - since when does a respectably thorough and valid spell checker think that the word 'center' should be spelled 'centre'; or, that the word 'recognize' should be spelled 'recognise'?

The "Send Email" tool does not include a spell checker, nor does any other tool on this website. If you're seeing any spell checking functionality, it's being provided by your browser. If that spell checker seems to be giving you a different spelling than is typical for your particular language/region/dialect, you need to tell it which language you want it to use. This may be either in the language settings of your browser or your operating system.

Link to comment
since when does a respectably thorough and valid spell checker think that the word 'center' should be spelled 'centre'; or, that the word 'recognize' should be spelled 'recognise'?

Since those spellings are correct in most of the English-speaking world, I guess.....

Link to comment

Found the problem. For some reason on the non-beta message center I had to turn off add block for that page. The beta version was not a problem. I use add block on the website to get rid of annoying banners and annoying lists of recently viewed caches.

Link to comment

Found the problem. For some reason on the non-beta message center I had to turn off add block for that page. The beta version was not a problem. I use add block on the website to get rid of annoying banners and annoying lists of recently viewed caches.

 

Which browser & adblocker? I don't see that problem.

Link to comment

Found the problem. For some reason on the non-beta message center I had to turn off add block for that page. The beta version was not a problem. I use add block on the website to get rid of annoying banners and annoying lists of recently viewed caches.

 

Which browser & adblocker? I don't see that problem.

FireFox 39.0

AdBlockPlus 2.6.9.1

Link to comment

I am never informed that I have an Instant Message until I go to the PC and log into the website. I saw that I had a message and replied. My message had too many characters in the reply message. Can only send 1/2 of message.

 

Have un-ticked Message Center Send me Message Center email notifications. hoping that this would force the user to use email instead.

I have the paid application on my mobile device, but the IM will only work on the intro app according to your news letter. Why would a company degrade a paid service/subscription????

 

Thanks for a worthless feature.

Link to comment

Yet another UNFINISHED update, implemented from BETA before it is ready for full use. With all the issues related to the Search (mal)Function, one would think they would finish it before implementing the Message Center, which STILL doesn't work properly on many Android devices, and IS NOT a part of the paid app (WHY??).

Link to comment

Yet another UNFINISHED update, implemented from BETA before it is ready for full use. With all the issues related to the Search (mal)Function, one would think they would finish it before implementing the Message Center, which STILL doesn't work properly on many Android devices, and IS NOT a part of the paid app (WHY??).

 

I'd rather see an unfinished work-in-progress feature released early so we can provide feedback (positive or negative) as early as possible, rather than having GS spend tons of developer hours polishing up a feature that doesn't meet customer requirements.

 

There are lots of things I don't like about the MC, but as long as the email option is still there I'm willing to try it out, provide feedback, and continue using email as my preferred choice until the MC meets my needs.

 

If the email option were removed when this was first launched, then I would agree with your post. But they wisely kept both methods in place so nobody is forced to use the new one, other than to respond to requests initiated through the MC.

Link to comment

If the email option were removed when this was first launched, then I would agree with your post. But they wisely kept both methods in place so nobody is forced to use the new one, other than to respond to requests initiated through the MC.

Well, yeah, except they keep spending their resources adding features to the message center that they could have just as easily added to e-mail to even better effect.

Link to comment

Yet another UNFINISHED update, implemented from BETA before it is ready for full use. With all the issues related to the Search (mal)Function, one would think they would finish it before implementing the Message Center, which STILL doesn't work properly on many Android devices, and IS NOT a part of the paid app (WHY??).

 

I'd rather see an unfinished work-in-progress feature released early so we can provide feedback (positive or negative) as early as possible, rather than having GS spend tons of developer hours polishing up a feature that doesn't meet customer requirements.

 

Sure, but for a web site that is basically a huge list of items I can't think of anything that would be more important than having a working search engine. I suppose if we were not able to post a log when one has found one of those items. If a "Log your Visit" function wasn't working that would be bad too. ph34r.gif

 

 

Link to comment

If the email option were removed when this was first launched, then I would agree with your post. But they wisely kept both methods in place so nobody is forced to use the new one, other than to respond to requests initiated through the MC.

Well, yeah, except they keep spending their resources adding features to the message center that they could have just as easily added to e-mail to even better effect.

 

What sort of 'features' could they possibly add to an email system? Only thing I can think of is allowing photo attachments...

Link to comment
What sort of 'features' could they possibly add to an email system? Only thing I can think of is allowing photo attachments...
Well, the MC allows photo attachments, and there's a "message the owner of this cache" link that prepopulates the MC message with the name and GC code of the cache.

 

They could have allowed photo attachments for emails, and they could have created an "email the owner of this cache" link, and they could have prepopulated the email message with the name and GC code of the cache.

Link to comment

What sort of 'features' could they possibly add to an email system? Only thing I can think of is allowing photo attachments...

 

Insert a title and reference to the cache automatically if "send email" is chosen from a cachelisting and add a "footer/signature".

Ooops, that was already there when using a greasemonkey script. And now it can be done without an extra script but only when using the MC. So the extra features where made, just not to the mailsystem.

Link to comment

I'd rather see an unfinished work-in-progress feature released early so we can provide feedback (positive or negative) as early as possible, rather than having GS spend tons of developer hours polishing up a feature that doesn't meet customer requirements.

Your position would be valid if our feedback was actually valued.

If the email option were removed when this was first launched, then I would agree with your post. But they wisely kept both methods in place so nobody is forced to use the new one, other than to respond to requests initiated through the MC.

Sure, they've kept email, but they've made it harder to access by promoting all the MC links over the top of it. This does force use of the new one to respond, as you note, which is Annoying.

 

I'd have no significant beef with the new MC (aside from the hours of development effort that could have gone into things the community has asked for) if it was transparently usable via email.

 

(Yes, I'd rather all my communications weren't all stored on Groundspeak's servers, but I'm sure I could find a way around that....)

Link to comment

What sort of 'features' could they possibly add to an email system? Only thing I can think of is allowing photo attachments...

niraD answered this question, but I'd ask the more general question: what features does the message center have that couldn't be just as easily be added to the e-mail system?

Link to comment

I think that the message center should not be email based at all. I don't check my email every five minutes and I don't get alerted every time I get a new email. So if you email me it might be half a day or tomorrow morning before I see it. If you were searching for my cache yesterday afternoon and needed a hint, me getting your message this morning isn't going to help you. It should be immediate and through the app, similar to games (Words With Friends is one example that comes to mind)

 

Of course, you should have the option to opt out of messaging. The same system could also send you a message if someone logs your cache, or possibly even let you select which notifications you want, like the Instant Notifications do now....alert me when another cacher sends me a message but not when someone logs one of my caches, for example. Seems pretty doable to me.

Link to comment

I think that the message center should not be email based at all. I don't check my email every five minutes and I don't get alerted every time I get a new email. So if you email me it might be half a day or tomorrow morning before I see it. If you were searching for my cache yesterday afternoon and needed a hint, me getting your message this morning isn't going to help you. It should be immediate and through the app, similar to games (Words With Friends is one example that comes to mind)

 

I don't even have "the app", I use a GPS. I do have e-mail though.

Link to comment

I think that the message center should not be email based at all. I don't check my email every five minutes and I don't get alerted every time I get a new email. So if you email me it might be half a day or tomorrow morning before I see it. If you were searching for my cache yesterday afternoon and needed a hint, me getting your message this morning isn't going to help you. It should be immediate and through the app, similar to games (Words With Friends is one example that comes to mind)

+1

I really thought this message center thing would be a big deal on the apps, as those are the folks that seem to text and game, and might use Groundspeak's verion of IM.

I log into email when I have a chance. If no real reason to look, it may be tomorrow.

Someone thinking I'm helping on a hint immediately is in for a rude surprise.

- I didn't create it, whine to those that did. :laughing:

Link to comment

I inadvertently hide a conversation in the message center, how do I get it back?

That is how do I unhide it.

The conversation unhides upon the next message. For convenience of messaging, if you may chat with that cacher again, don't hide. It takes a little work to send the new message to a hidden conversation. A drop-down list would be handy in a future version of MC.

Link to comment

What sort of 'features' could they possibly add to an email system? Only thing I can think of is allowing photo attachments...

niraD answered this question, but I'd ask the more general question: what features does the message center have that couldn't be just as easily be added to the e-mail system?

 

Seeing the full conversation at once...which actually is useful.

Having to hop out of the app or website and go to my email and search for a conversation isn't all that convenient.

Link to comment
I really thought this message center thing would be a big deal on the apps, as those are the folks that seem to text and game, and might use Groundspeak's verion of IM.
Except that the MC doesn't work on Groundspeak's paid app, or on any of the third-party API-based apps, or on any of the GPX-based apps, or on the site-scraping app that shall not be named.

 

And not everyone who uses a smartphone app for geocaching is into IM or SMS. I use my phone for voice calls or for email. SMS messages can sit on my phone for weeks before I even notice they're there.

 

Someone thinking I'm helping on a hint immediately is in for a rude surprise.
Yeah, I don't like the "gotta log it immediately, gotta respond immediately" trend either. It's a game about finding hidden containers, not a production datacenter that went offline.
Link to comment
Seeing the full conversation at once...which actually is useful.
Yeah, that really is useful. I'm really glad my email system does that.

 

And seeing different conversations with the same person displayed separately is useful too, as opposed to mixing all my conversations with one person into a single thread.

 

Having to hop out of the app or website and go to my email and search for a conversation isn't all that convenient.
Having to hop out of my email to search for a conversation that's stuck in some web site's PM system isn't all that convenient. That applies to the MC, to the Groundspeak forums PM system, to Facebook's PM system, and to various other PM systems on other sites that I use. Edited by niraD
Link to comment

To those with lots of use of the Message Center, can you find a message from three weeks ago about that certain cache, GCxxxxx, that someone (can't remember the name) asked for your help? Can you search for something like that, and forward that answer to another cacher or three?

 

I can do all that quite easily with emails.

Link to comment

There are lots of things I don't like about the MC, but as long as the email option is still there I'm willing to try it out, provide feedback, and continue using email as my preferred choice until the MC meets my needs.

 

If the email option were removed when this was first launched, then I would agree with your post. But they wisely kept both methods in place so nobody is forced to use the new one, other than to respond to requests initiated through the MC.

 

I believe losing the email option is what most of us fear about this move. I know that I do. The email system that was implemented years ago here works just fine. I have no idea what those users that supposedly claimed that they needed a "better way to communicate" were thinking. We already have a better way.

Link to comment

I think that the message center should not be email based at all. I don't check my email every five minutes and I don't get alerted every time I get a new email. So if you email me it might be half a day or tomorrow morning before I see it. If you were searching for my cache yesterday afternoon and needed a hint, me getting your message this morning isn't going to help you. It should be immediate and through the app, similar to games (Words With Friends is one example that comes to mind)

 

Of course, you should have the option to opt out of messaging. The same system could also send you a message if someone logs your cache, or possibly even let you select which notifications you want, like the Instant Notifications do now....alert me when another cacher sends me a message but not when someone logs one of my caches, for example. Seems pretty doable to me.

 

Ummmm.... how do you think you get notified that you have a message in the Message Center? Via email. Oh, I see... you want notifications on your phone. Doesn't your phone's email give you notifications? Mine does.

 

If you chose to not check your email, then that is your choice. That doesn't make the MC any better, does it? If so, I fail to see how.

Link to comment

I think that the message center should not be email based at all. I don't check my email every five minutes and I don't get alerted every time I get a new email. So if you email me it might be half a day or tomorrow morning before I see it. If you were searching for my cache yesterday afternoon and needed a hint, me getting your message this morning isn't going to help you. It should be immediate and through the app, similar to games (Words With Friends is one example that comes to mind)

 

Of course, you should have the option to opt out of messaging. The same system could also send you a message if someone logs your cache, or possibly even let you select which notifications you want, like the Instant Notifications do now....alert me when another cacher sends me a message but not when someone logs one of my caches, for example. Seems pretty doable to me.

 

Ummmm.... how do you think you get notified that you have a message in the Message Center? Via email. Oh, I see... you want notifications on your phone. Doesn't your phone's email give you notifications? Mine does.

 

If you chose to not check your email, then that is your choice. That doesn't make the MC any better, does it? If so, I fail to see how.

 

No, I don't want notifications 20 times a day whenever I get another spam email, so I don't get email alerts. I do, however, receive new cache notifications via text message, as well as via email. The text message alerts me immediately, the email will sit there until I happen to check it. I'd like to be able to receive messages instantly so I can maybe help a cacher who is searching for my cache.

 

Maybe I'm just not understanding what the purpose of the MC is or how it works. I remain optimistic that this will be a good thing. Just not sure how it's supposed to work.

Link to comment

Last time I checked and received a Message Center notification was received as an email and had to log into GC and could not read the MC until I logged into a computer.

 

Unless something has changed,.. I would get a notification an my android device(could not reply)had to go back home and reply. this is only only a one way message the person and cannot reply on my mobile device. According to the last new letter.. this is how the function is implemented and going forward will leave people out of the loop.

 

again, Please disconnect the service.

Link to comment

No, I don't want notifications 20 times a day whenever I get another spam email, so I don't get email alerts.

 

Others use good spam filters.

 

e-mail is by far the better technology that offers so many features that the MC will never offer. Not every user of email makes use of those features, but those who do will typically not be happy with the MC. In my opinion the MC serves a completely different purpose and that's also the reason why the reviewers insist on using email and not the MC for cache communication.

Link to comment

No, I don't want notifications 20 times a day whenever I get another spam email, so I don't get email alerts.

 

Others use good spam filters.

 

e-mail is by far the better technology that offers so many features that the MC will never offer. Not every user of email makes use of those features, but those who do will typically not be happy with the MC. In my opinion the MC serves a completely different purpose and that's also the reason why the reviewers insist on using email and not the MC for cache communication.

 

I hardly get spam on my main account. Serverside filtering on my domain (spamassassin + manually added filters) make sure 99.99% of spam if forwarded to my spamfolder. That mailbox is NOT checked while away from home, all other IMAP folders/mailboxes are. Mail is also only checked when I switch the tablet on, it's not checking in the background.

As I hardly ever use my browser on the tablet MC is useless when I'm not home.

Link to comment

No, I don't want notifications 20 times a day whenever I get another spam email, so I don't get email alerts.

 

Others use good spam filters.

 

e-mail is by far the better technology that offers so many features that the MC will never offer. Not every user of email makes use of those features, but those who do will typically not be happy with the MC. In my opinion the MC serves a completely different purpose and that's also the reason why the reviewers insist on using email and not the MC for cache communication.

 

True. I get very little spam, myself. But moreover, my phone doesn't notify me of every email that comes in. It notifies me once when it refreshes my email and there is something in that batch. True, it may or may not contain an email notifying me of a Message Center communication. Of course, it also might contain an email notifying me that my sister was in a car accident and is in the hospital and I'd better get there asap. So just in case, when the notification goes off, I check it as soon as I can, because it may be MORE important than a MC notification.

Link to comment
I really thought this message center thing would be a big deal on the apps, as those are the folks that seem to text and game, and might use Groundspeak's verion of IM.
Except that the MC doesn't work on Groundspeak's paid app, or on any of the third-party API-based apps, or on any of the GPX-based apps, or on the site-scraping app that shall not be named.

I have the paid App and a couple of others, and the MC works just fine. So for people who enjoy instant messaging, and especially within the App between smartphones, it's OK as a "text message" system. When it's between phone & web site & email, that's when things get messy, as we've seen.

Link to comment
I really thought this message center thing would be a big deal on the apps, as those are the folks that seem to text and game, and might use Groundspeak's verion of IM.
Except that the MC doesn't work on Groundspeak's paid app, or on any of the third-party API-based apps, or on any of the GPX-based apps, or on the site-scraping app that shall not be named.

I have the paid App and a couple of others, and the MC works just fine.

Really? You see it in the paid app? If so, it must have just been added. What are these other apps that have the MC?

Link to comment
You see it in the paid app?

Nope. If I keep the free App open, MC notifications happen regardless of paid or other Apps. This is how it's likely gonna be for a while. So there's no need to wait, enjoy it today! :ph34r:

 

So, the free app does need to be open to receive MC notifications? Or does it simply need to be installed?

Link to comment

If the email option were removed when this was first launched, then I would agree with your post. But they wisely kept both methods in place so nobody is forced to use the new one, other than to respond to requests initiated through the MC.

Well, yeah, except they keep spending their resources adding features to the message center that they could have just as easily added to e-mail to even better effect.

 

What sort of 'features' could they possibly add to an email system? Only thing I can think of is allowing photo attachments...

How about required email verification and periodic cleansing of the mailing list as an adjunct to that? That would make users who wish to be assured of a functional email system happy, and keep ISPs from bouncing the weekly newsletter due to too many bad addresses. Yes, I can envision where some time could be usefully spent on the existing email system.........
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...