Where did that link go?

June 9, 2008 3:33 PM

Should there be a visual indicator that someone has opted out of MeMail?

I wanted to MeMail someone who had opted out of the service and ended up very confused. When someone opts out it is not obvious, instead the "send MeFi Mail" link just isn't there, and I spent several minutes trying to figure out how to send the cursed mail. Shouldn't there be something more informative than a lack of link so that the rare opted out case is more obvious, maybe a "User has opted out of MeFi Mail" label where the link normally lives?

posted by aspo to feature requests at 3:33 PM (40 comments total)

How about a picture of a welcome mat saying "GO AWAY!" ?
posted by jonmc at 3:35 PM on June 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Or "I hate you all" (with proper credit to eyeballkid, of course).
posted by languagehat at 3:40 PM on June 9, 2008

User has opted to have excess text aimed at nosy peekaboos added to their profile.
posted by carsonb at 3:46 PM on June 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Are there really that many people who have opted out to make this necessary? And why add an indicator if the link which is normally there is just missing?
posted by Dave Faris at 3:47 PM on June 9, 2008

I would just like to say that I have not opted out of MeMail. I only point this out because of the distinct lack of mail I receive, no doubt because of some confusion as to whether I, in fact, accept mail. I do.

and I'm lonely
posted by Justinian at 3:51 PM on June 9, 2008

Actually having less users opt out makes it worse. As for adding an indicator, when there isn't a link it isn't obvious what happened. I went to the profile page because I vaguely remembered that that was the page to send an MeMail, but there was nothing on the user's page that said anything about sending mails. So I ended up looking at all sorts of other MeFi pages looking for that function. Eventually I remembered, oh yeah, you can opt out of those mails and figured out what was going on. It just seems like a good UI would make it obvious why a standard feature is not available.
posted by aspo at 3:55 PM on June 9, 2008

Another possible use for the blink tag.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 4:00 PM on June 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

I am on the other end of the spectrum. I accept them, but did not know it too well. Had a few sitting in my inbox for a while. Pesky mail icon needs to be larger!
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:01 PM on June 9, 2008

Should there be a visual indicator that someone has opted out of MeMail?

Isn't the fact that there is a lack of a mail icon a visual indicator?
Not trying to be a smartass, but I think that's a pretty solid visual indicator as far as visual indicators go.

Man that term sounds funny now.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 4:18 PM on June 9, 2008

I went to the profile page because I vaguely remembered that that was the page to send an MeMail, but there was nothing on the user's page that said anything about sending mails. So I ended up looking at all sorts of other MeFi pages looking for that function. Eventually I remembered, oh yeah, I should read the FAQ.
posted by carsonb at 4:21 PM on June 9, 2008

I just MeMailed you about this.

Already trite joke?
posted by Burhanistan at 4:28 PM on June 9, 2008

How about a greyed-out visual indicator? That would be visually indicative.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:30 PM on June 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

I almost pulled that one out Burhanistan but thought better of it.
Clearly that makes me a better person than you.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 4:30 PM on June 9, 2008

AskMe: "IN-di-kay-tiv" or "in-DIK-a-tiv?"
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 4:32 PM on June 9, 2008

The plane would take off, CF.
posted by cortex at 4:35 PM on June 9, 2008

In MeTa, it's always, always DIK.
posted by cgc373 at 5:06 PM on June 9, 2008

How about a greyed-out visual indicator? That would be visually indicative.

Excellent idea. Make it so!
posted by languagehat at 5:08 PM on June 9, 2008

Dave Faris writes "Are there really that many people who have opted out to make this necessary?"

The more of a special case the greater a need to indicate the special case. If MeFiMail was opt in we wouldn't need an indicator for those who didn't opt in. As it is the maybe few hundred people who have opted out probably aren't encountered on a regular basis by most members.
posted by Mitheral at 5:11 PM on June 9, 2008

I hate being an outlier among otherwise completely abnormal people.
posted by tkolar at 5:17 PM on June 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

"Outlier" is one of those words I invariably pronounce wrong in my mind upon seeing it.

Therefore I hate it, and by extension people who use it. Feel free to MeMail about this if you wish.
posted by yhbc at 5:32 PM on June 9, 2008

One odd thing: unless things have changed since late April, a user who has opted out can still send MeFiMail but can't receive. I ran into this a few months back with someone who had sent me an MeFiMail but when I hit reply, I got the "This user has opted out yadda etc." error. Shouldn't opt out mean can't use MeFiMail at all (until they opt in, of course)?
posted by jamaro at 5:51 PM on June 9, 2008

we just added a grayed-out envelope icon and "MeFi Mail Disabled" for the outliers.
posted by pb at 5:52 PM on June 9, 2008

jamaro, people can opt in and out at the click of a button. I'm guessing your MeFi Mailer opted out after sending you a message. If you're opted out and you go to send a message, you get: "Sorry, you can't send messages because you've opted out of MeFi Mail."
posted by pb at 5:54 PM on June 9, 2008

Forgot to add: the user who mefimailed me was unaware he was opted out, he thought that because he could send, he was able to receive.
posted by jamaro at 5:54 PM on June 9, 2008

ah, ok pb. user error.
posted by jamaro at 5:56 PM on June 9, 2008

we just added a grayed-out envelope icon and "MeFi Mail Disabled" for the outliers.

Oh sure, and why not a big scarlet "A" while you're at it?
posted by tkolar at 6:07 PM on June 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

I don't think anyone should be able to opt out of MeFi mail. That doesn't impose a burden upon them to answer, but they should at least get them. The you have mail indicator could be set up to show unread mail and recent unread mail (which is a feature all email should have - I don't read the spam and can't be bothered to even delete it, so that ruins the unread mail feature. we could fix that here)
posted by caddis at 6:07 PM on June 9, 2008

we just added a grayed-out envelope icon and "MeFi Mail Disabled" for the outliers.

Awesome, thanks!
posted by aspo at 6:10 PM on June 9, 2008

I wanted to MeMail someone, and there was no link, but that's ok because I've been SILENCED ALL MY LIFE!!!!
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 6:30 PM on June 9, 2008

ah, ok pb. user error.

Nah, it's a good point that we should add to the FAQ.
posted by jessamyn at 7:05 PM on June 9, 2008

I'm guessing your MeFi Mailer opted out after sending you a message.

OK, now I'm definitely sending you all the 'Fuck You' MeMail, and then opting out so that you get the frustrating message.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:47 AM on June 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

we just added a grayed-out envelope icon and "MeFi Mail Disabled" for the outliers.

Thanks!
posted by languagehat at 6:26 AM on June 10, 2008

I made the FAQ a little clearer.
posted by jessamyn at 6:29 AM on June 10, 2008

A small icon on the users profile page showing a pair of emo specs and a razor blade should do the trick.
posted by fire&wings at 7:06 AM on June 10, 2008

Dear Mefites who block their mail,

You know, between this and all those restraining orders you've filed against me, I'm getting the feeling that you don't want to talk to me anymore.

P.S. You should sweep the floor beneath your bed, it's dusty under there.

quin
posted by quin at 7:27 AM on June 10, 2008

No-one MeMails me either. My envelope is the colour of a dried bone in the desert. I'm not prepared to opt out yet.
posted by h00py at 7:46 AM on June 10, 2008

[I wrote a poem about MeMail, but on preview it sucked. That is all.]
posted by davejay at 3:47 PM on June 10, 2008

[I wrote a poem about MeMail, but on preview it sucked. That is all.]

It's funny that you had to wait until preview to tell that a poem on this subject would suck.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 7:48 PM on June 10, 2008

I wrote
a poem about MeMail
it sucked
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:51 PM on June 10, 2008

I have written

a poem

about MeMail

it sucked



and which

you were probably

hoping

would be funny



Forgive me

it was terrible

so bad

and it didn't even rhyme.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 4:22 PM on June 11, 2008