Oops...Could Have Phrased That Better...

January 17, 2008 6:17 AM

Would it be possible to have preview in MeFiMail?

It would be nice to see mail formatted as it will look when sent. Helps with proofreading and is congruent with the appearance of commenting.

posted by Miko to MetaFilter-related at 6:17 AM (50 comments total)

I got my first MefiMail today. I almost wept with joy.
posted by oxford blue at 6:46 AM on January 17, 2008

It would probably be a good idea to make sure people are aware that yes your links will turn into HTML and all other code is stripped. It says it above the box, but I've definitely received and sent MeMail where that seemed to have been overlooked. MeMail's becoming an important enough part of the site that we probably need to start looking into 2.0 features at some point.
posted by jessamyn at 6:53 AM on January 17, 2008

Bizarrely, I sent Miko a half finished email the other day that I wish I'd previewed. I remember thinking much the same thing as I clicked the button. And the cycle of whimsy continues...
posted by Jofus at 6:57 AM on January 17, 2008

I have to admit, I am a bit obsessive-compulsive about my mails (and usually dip into the Sent folder to check out how it looks) so this would be a good idea.
posted by hadjiboy at 7:12 AM on January 17, 2008

I too would appreciate this.
posted by languagehat at 7:13 AM on January 17, 2008

Nthing.
posted by iconomy at 7:17 AM on January 17, 2008

Nthing the nthing.
posted by Item at 7:26 AM on January 17, 2008

Ditto.
posted by rtha at 7:37 AM on January 17, 2008

No, preview is wack. I not make misteak.

*hits post comment button*
posted by Mister_A at 7:41 AM on January 17, 2008

n^nthing nothing in particular.
posted by Eideteker at 7:43 AM on January 17, 2008

n^nthing nthing in particular.
posted by prophetsearcher at 7:50 AM on January 17, 2008

I sure could have used this last night (you know who you are).

Can I add another pony? Since link detection and html stripping is already in there, if I accidentally use html to create a link, can the erroneous html be stripped, but leave the link? Or am I going to have to, you know, proofread what I write?

I've only received a few MeFi mails, and I do get giddy every single time. Now I just need to get better about responding.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:52 AM on January 17, 2008

Nthing cmpares 2 u.
posted by hangashore at 7:55 AM on January 17, 2008 [5 favorites]

I don't get ANY memail! No "I want to have your babies." No "aren't you a handsome chappie." Not even, "your discourse on the subject of bourgeois decay is intriguing and also, I think you are a handsome chap and wish to have your babies." Nothing! Cleary the Fates have it in for me.
posted by Firas at 7:58 AM on January 17, 2008

Oh, I feel sorry for you, Firas. I actually get very passionate Mefimails about my singing, as a result of the songs I posted to Music, I believe. A recurring theme is people asking me to sing "Far Away In The Distance". I'd love to do it, but I can't find that song.
posted by micayetoca at 8:07 AM on January 17, 2008

People used to send me MeFiMail. Now they don't. I blame a lack of a preview function, because contemplating the horrible alternative - I'm just not interesting - is something I won't do.
posted by never used baby shoes at 8:19 AM on January 17, 2008

I would raise this to the 14^th power, but I don't really use MeFiMaIlFi.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:30 AM on January 17, 2008

I will send MefiMail to everyone who wants some, though there is no guarantee of quality.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:40 AM on January 17, 2008

Dittoing Brandon Blatcher.

Sender provides no guarantees of quality, nor does he warrant his MeMail for any purpose whatsoever

Hands?
posted by scrump at 8:51 AM on January 17, 2008

I'll not flant my superiority by pointing out that I never make spelling mistakes, and therefore have no use for any kind of prevew window.
posted by quin at 9:13 AM on January 17, 2008

^^ Moran^^
posted by Mister_A at 9:18 AM on January 17, 2008

Gmail doesn't have preview
posted by mathowie at 9:20 AM on January 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

...but yeah, we should add it, since most every comment form here has it.
posted by mathowie at 9:24 AM on January 17, 2008

Gmail is WYSIWYG though.
posted by carsonb at 9:24 AM on January 17, 2008

...and it looks like it's time to bust out the MeFi Male again, you poor mail-less souls.
posted by carsonb at 9:25 AM on January 17, 2008

I'm willing to provide unlimited kitchen-appliance fetish related MeFiMail of unsurpassed quality backed up by a rock solid money-back quarantee.
posted by Horken Bazooka at 9:33 AM on January 17, 2008

Look at all the mailfans. I'd say the MeFiPenPal program is wide open for development. We'll watch Projects for its debut.
posted by Miko at 9:55 AM on January 17, 2008

I'd say the MeFiPenPal program is wide open for development.

Heh. I'm wondering how this would work.
posted by cortex at 10:05 AM on January 17, 2008

Subject: MeFi Mail 2.0 Test

I am forwarding this because the person who sent it to me is a good friend and does not send me junk. MetaFilter is growing by leaps and bounds and in an effort to expand the newly implemented MeFi Mail program, Mathowie is running a MeFi mail 2.0 beta test.

When you forward this MeFi Mail to your friends, Mathowie can and will track it for a two week time period. For every person you forward this email to, Mathowie will pay you $245.00, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Mathowie will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it you will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks, Mathowie will contact you for your address and then send you a check!!

I thought this was a scam myself, but two weeks after receiving this MeFi Mail and forwarding it on, Mathowie contacted me for my address and within days I received a check for $24,800.00!!!
posted by sambosambo at 10:12 AM on January 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

YOU have been selected from literally 60,000 users to try thinking before you press send.
posted by Jofus at 10:15 AM on January 17, 2008

I could take or leave a preview feature since we can't do any real formatting, but I'm all about adding features to MeMail. Funny how attached I've gotten to MeMail lately. Sometimes I hear Gmail crying at night. It's all right, baby. I still love you. You'll always be my main mail. This is just a thing, you know? I swear, it means nothing to me. By the way, Gmail, I may be, uh... working late tonight. Don't... don't wait up or anything.
posted by katillathehun at 10:19 AM on January 17, 2008

I double-dog dare you all to send me MefiMail! So there.
posted by misha at 10:57 AM on January 17, 2008

"Gmail doesn't have preview"

If Gmail jumped off a bridge, would you?
posted by Eideteker at 10:57 AM on January 17, 2008

If Gmail jumped off a bridge, would you?

Not without a preview.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:08 AM on January 17, 2008 [3 favorites]

If Gmail jumped off a bridge, would you?

Not without a preview.

/Pushes Brandon Blatcher off the bridge.
/Deletes message.
posted by jmd82 at 11:43 AM on January 17, 2008

Anyone else have the suspicion that Google keeps your messages somewhere even after you delete 'em and empty the trash?
posted by danb at 12:34 PM on January 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

I miss the old Metafilter without formatted internal email.
posted by terrapin at 12:37 PM on January 17, 2008

Yes please.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:48 PM on January 17, 2008

My Nigerian sock-puppet loves this idea, my friends! As the Interior Minister of Nigeria, he has become the steward of a large sum of cash belonging to Princess Mabilah...
posted by Mister_A at 1:02 PM on January 17, 2008

::selects undo from menu::
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:09 PM on January 17, 2008

MeFi Mail now has preview. That makes it better than Gmail.
posted by pb at 1:29 PM on January 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Was the site was unavailable this morning because pb gummed up his keyboard with his peanut butter bagel that was visible in the desk picture thread? Or because he acknowledged public outcry and created preview?
posted by Cranberry at 1:33 PM on January 17, 2008

BTW, shouldn't mathowie provide pb a decent monitor for all his MeFi work? At least 4' by 8'.
posted by Cranberry at 1:35 PM on January 17, 2008

I get this when I preview a MeMail I'm a-writin':

Sorry, you can only compose a MeFi message by clicking the "contact me" link on profile pages or replying to a MeFi message.

posted by katillathehun at 1:43 PM on January 17, 2008

Anyone else have the suspicion that Google keeps your messages somewhere even after you delete 'em and empty the trash?
posted by danb

MeFi Mail now has preview. That makes it better than Gmail.
posted by pb

Cool, can we now keep messages somewhere even after they are deleted and the trash is emptied?
posted by micayetoca at 1:47 PM on January 17, 2008

oops, should be fixed now katillathehun. I take back the whole better than Gmail thing.
posted by pb at 2:09 PM on January 17, 2008

I dunno, pb. Gmail was shitting its pants for most of last week, for me, so I'd say a half hour test-and-fix window is pretty solid.
posted by cortex at 2:12 PM on January 17, 2008

Anything you send unencrypted is stored in the logs of any number of nodes that it's passed through. Well, even if it's encrypted, but at least if it's encrypted no one without the key can read it.
posted by Eideteker at 3:23 PM on January 17, 2008

Good idea.
And can't we please have a little formatting? Maybe just small and italics if it's not too much trouble? Text is so much more expressive with visual aids. And I always close my tags!
posted by Quietgal at 7:18 PM on January 17, 2008

Sure, but only if you act as guarantor against people not abusing them, or small children.
posted by oxford blue at 7:26 PM on January 17, 2008