Why can't I subscribe to the MeFi front page posts via email?

March 13, 2003 4:38 PM

Why can't I subscribe to the MeFi front page posts via email (either digest or real-time)?

I don't understand why most blogs don't also allow at least read-only email subscription.
posted by hitsman to Bugs at 4:38 PM (15 comments total)

You're right. It's egregious. It's simply a matter of adding a bbunch of code and some columns to a database table. Here, I'll get you started:

<cfmail to="myself" . . .

You take it from there.
posted by yerfatma at 4:45 PM on March 13, 2003

Obviously I've typed the variable "bunch" as a boolean (in case you thought it was a btypo).
posted by yerfatma at 4:45 PM on March 13, 2003

Sorry, when I originally tried to post this, I put it in the Feature Requests category, not Bugs. I didn't mean to imply this was a bug.
posted by hitsman at 4:46 PM on March 13, 2003

...and a pony.
posted by timeistight at 4:49 PM on March 13, 2003

MeFi Mail.
posted by riffola at 4:51 PM on March 13, 2003

Jeez, mathowie sounded so enthusiastic then. That kind of makes me sad.
posted by timeistight at 4:59 PM on March 13, 2003

So MeFi Mail is dead? I didn't see a subscribe to MeFi mail or anything on my Customize page.
posted by hitsman at 5:16 PM on March 13, 2003

No, it's been going pretty much non-stop for the last 3 years, Matt just hasn't updated the page.

(takes a sarcasm break)
posted by Hildago at 5:19 PM on March 13, 2003

People rarely request the feature, so I never got around to implementing it. Also, I'm not really a big fan of sending out hundreds or thousands of messages nightly from a single point, as it may look like spamming to others.

Then there's the whole sub/unsub programming and how to handle that, and I guess it just seems like more trouble than it is worth.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 6:00 PM on March 13, 2003

I suppose you could always get the RSS feed via e-mail with something like Bloglet.
posted by mcwetboy at 6:11 PM on March 13, 2003

Or if you use Outlook, see [www.newsgator.com] - get Metafilter posts dropped right into your inbox as aften as you like.
posted by Voyageman at 8:19 PM on March 13, 2003

Or you can use Quickbrowse, which allows you to schedule an email of any website to be sent to you. I use it to read several sites a day. It costs $12.95 for 3 months or $46.60 for 12 months. I have been a satisfied customer for over a year and currently receive 12 emailed websites a day. I think they have a 2-week free trial.

Disclaimer: I have no connection to this site other than as a satisfied customer.
posted by garypratt at 8:29 PM on March 13, 2003

Email digests also encourage a passive viewing of the site, rather than actively participating in discussion. Isn't that the point of MetaFilter?
posted by mkultra at 10:04 AM on March 14, 2003

I always thought the link was the point, but I may have been misinformed.
posted by timeistight at 10:16 AM on March 14, 2003

one could grab a copy of the front page on request by sending an email to:

"[e-mail]"

with a subject of:

"HTML:http://www.metafilter.com/"

it generally works well (if you have the time) the comment links set up new requests to grab the comment pages. Simple HTML links work fine. (without graphics)

you can do searches by sending an email to [e-mail] with your query in the the Subject field.

If you lack web access, it does offer a rudimentary way to surf.
posted by DBAPaul at 6:49 PM on March 15, 2003