I found this very interesting.
Top Reasons Why Consumers Unsubscribe Via E-Mail, Facebook
Probably the top feature request we’ve had for Connect over the past three and a half years is for email notifications.
We’ve resisted adding them for a number of reasons, mostly due to resources, but I’ve always thought the need was overstated. People hate spam and bacn; this is a simple fact, like rain is wet or ice is cold.
Sure, we all start out with noble intentions, but if you’re like me, you’ve eventually unsubscribed from the notifications sent by this Google Group or that LinkedIn Group.
I always assumed that because I use Google Reader extensively to control my consumption that this wasn’t the case for others, but I’m finding that to be false.
Even though people complain about having to go to a web app, they actually prefer that method because they can control it.
So, first create content that people want and make sure to produce a feed, but hold off on the notifications, at least in the first few releases.
Thoughts?
Maybe it’s just me, but I want to go to my notification center and get non-work messages – that’s Twitter for me. I don’t want non-work notifications to come to my work communications center, which tends to be e-mail still. No way am I going to subscribe even my personal e-mail to non-work sites. As for those people who use their work e-mail addresses for Facebook, well….
My point isn’t really work vs. personal. It’s that the base requirement for email notifications is grossly overstated by people. I’ll bet half of the people who insist they need email notifications for collaboration/social work apps would even use them; of that group, I’ll bet another half actually stayed subscribed and used the feature productively.
So, only 25% of the people who clamor for email notifications would actually benefit, if not fewer.
Yes, I agree. Requirement not based on research. Unless you know your community, I’be be cautious with any of these notification or indeed collaborative features.
Indeed. That doesn’t mean I won’t build it, but it does affect the priority 🙂
After looking at that bacn post again… I admit it, I’m about to declare email bankruptcy due to the thousands of pieces of unread bacn in my consolidated personal email, with just a very few actual useful emails buried in the inbox somewhere, maybe. It’s too much work to unsubscribe from everything, especially infrequent things, and I do sometimes search as archives. I’ve almost got all my old C$erve stuff reconfigured to non-C$erve addresses. Bills? They better send me a tree. Don’t know if I’d notice a robot boss inquiry: http://www.cjr.org/the_news_frontier/testing_the_limits_of_crowdsou.php
I agree with unsubscribing, which ironically exposes me to more spam. It’s too much work vs. deleting. Same for bills, dead trees aside, I need a physical reminder.
My work group consists mainly of men who are 40+ years of age. They complain about lack of communication but disdain social networking. Email they have bought in to. I think if Connect had the email notification it would increase adoption among the middle aged set.
Connect isn’t only social networking. The groups are simply web-based collaboration areas. I don’t believe email nagging helps drive adoption; content does.