Messages and notifications

Notifications

The bell in the site header shows how many things are new. Press it to see them. Notifications tell you about replies in threads you follow, mentions, quotes, likes, comments on your articles, private messages, the outcome of your reports, store order updates, updates to events you are going to, notices from the moderators and approval of your posts.

Choose what you get

Go to Settings, then Notifications. Each type has two switches:

• In app: shows in the bell.
• Email: also sends an email.

Changes save as you click. Turning off "In app" for a type also stops its emails. Notices from the moderators and store order updates are always delivered in the app and cannot be switched off.

Email delivery

Above the list, Email delivery sets how often the emails come:

• As they happen: a short email a few minutes after something new, grouping anything that arrived together.
• Once a day or Once a week: one summary email instead, listing what you have not read yet.

Either way, only the types with Email switched on are emailed, and anything you have already read in the app is left out. If you switch from a summary back to As they happen, the notifications that were waiting for the summary are not emailed; they are still in the bell.

Private messages

When the site owner has switched messaging on, an envelope icon appears in the header.

Start a conversation

1. Open the envelope and choose to start a new conversation.
2. Pick one or more people to message. A conversation can have up to 8 people.
3. Add a subject if you like (for group chats, leaving it empty shows the members' names), and write your message.

You need a verified email, and brand new members may have to wait before they can send messages. You can edit or delete your own messages for a short time after sending. Use Leave to drop out of a conversation, and the mute option to stop notifications from it.

Blocking

Open someone's profile and choose Block if you do not want to hear from them, or type their username under Settings, then Privacy. A blocked person cannot start a conversation with you or message you directly, and you are no longer notified about anything they do.

Their posts are folded away for you too. In forum threads and in the discussions under articles, builds, albums, photos, resources and events, each of their posts shows as one grey line, "Post by a member you blocked.", and threads they started show as "A thread by a member you blocked." in thread lists. Press Show to read one anyway; it folds back the next time you load the page. Their posts and threads are left out of your search results completely. If someone else quotes them, the quote still shows, because it is part of the other person's post.

A block is private: the other person is not told, and everyone else still sees their posts as usual. Moderators and admins always see everything, even people they have blocked, so they can keep moderating.

You can see and undo your blocks in Settings, then Privacy.

Reporting a message

If a message breaks the rules, report it. Moderators can then see that message and a few around it, and that view is recorded in the staff log. Moderators cannot otherwise read your private messages.

Privacy settings

In Settings, then Privacy you can choose who can send you private messages: Anyone or Nobody. ("Members I follow" is shown but not available yet.) You can also choose whether camera details are shown on photos you upload.