Send notifications of unscreened comments in tracked threads

[elf]

Title:
Send notifications of unscreened comments in tracked threads

Area:
Commenting, tracking threads, notifications

Summary:
I'd like to get notifications of comments in screened threads, where a moderator later unscreens them. Right now, if you subscribe to a thread, you get notified of new comments--but not if they're screened. And there's no notification sent out on unscreening.

Description:
I don't know how technically difficult this would be to implement. All I know is, when I try to track threads in anon love memes, where comments are often screened until a moderator opens them, I don't get email notifications. I assume there are similar problems in some gaming journals and some kink memes--if you're not the person being replied to, you have to keep checking back to find out if there are new responses.

I assume that the "send notification" code activates immediately upon commenting, and is interrupted if the comment is screened. There may not be an easy way to implement "when comment is unscreened, check to see if anyone's subscribed, and send notification," especially if that includes "...but first, check to see if that person's already been notified, either because they were the reply-to person and got notified when the comment was made, or because the comment was originally unscreened, later screened, and is now being unscreened again."

I can't think of any drawbacks to this (other than, of course, it may be horrendously difficult to code), but I can easily believe I'm missing some. I don't know if there are any comms that make use of the lack-of-notification as it currently exists.

Poll #14084 Send notifications of unscreened comments in tracked threads

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 50

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This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
40 (80.0%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
3 (6.0%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
1 (2.0%)

(I have no opinion)
6 (12.0%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[pauamma]

If it's too hard to code "don't send multiple notifications for the same comment", I'd rather have them than not be notified at all. (I also get multiple notifications when comment content is edited, so this wouldn't be that much of a problem to me.)

[kerravonsen]

I can see why this is desirable, but it will be tricky to do, I think.
One thing that we really DO NOT want is for people to be told the contents of screened comments, because it is often the case that comments are screened for privacy reasons.
So if it could somehow be done that notifications could go out when the comment is un-screened, that would work for the purposes of following things like comment-fic and role-playing games etc.

[jjhunter]

Mm. I'd actually really like a modified version of this such that in the places where the journal owner / community admin has the option of screening / unscreening a comment, e.g. DW inbox etc., there was some icon or ticky box such that — if the comment is currently unscreened — a comment notification email for that comment can be sent/resent to anyone who would normally receive it.