Stop forcing announcements on users, and stop abusing them

Really? Now this is definitely abuse of the the Announcement feature...



-- Digsby Announcement --
digsby.org -- 2:03 PM

Hello Digsbies! Please take a minute to nominate us for Mashable's Open Web Awards, which recognizes major innvotations in web technology and social media!

There are many categories and you're allow to nominate us for more than one so spread the love!

Vote Here: http://mashable.com/owa/

Thank you for your support!


This is a perfect example of the kind of message that I never want to see while using digsby.

The strangest part is I'm the only one in my office who got this message. Am I being targeted by these messages now because of my active stance against them, or did they find the secret, hidden opt-out option that I somehow have missed?

Possibly they only send one to each connected IP address. But yes I agree this type of announcement is annoying and pathetic. It's like the attention seeking actions of a child. I am actually getting fed up of all the 'vote for Digsby' crap they have messaged me with since I started using Digsby.

I am happy for announcements telling me there is a new build, I am happy with announcements telling me that you are aware of an issue or you have forthcoming maintenance. I am not happy with announcements just trying to get us to promote Digsby. I promote DIgsby enough by posting Facebook and Twitter statuses from it. I promote Digsby by recommending it to people when the conversation turns that way, I have even recommended it in my blog so stop asking me to vote for it.

</rant>

Thread's like these actually make me giggle a bit..

I dont mind the messages, I've had around 3 or 4 in the time i been using Digby (which imo is far better than other systems).

As for the opt out yeah they should implement it (or make it a small popup rather than an IM), but then personally i dont care about it im using they're network, they're servers at no cost to myself to do my IM'ing. When you use MSN for the same thing you forever have adverts at the bottom of the buddy list, same with Yahoo and the others. Why do you have that, easy it's using MSN's network that give's them the right to do what they want. Same goes for digsby, yes we are user's of the program, but that does not give us the right to dictate what or how they use their own resources. At the moment Digsby is early in development, they want all the users they have pushing it out, fair enough.

Before anyone says anything about the way i look at it, I use linux/bsd/unix/Mac OS/Windows and they are all as bad as one another for advert's once you get on the net with them. They just arn't as "in your face" as digsby is at the mo.

Give them time if we want things to change rather than get on your high horse and start ranting, help them, suggest ways they can fix it, do your research on XMPP/Jabber protocol's. Then make your suggestions. Stop with the BS "It's not that hard to stop sending the messages", tell that to the unix mail server who is programmed to update the message list and send it out every few hour's. Once it's set people normally forget about thing's. The dev's for the program are prob not the same guys running the servers... So to get this fixed it has to be discussed by them.

Give it some time, have some patience. Digsby is developing rapidly and im sure if they can get rid of the popups to make them less annoying they will.

eltoddo wrote:

The strangest part is I'm the only one in my office who got this message. Am I being targeted by these messages now because of my active stance against them, or did they find the secret, hidden opt-out option that I somehow have missed?

ahahahahah, you made my day. Thanks.

@Zoialord - I am familiar with XMPP and the devs have already said they intended to let yo uopt out of announcements from day one but the servers were not set up right yet. I have no problem with important announcements it's the sad attention seeking ones that annoy me.

BTW Guyver sucked

Last edited by carbonize (2009-11-10 03:21:39)

@ Carbonize lol someone who knows where the name come's from makes a change .

The post I made was more at the people saying "how hard can it be". I was just trying to point out to some people it's actually harder than you think.. especially when it's not confined to the spaces of a Business network (anyone remember the old Windows Internal messages on the network will know that :p). I do hope they can make them less obtrusive but patience is a virtue. One that seems to have been lost on most internet forums along with common sense lol.

Last edited by Zoialord (2009-11-10 03:40:17)

For my shame I have all of the original Manga Guyver on VHS tape. I actually did buy them as they came out each month.

And yes people these days do expect instant fixes even from free products. I just want them to stop asking me to vote for them on various sites.

I've not had any asking for that :s... apart from a twitter thing (which i follow them anyways so should be expected lol)..

Only IM type one's i had was something to do with promoting Digsby

More shameless self promotion...

-- Digsby Announcement --
digsby.org -- 10:53 PM
Thanks to you, we're leading the way in several categories of the Mashable Open Web Awards! Voting ends Sunday and you can vote once per day in multiple categories. Please take a minute to give us one final push in these categories:

Best Social Media Gadget: http://bit.ly/ZoYWz
Best Twitter App: http://bit.ly/3DzUaF
Best Facebook Connect App: http://bit.ly/3mQniy
Best Facebook App: http://bit.ly/2BljVl
Best Twitter Brand Use: http://bit.ly/6zL0b

Thank you!

one announcement is enough, let alone two about the same thing...

Not endorsing or condoning it, but... is it really such a big deal?  I mean, 150,000 people die every day...  Why not focus on what's important instead of making a fuss over what really amounts to nothing, hmm? 
DISCLAIMER: I don't work for or claim to represent Digsby in any way.  My views are my own.

@Sharky - Don't think for a second that that I think this is a big deal. I know it isn't, especially if you want to bring larger issues of a global scale into this. But to you, I pose this: have you ever fought a parking ticket? Speeding ticket? Fought for extra points on an exam or homework assignment which you felt strongly you deserved? What did it get you as it stands today? Did those couple points make the difference between passing and failing (maybe depending on the type of student it did)? Did the money you saved from not paying the fine make the difference in sleeping in a gutter or not? Don't even get me started on protesters...

We pick the battles as they're presented to us. We pick the ones that we feel strongly about. About making a statement. It's not really about the end result.

I have faith that the issue will be resolved, I just want to voice my opinion and hopefully the matter can be addressed sooner. For now, I simply register my disapproval of the current state of things. I'm not forcing my view on anyone. After all you were the one who clicked on the topic link, you must have some view one way or the other. Either that or you're just looking to instigate things.

Either way, these broadcasts are something I think we can do without. So I wait for the fix or the messages to stop; this has been a good week, I'd best not not go and jinx it.

eltoddo wrote:

@Sharky - Don't think for a second that that I think this is a big deal. I know it isn't, especially if you want to bring larger issues of a global scale into this. But to you, I pose this: have you ever fought a parking ticket? Speeding ticket? Fought for extra points on an exam or homework assignment which you felt strongly you deserved? What did it get you as it stands today? Did those couple points make the difference between passing and failing (maybe depending on the type of student it did)? Did the money you saved from not paying the fine make the difference in sleeping in a gutter or not? Don't even get me started on protesters...

Well, no.  I deserved the exam/homework grades I received, and have never been disappointed in them -- I know I did my best and they were pretty good.  Except the one subject I royally screwed up on in the exam.  I didn't protest it, I knew I had done appallingly.  This is why they invented resits! 
Never received a parking ticket or speeding ticket.  Again, you get what you deserve. 
Plus, if the cost of a parking/speeding ticket would result in sleeping in the gutter, I doubt you'd be able to afford the car/fuel/insurance/tax.  Sorry.  No snowball effect from that one, I'm afraid! 

eltoddo wrote:

We pick the battles as they're presented to us. We pick the ones that we feel strongly about. About making a statement. It's not really about the end result.

I have faith that the issue will be resolved, I just want to voice my opinion and hopefully the matter can be addressed sooner. For now, I simply register my disapproval of the current state of things. I'm not forcing my view on anyone. After all you were the one who clicked on the topic link, you must have some view one way or the other. Either that or you're just looking to instigate things.

Either way, these broadcasts are something I think we can do without. So I wait for the fix or the messages to stop; this has been a good week, I'd best not not go and jinx it.

I clicked the link because I like to read, and ...  it's not that I like arguing, but it's good to get more than just the generic "omgz teh digsby sux0rs max" garbage you sometimes get. 

-

I like you (not in that way.....), you put a nicely worded argument together, and produced a cohesive structured post, using capitalisation...  it's rare to see online these days!

The only two announcements I wouldn't be pissed to get:

1) Digsby for Linux available!

or even better:

2) Digsby has gone open source!

Usufruct wrote:

The only two announcements I wouldn't be pissed to get:

1) Digsby for Linux available!

Patience...

Usufruct wrote:

or even better:

2) Digsby has gone open source!

Uhh, no.

I would love to see Digsby go open source.

How can Mike_C compare Miranda ( where is facebook, twitter and many more things ? ) with Digsby.....there is nothing to compare...haha....Digsby is another much higher level...almost from another planet...so to speak....!!...greatings from a big fan from Spain....lets stop this endless discussion about announcements...

Last edited by dickdekker (2009-11-23 07:21:37)

-- Digsby Announcement --
digsby.org -- 3:02 PM

We're very excited about our new MySpace account! Add us as a friend and let us know what you think of Digsby:

http://www.myspace.com/digsbyim

Thank you!


MySpace? ...Really?
I'm as excited about anything to do with MySpace as I am about the next season of American Idol. For the record, I'd rather eat broken glass or inhale molten rock than watch that show.

Please let me opt out. This sort of message just screams desperation. I understand the business case to recruiting users from the MySpace community, but I'd rather not think that of a program which I hold in such high regard as having anything to do with MySpace.

Last edited by eltoddo (2009-11-23 15:41:09)

Honestly dotSyntax, you have a good piece of software and the users will spread it, I sure have.  Sending out announcements like these is a terrible way to build a userbase, it just degrades your current one.  Allow an opt-out, or preferably, an opt-in option for these announcements.

-- Digsby Announcement --
digsby.org -- 7:30 AM

Please take a minute to nominate us for the 2009 Crunchies Awards in the Best Social Network App Category:

Go here and click "Nominate" - http://is.gd/5aeQd

Thank you!




My previous position still stands.