What's happening?
Our current notifications system has served the site well for many years but was starting to get a bit old and tired, plus it's not particularly easy to modify or scale up to fit the needs of the growing community. It really began showing its age in September 2020 when the system hit some database limits which required considerable maintenance work to get it going again.
To remedy this, we've built a brand new replacement system from the ground up with a focus on easier access to notification preferences, a cleaner design and full control of your notifications direct from the panel. While it may not look much different from what you're used to, it lays the foundation for a much more powerful and versatile system.
We've migrated all the notification types you're used to into this system, so you shouldn't be missing out on anything. In addition, it's now considerably easier to add new types of notifications to the site. So, if there are any events on the site you wish you were notified about let us know in the comments and we'll see what we can do!
You'll be able to get your hands on the new panel from 22nd March 2021, with the old system being switched off the same day.
As a quick summary, here are the things that are new (or different) with the upgraded system:
- Read notifications now remain in your notifications panel - As we've moved all controls for notifications into the panel, you'll be able to see any manage notifications you've already read. Here you'll also find controls to mark them unread or delete them.
- Quickly toggle notification settings - Just click the cog icon and you can change your preferences without needing to leave the page you're viewing.
- 90-day cleanup - One of the problems the old system had is that it kept notifications forever. Meaning inactive users were collecting more and more notifications they may never read or at least would be overwhelmed with when they return. We'll now be keeping notifications for 3 months and then automatically clear them from your panel.
- No more game-specific notifications - While this may come off as bad news for some of you, we've removed the ability to filter notifications based on the game site you're viewing. In a survey we ran in November 2020 ~75% of users did not use this option and the overall consensus was that it would be largely unnecessary if we allowed more granular control over notifications.
As time goes on we'll be iterating on the system to add new notification types and better controls for managing which notifications you receive. For now, we've replicated the "old" system functionality so it should feel both new and familiar to you.
What's the catch?
Unfortunately, the data used by the new system is incompatible with the old system. This means that all of your existing notifications will be permanently removed on 22nd March 2021. We're giving you a heads up now so you have time to manage any important alerts from the existing system before the switch-over takes place.
We're keen to see what you guys make of the new system and, as before, please let us know in the comments if you have any good ideas for new types of notifications to show. We might even be able to get some of the best ideas in place in time for launch!
736 comments
Following the initial wave of feedback, we've highlighted a few high priority issues with the new system which our developers are currently working on fixing.
Priority Issues List
Investigate cases where users are not getting any notifications at all(Complete)Restore notifications for "Comments on mods I'm tracking". (Fixed 02/04/2021 - see your preferences to toggle it on/off)Investigate issues with replies to comments in the Image and Video share.(Fixed 02/04/2021)Investigate missing notifications when some types of content are deleted from a mod page.(Fixed 07/04/2021)Fix the incorrect notification generated when a changelog is added by a team member on your mod page.(Fixed 02/04/2021)If you see an issue you're encountering above, please know that we are aware of it and don't need any further reports. I will keep this sticky post updated as work progresses. If your comment hasn't been mentioned in the list above, it's very possible we've noted it as an enhancement.
Once the bug fixing is out of the way we'll be going through the suggestions and requests you have submitted and compiling a list of priorities for Phase 2 of the release (and beyond). I aim to keep updating the pinned comments here with any new information on this.
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts with us and being patient while we iron out the kinks in the new system!
1.)
Why are image uploades "summarized" or grouped together when there is more than one image upload from on author?
Example:
2.)
The link "https://nexusmods.com/users/33291605?user+images" (from the example notification above) does not work, it only goes to the authors "About Me" page.
Both of these have the consequence of looking for the uploaded images by yourself after browsing to one of the image categories where the images might be uploaded to.
But I still don't understand the "weird" grouping or summarizing:
What is the reason behind it and what are the "triggers" for it to occur?
Now, put back the name of the games in the notifications and we're good (also, put back the notification if said content who is uploaded, like an image, is uploaded in the normal share, or in the supporter section).
I think I recall that the name wasn't displayed if you were already on the page of said game, but I'm not really sure.
And it was also absolutely present in the notification system from before the website update of last year, system who, as I repeated several times, was already perfect and did not need any modifications.
Anyway, it definitely was, I wouldn't waste my time complaining about the disparition of a feature if said feature didn't even exist in the first place, because the disparition of said feature is literally the very first thing I noticed when the update came.
Bring back the features of said system, and as I said, everything will be perfect, just like it already was before.
Also, I still don't receive any notifications from answers to my comments outside of images/video/mods, which I should.
As I said in the pinned comment, I'll keep everyone as updated as I can as we keep iterate through this project.
Anyway, it appears I was mistaken when I said the notifications were no longer grouper: they still are, and are still as of April 11th, and it is exactly as obnoxious, bothersome, tedious, and infuriating as it was two weeks ago.
Since the update, I have noticed a significant drop in views and endorsements of my images, and while it could be caused by the images themselves not being liked, it is much more likely than it is because if I post several times a day, or over several days, and the people who track me have not opened the notifications at the moment I posted, they only get a grouped menu which lead them to my profile where they will have to manually check themselves what's new, which is terrible design, as I already stated in an earlier post; and of course, it also means I do get grouper notifications for people I track, which makes much harder for me to see what they did.
As for now, I am refraining myself from posting, and limit my uploads at only one per day, because I know no one will look at it if they get grouper notifications.
This issue ought to be fixed as soon as possible, really.
This grouping of posts and then being directed to a profile page is just a complete waste of time.
Once on that tab, images are usually sorted from newest to oldest so it should be easy to see which ones are new.
However, notifications of comments, be it on a mod or an image, were indeed grouped, you just had the "You have X number of new messages on your Y image or mod", and on that matter, the current update hasn't changed anything about it, and I have personally have no complaints either about that specific grouping of answers.
Now what you get is one notification saying xyz has uploaded two images and now it seems you get directed to their images page, not the image(s) for the notification.
Having to delete 20 notifications with 40 clicks is just a joke.
And that's the problem: every time someone posts something, your only answer is to say "I don't think" or "I'm not sure", what you think is irrelevant, your opinion has no value here. We are talking about objective and quantifiable facts: the amount of time and efforts required to obtain the same results than before, this is not a matter of opinion.
Remember that you were also pretending that the removal of titles on notifications wasn't important either, and that I proved you wrong.
And in this case too I will prove you wrong.
So now you are trying to gaslight in an attempt to justify the mistakes made with this update, this is incredible. No, indeed, just because something was made a certain way before doesn't mean it is correct, however, in this particular case, that way of doing thing WAS the correct and more efficient one, AND I'm going to prove it to you (Even if I already did it before).
Do you even know the definition of the word efficient? How in the world is this going to be more efficient in any way, shape or form? Answer: it is not, it is the exact opposite of efficiency.
Efficiency:
What you are saying is that now, images will be grouped, a function NO ONE asked for, and that EVERYONE hates (Yes, that's slightly hyperbolic, doesn't make the point less valid), hiding the names of the images, an information, I already explained you in details and with clear and logical arguments, is very important; and that cliking on this notification will send you right to the image tab of the person's profile, where you will be able to click manually on said images, which will be "automatically sorted newest first" (Something that is ALREADY the case by default when you go on anyone's profile, by the way).
And you dare to say it is "a more efficient way of delivering the same information"? Are you for real? How can someone be saying that and pretend to be making a legitimate argument is beyond me.
How can that be more efficient in any way than the system existing before this pathetic excuse of an update made by incompetents? You know, a system where, I already explained, you had ONE notification for each image posted by a person, and then, clicking on said notification was sending you directly to the image posted by said person, not if or but, all you had to do was clicking ONE time, and hop, you where on the image, ready to look at it.
And you are telling me that clicking on a grouped notification, which then sends you to the image tab of the person's profile, where you then have to manually check yourself and click on each image individually is more efficient than simply having to click one time on a notification that sends you directly to the image? And are you being sent to the All images or only of the game you are currently on? And what about the Supporter images? It precisely happens I have one grouped notification of someone who posted one image in the Public area, and another in the Supporter area; except if I go on that person's profile, I can only see the Public Images tab, or the Supporter Images tab at once, I can't see both of them, which means I have to again go another extra mile to look at every image posted individually.
I am providing several pictures below to show you how ridiculous it is (Pics are put under spoilers as they contain NSFW content)
HOW exactly having to click MORE and spend MORE time to get to the desired outcome is more efficient that having to click only ONCE on the notification that leads you directly to the outcome you want? Having to invest more time and efforts to get to the desired outcome is the EXACT opposite of efficiency ! Even the simple fact of writing the required steps to get to the desired results shows its longer !
I was willing to give you credit for admitting your mistakes with this update, and I gave you credit for the work you have done to repair the tremendous damage done by this update, but here, what I see is only blatant lies and bad faith arguments made by someone who very obviously seems to think that people who are reading are stupid.
You have your community in open arms since you got this garbage update out, not a single person who posted here posted to tell you you had done a great job, and you know what? Because by all intents and purpose, it was not a great job, it was the exact opposite: this update was the result of laziness and incompetence by people who don't even use the notification system in the first place.
Even now, as many of the mistakes have been fixed, the notification system is objectively worse than before, this is not a subjective opinion, this is an objective fact based on objective elements: user-friendly interface and efficiency.
Today, the user interface of the notifications is LESS efficient than before: several features have been removed without any explanation, nor any justification; removal of said features (Like a See all button, or a Delete all button) objectively renders the notification system harder and slower to use.
You pretend that the grouped notification images is going to be "more efficient", this is not the case: I just, and EXTREMELY easily pointed all its flaws, and proved beyond any doubt that this is NOT going to be "more efficient" in any possible way; but that it will be the exact opposite: LESS efficient.
What I see with your post is bad faith, bold lies, and an unwillingness to admit that this update sucks at every level, and that the only way to repair that is to scrap the entire thing and return back to the old system, which is something that pretty much everyone here has been telling you for 3 weeks already, and guess what? If almost your entire community is telling you that your update is terrible, it is because it is, this is not a matter of affect or of misplaced nostalgia, it is because this update is demonstably, and demonstrated as terrible.
The grouped notification system for images and video IS bad, and no amount of "hotfix" will change this, because this is the whole design of said system who is by itself wrong: the ONLY solution, the ONLY thing you need to do is to delete it entirely and never even consider bringing such thing back, ever. No hotfix, no attempt at justification, nothing, delete it, period.
Your unwillingless to listen, and the fact that you are making bad faith arguments and tell bold faced lies about efficiency when literally anyone above the age of 12 with a functional brain clearly understands this is not the case shows that you have no consideration, and even less respect, for your community who is almost unanimously hostile to this update since its inception.
This update had been up for 23 days, and as of now, the current state of the notifications is demonstrably worse than it was on the 21st of March, again, this is not a matter of personal opinion, this is a measurable and objective fact, and it clearly looks like you are determined to double down on this, instead of doing exactly what pretty much everyone is asking, and has asked you to do since the release of this update: revert all the changes you've made, and restore the previous notification system and make everyone happy again, instead of childishly trying to get a point because you prefer to win rather than being honests, because frankly, that's what it looks like to me: people who fully know they are wrong, but refuse to admit it because their ego doesn't let them, because they are convinced, and wrongly so, that they know better than everyone else, even when said everyone else know and prove them wrong everyday.
Grouping together is a downgrade, plain and simple. Why there is no option to stop grouping uploads is really beyond me.
Also not knowing when one clicks on a supporter image is another big downgrade because you can open such an image at inappropriate times.
The site offers less functionality to look more snazzy, I guess. It's not like the last notification system was that old and I barely heard complaints about it - except for it sometimes not working which the current one does just as well.
But at least we have some "community manager" telling us that it's "not a big issue" and that we are wrong.
"Thank you for your thoughts."
The notifiacations for new comments on mods are grouped and sometimes I get the same notificatios twice. I guess they are grouped for differents comments but because both notes are leading to the same mod and the same tab this is just stupid to get the same notification twice. Image notes are already perfectly explained in detail. clicking on an image notification just to get linked to a profile page is inefficient.
The deleting of notifications is also just stupidly solved. Why don't we have a "delete all seen notes" button? 40 clicks for 20 notes is not just inefficient, as soon as you know your users will get mor then 2 or 3 notes this way of solving this is totally stupid from an objective point of view.
To make the current system more eficient (not saying that it would be efficent rn) you could switch the positions of the "mark as read" and "delete note" buttons. This would give the system some sort of efficiency.
And compared to the previos system the new one isn't even working correctly. Looking at the notifications page (from the old system) and seeing that this page updates again and again I can say that lots of notes for new comments, in groupes or not is irrelevant, still just not get shown in the new system. Idk if notes for comments got grouped before too but at least I got notifications for ALL mods i traked and for ALL new commments on these mods. And that is ecactly the way how to make it work. If I track a mod (and if you understand what "tracking" means) if is just not stupid to notify me about EVERY comments or update on all tracked mods. that means it is again just stupid to make a system not showning EVERY commments, grouped or not.
That makes the new system in total objectively a stupid system, and even more stupid if you compare it to the previous system.
Last step - one click delete of A notification and all is well :)
I used to solve that problem by opening the main panel that we no longer have and just deleting all notifications, but that's no longer an option, and I don't need a simple "Mark as Read" button.
drop down has two choices “Mark as Read” and “Remove this notification”. “Mark
as read” is already a click button, why can’t the drop down just be another
click button, “Remove this notification”. I would also prefer a Remove all notifications
option….Please!!
- Remove the "3-vertical-dots" dropdown menu
- Add the "X" to the right of the large "mark as read" dot - selecting X is a one-click delete of the notification
- Make the large "mark as read" dot a toggle. Selecting it marks the notification as read and grays it out. Selecting it again marks the notifiction as unread and colors the notification and dot again.
Fewer clicks all around and fast access to the primary actions needed for notifications.Thanks for bringing back Comments on Tracked Mods -- this has helped immensely.
fyi, this still keeps happening
I don't like marking something as read yet it stays there until I have to click twice to have it removed entirely.
It isn't just that some specific comments are not generating notifications, I have not received a single notification of that type since well before I made that previous post, on either the new system, or the old page, and I track quite a few mods, and know for a fact there have been multiple comments on several of them at the very least. Your problem is bigger than you think!
P.S.
The old notifications page was meant to be shut down... is it possible that the functionality of it is dropping by stages? At the worst possible time?
And I for one check updates to my tracked content here on the game specific page - not on the old notification page. This is quicker for me to check than go manually to each mod pages. And if I am interested in the content I can just click on the link to redirect me. But yeah.... it is still tedious.
Huh, I did not know that included comments on tracked mods, as well as files and updates. Thanks. Still tedious, and each games has to be checked separately, but a lot better than nothing.
On a happier note -- I see the tracked mods notifications are now flowing in the new system (dropdown) as of this morning. Fingers crossed it will stay that way.
On average I'm getting maybe 2 comments notifications appear each time I log in but I don't think I've had a files update notification fail before :-/ I can see from the old notifications list that there are still a number of comments notifications not coming through and the ones I do get don't even appear to be consecutive on that old list.