Direct send email to a small group in a closed category

[Frank_Meeuwsen]

I searched on this forum and only found this post which is quite similar to my question. But unfortunately not an answer to work upon:

Ability to send a topic via email to entire community

Would be an interesting feature if the community admin could push an important topic to the entire community via email. Users may get the digest, but if there’s breaking news, would be neat if this could be broadcast somehow. Currently, the only option is to add a topic to the one default category we have people watching, which only admins can post in. But would be better if the original post could be shared directly

We have a growing forum for our app-users. We recently started a closed category for 25+ beta testers to communicate on new features and review new betas. One of the painpoints in driving engagement and getting feedback is the lack of email possibilities. What I would like to do is make a new topic and when I save it, Discourse immediately sends out an email to the small group. I am the only one who makes new topics right now, but even when there is someone else who makes a topic, it shouldn’t be a problem. The category is very low-volume so no danger of spam.

Is this possible with Discourse? I can’t find the proper checkboxes or preferences to do this…

Thanks
Frank

[pfaffman (Jay Pfaffman)]

You can force all the users to watch the category. Here are a couple plugins (they’d need to be customized for your site)

https://github.com/techAPJ/discourse-watch-category-rzim/

https://github.com/amical/discourse-watch-category/

Also, if it’s email you want, you can PM the group or @mention them in the post.

[tobiaseigen]

@pfaffman

PM the group

Correct me if I’m wrong but I think if the group is a large one, only a selection of people will get the email notification.

[codinghorror (Jeff Atwood)]

Why do you say that? The rate limiter defaults? I think that would only prevent in very large groups… he said this is 25 people.

[tobiaseigen]

I think I got this confused with inviting groups to messages. With invites, only a few people get notified by email not everyone in the group.

My understanding of how groups and PMs works is evolving.

[Mittineague]

It may be particular to SitePoint, and to be clear it does not bother me. I have noticed that with the group Notication, that even if I have already read the posts by a different entry point it doesn’t clear until I go to the group message topics list. (I dismiss nothing, though I scan often)

As for emails, I don’t know. I’ve never been gone that long to use or need them as a conduit.

[Godmar_Back]

Ich möchte auch starkes Interesse an dieser Funktion bekunden.

Die verlinkten Plugins werden speziell behandelt – und das Exportieren der Benutzerlisten, wie hier vorgeschlagen, ist keine Echtzeitlösung (und nicht automatisiert).

Ich unterstütze nachdrücklich die Anforderung, Kategorien erstellen zu können, die von Benutzern „automatisch beobachtet“ werden. Ich – wie andere auch – verwende Discourse beispielsweise für einen Kurs, den ich unterrichte, als Ersatz für Canvas/Piazza. Ich bitte alle Studenten, die Kategorie „Ankündigungen“ zu lesen, aber abgesehen davon, ihre E-Mails zu sammeln und eine separate E-Mail-Liste zu erstellen, habe ich keine Möglichkeit, ihnen wichtige Ankündigungen per E-Mail zukommen zu lassen (etwas, das Piazza bot). Es wäre mir egal, wenn sich automatisch angemeldete Benutzer selbst abmelden könnten.

Die einzige derzeit verfügbare Alternative besteht darin, jeden zu bitten, diese Kategorie zu beobachten.

[JammyDodger]

Sie können Standardeinstellungen für Kategoriebenachrichtigungen in den Admin-Einstellungen festlegen:

Sie können auch Standardeinstellungen für Tag-Benachrichtigungen festlegen.