Should Mastodon notifications be prioritized?
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Should Mastodon notifications be prioritized?
Arriving on Mastodon today, I have 400 new notifications. Ideally, I would like to read and reply to everyone, but some days I just cannot cope with that many.
Currently, if I only get through 100 notifications, that will be the 100 most recent, and the oldest 300 are then lost. I really do not like that, because recency is not the same as importance.
So my question is, could or should Mastodon help users prioritize notifications some way?
1/2
@randahl So long as the user controls it, why not?
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Should Mastodon notifications be prioritized?
Arriving on Mastodon today, I have 400 new notifications. Ideally, I would like to read and reply to everyone, but some days I just cannot cope with that many.
Currently, if I only get through 100 notifications, that will be the 100 most recent, and the oldest 300 are then lost. I really do not like that, because recency is not the same as importance.
So my question is, could or should Mastodon help users prioritize notifications some way?
1/2
Let me give an example of improvements I would find helpful:
A: If two people debate a post I wrote, that may generate 20 notifications. I would prefer, if those 20 notifcations were grouped as 1.
B: If a person creates a new post, addressed to me, asking a question, that post would be of the utmost importance to me — like receiving an e-mail — and often more important than replies.
So what do you think? Could or should the Mastodon notification system help prioritize notifications?
2/2
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Let me give an example of improvements I would find helpful:
A: If two people debate a post I wrote, that may generate 20 notifications. I would prefer, if those 20 notifcations were grouped as 1.
B: If a person creates a new post, addressed to me, asking a question, that post would be of the utmost importance to me — like receiving an e-mail — and often more important than replies.
So what do you think? Could or should the Mastodon notification system help prioritize notifications?
2/2
@randahl Those sound like sound improvements indeed.
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@randahl So long as the user controls it, why not?
@farbel absolutely. One example of this could be, that I could mark you as having high priority to me, to make sure that I do not miss anything from you.
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@farbel absolutely. One example of this could be, that I could mark you as having high priority to me, to make sure that I do not miss anything from you.
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Let me give an example of improvements I would find helpful:
A: If two people debate a post I wrote, that may generate 20 notifications. I would prefer, if those 20 notifcations were grouped as 1.
B: If a person creates a new post, addressed to me, asking a question, that post would be of the utmost importance to me — like receiving an e-mail — and often more important than replies.
So what do you think? Could or should the Mastodon notification system help prioritize notifications?
2/2
@randahl what bothers me even more is that I use multi-column view, and when I open a post, it shows up in the rightmost column (not adjustable), but if I want to reply or post, I can only do it in the leftmost column.
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Should Mastodon notifications be prioritized?
Arriving on Mastodon today, I have 400 new notifications. Ideally, I would like to read and reply to everyone, but some days I just cannot cope with that many.
Currently, if I only get through 100 notifications, that will be the 100 most recent, and the oldest 300 are then lost. I really do not like that, because recency is not the same as importance.
So my question is, could or should Mastodon help users prioritize notifications some way?
1/2
@randahl
are you asking for an ALGORITHM?
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Let me give an example of improvements I would find helpful:
A: If two people debate a post I wrote, that may generate 20 notifications. I would prefer, if those 20 notifcations were grouped as 1.
B: If a person creates a new post, addressed to me, asking a question, that post would be of the utmost importance to me — like receiving an e-mail — and often more important than replies.
So what do you think? Could or should the Mastodon notification system help prioritize notifications?
2/2
@randahl You appear to be using Ivory, which groups notifications so it should be a bit more manageable.
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Should Mastodon notifications be prioritized?
Arriving on Mastodon today, I have 400 new notifications. Ideally, I would like to read and reply to everyone, but some days I just cannot cope with that many.
Currently, if I only get through 100 notifications, that will be the 100 most recent, and the oldest 300 are then lost. I really do not like that, because recency is not the same as importance.
So my question is, could or should Mastodon help users prioritize notifications some way?
1/2
@randahl Come on. You’re never going to read or reply to me. I wasn’t born into the right white people club to experience belonging or safety.
But what you need isn’t fewer notifications. It’s the capacity to mark which repliers should be highlighted.
Some guy will say he thought of it after he reads this.
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Should Mastodon notifications be prioritized?
Arriving on Mastodon today, I have 400 new notifications. Ideally, I would like to read and reply to everyone, but some days I just cannot cope with that many.
Currently, if I only get through 100 notifications, that will be the 100 most recent, and the oldest 300 are then lost. I really do not like that, because recency is not the same as importance.
So my question is, could or should Mastodon help users prioritize notifications some way?
1/2
@randahl An app could reasonably provide some sort and filter options that you control (keywords, number of favourites and boosts, replies, that kind of thing). Threading them so you only see the back and forth if you click in would be a good idea, too.
But a huge selling feature of Mastodon is that it doesn't outsource decisions about what's important to an unaccountable algorithm.
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@randahl
are you asking for an ALGORITHM?
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@farbel absolutely. One example of this could be, that I could mark you as having high priority to me, to make sure that I do not miss anything from you.
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@fresseng I know, but that is not it. The problem is not getting more notifications, but less.
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@HeyLaiverd
Lists prioritizes people, not notifications
.
@farbel -
@HeyLaiverd
Lists prioritizes people, not notifications
.
@farbelDo you see this reply and did you get a notification? I removed your name tag but it is still a reply.
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@randahl Come on. You’re never going to read or reply to me. I wasn’t born into the right white people club to experience belonging or safety.
But what you need isn’t fewer notifications. It’s the capacity to mark which repliers should be highlighted.
Some guy will say he thought of it after he reads this.
@LillaVee I do not understand how I would know anything about a "white people's club".
But I think you are right, something that highlights notifications could be helpful.
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@randahl An app could reasonably provide some sort and filter options that you control (keywords, number of favourites and boosts, replies, that kind of thing). Threading them so you only see the back and forth if you click in would be a good idea, too.
But a huge selling feature of Mastodon is that it doesn't outsource decisions about what's important to an unaccountable algorithm.
@UrbanEdm Let me be clear: I am not asking for AI.
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@randahl what bothers me even more is that I use multi-column view, and when I open a post, it shows up in the rightmost column (not adjustable), but if I want to reply or post, I can only do it in the leftmost column.
There is already some grouping: if ten people boost your post, or favourite your post, they show up together as a group of the notifications list instead of one after another.
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@HeyLaiverd
Lists prioritizes people, not notifications
.
@farbel -
Let me give an example of improvements I would find helpful:
A: If two people debate a post I wrote, that may generate 20 notifications. I would prefer, if those 20 notifcations were grouped as 1.
B: If a person creates a new post, addressed to me, asking a question, that post would be of the utmost importance to me — like receiving an e-mail — and often more important than replies.
So what do you think? Could or should the Mastodon notification system help prioritize notifications?
2/2
@randahl
Both suggestions make a lot of sense to me. Would be great for busy accounts if Mastodon could implement something like that.

