EMAIL OPTION Update?
 

Randy,

When you closed this post: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...eferrerid=3030 , you indicated you were going to look into it.

I was just wondering if you have had a chance to consider this request? I see that people are beginning to ask the question again in another thread... so thought I would just ask again.

I know you are busy... but any update would be appreciated.... and if you need to time out someone to answer... by all means... let it be me... :)

Thanks, as always.

William

Timely idea to raise this it seems William. ^

Not everyone will use it. Not everyone wants to use it. Not everyone wants their email visible on FT. And not everyone wants to use private email, preferring as I do to keep a permanent record in their own email program of FT related messages.

I have no problem with a visible email, nor do many others who have posted, and for those who signed up for a visible email address to show it would be great to see them actually accessible by others.

Probably .00001% of Flyertalkers need (or want) to make a post of over 10,000 characters yet as it was an apparently sensible suggestion that assisted a few folks Randy and Admin altered the default to 15,000 characters last week. ^

Nice to see some small fine tunings taking place now the new system is largely bedded down.

Searching for 2 or 3 letter words or airport codes is also a good suggestion others have made. I needed to find a post on UA today on "Z" business class fares and currently the default will not allow a search for "Z".

The "Insert E-mail Address" feature works

This is a test embedded e-mail address

This might address some of the issues at least...

You can put the link in your signature.

Part of the problem is that if you go to ANY profile and click on

'Send an email message to ozstamps'

You get a default message saying:

vBulletin Message

Sorry! That user has specified that they do not wish to receive emails. If you still wish to send an email to this user, please contact the administrator and they may be able to help.

Whereas I in fact (and many others) opted to allow emails. I have even now worked an email address into my profile - but in the wrong field, as the correct one does not display.

This message above misleads members into thinking that we have refused to accept direct email contact. Where the opposite is true. Joh regularly gets PM messages from folks asking her to please contact me etc.

I'd like to see email available again
 

William, I think Randy said he was concerned about getting tied up w/ magazine, etc, but hoped to get to this before that occurred. Maybe he got caught up w/ the magazine.

I would like to see the option available - lot easier for me to email folk since I'm on email more than FT & having to log onto FT to get/send messages is a pain. And planning Dos when you have to PM folk, especially if it's a large Do like London last fall, Oz last month or Dus this month, can really be a hassle. I'm just glad I have a # of folk in my email address book back from the former FT days; helps cut down on some, but had I known it was going to switch I would have added more.

And since one of the options (back when we thought email was an option) is to be listed or not, that takes care of the privacy issues for those who are concerned about spam etc. Those of us who are willing to let our email addresses be visible can do so; those who don't don't have to.

Hope Randy does get to this soon. Cheers.

Any update on this issue Randy?

I agree completely. People have asked me why I have my e-mail blocked -- when, of course, I never did that at all! Either the e-mail feature should be unblocked or the message should be changed to say that FlyerTalk blocks this, not the user!

Bruce

Sure, I can give you an update. The time I'd like to devote to this issue is being sipphoned off by other members who in their actions on FlyerTalk are demanding attention. So, until i can satisfy the needs of this hand full of members, i'm kind of at a loss for time. As you know, some members unless you give them attnetion go off and do wonderfully unthankful things on FlyerTalk, which is why they become a priority above the greater good of other members. Not the way I'd like it, but frankly the cards that are dealt to me. So, let me get back to GoldLust, flyerhawaii and a few others involved in the Travel Security forum as well as differences of opinion in the Hyatt forum. On a bright note, we had north of 40,000 visitors in a single day earlier this week.

But seriously, i think i can get to the email as well as a revised CC guideline in the next day or two. I'm just hoping a warm bottle will put one of our members down for a long nap. So cute when they are sleeping.

Randy,

Thanks for the update... I understand your time being taken up on the "unsavory" aspect of some members.

I do hope you can find time for this... seems like many people would like to have the option available.

Perhaps the default should be NO email access, but then people who actively choose to have their email addresses available can get their wish.

Thanks for taking time to respond.

William

Let me know when you're soliciting suggestions for a formula mix. :)

Thanks Randy .. hope you do get time to look into this email fine tuning at some point. ^

I haven't forgotten about this and in fact Dan looked into it for me. The challenge is a golbal replace for those already registered. We can chage default for new members, but going backwards is something of a challenge.
I'll spend more time on it today.

Randy, would it make more sense to just sent out an email blast to all FT members and inform them of the change in email policy? Indicate what action they have to take.

Just want this to be easy for you and your staff!!! :)

William

Thanks again Randy. :-:

Have no idea of the technical background or constraints, but as William mentions perhaps an email blast (and/or FT announcement post) that all members MAY if they choose re-configure their accounts now to allow them to be emailed might work? i.e. a work around to backdate enabling all existing accounts?

Anyone who does NOT act stays incognito, and those that choose to go enable direct email contact (as I certainly would) will then be able to be contacted by any other member who chooses to?

I've completed my testing this morning and we will be re-introducing the option of emailing members of FlyerTalk. The way it works will be announced in the next issue of TalkMail issues tomorrow. A reminder that our whole focus on the issue of masking email addresses was in the best welfare of members. We hold quite seriously, our responsibility to try and protect your information from spammers and as you well know, spammers have many methods to harvest exposed email addresses on the Internet. I think our solution will give you what you wish as well as live up to the standards we strive for in membership services.

Thanks to everyone for their input and especially to wharvey and oz for their bird dogging me on this issue. It was appreciated and got results.

In essense, the email member option is now available for your use. Try it and let me know if it works for you.