[dingxiaohan]

As a total novice I’ve put together a site for my local community, http://www.listraban.net. I want to add a means of communication and debate using bodypress and bbpress. The major issue is how it integrates with users’ email. My ideal would be the system that Yahoo groups use, wherein the user can, without help from a moderator, choose to get by email either (a) every new post, (b) a daily digest of new posts or (c) nothing at all. I’ve tried reading what there is about notification plug-ins, but understand hardly a word. For a start I don’t know whether “notification” means an email containing the text of a post, or an email simply announcing that there is a new post.

I believe the WordPress theme is 2012, FWIW. BuddyPress version can be whatever it is if we ever get started.

[danbp]

hi @dingxiaohan,

default general usage of notification is explained on our Codex:
https://codex.buddypress.org/member-guide/notifications/

Each topic can be followed by the author and all who answer on a per topic base. Email you’ll receive in this case will show the topic url and a brief excerpt.

A little different is BP Live Notification plugin, which add a Facebook Like real-time notification for user.

Some other way to use and show notification can be done by coding a little, which is explaine here.

[dingxiaohan]

Thank you, I think that answers one of my questions: notification does not go far beyond indicating that there has been activity. What I’m hoping to do is breathe more life into a community by improving communication, and the more action is required from users the less likely that is to happen. At present we correspond by exchanging emails to group addresses manually compiled in Notepad, with no two people having the same list! A Yahoo group would work much better. At present it looks to me as if people would find the bbpress / buddypress solutions more laborious.

Two things about Yahoo groups: 1. The incoming email gives you all the content, without your having to do a second click and go and find it, and 2. you get emails on all contributions to the group you’ve subscribed to, not just when someone specifically targets you. Those limitations in buddypress look to me like killers, but maybe I haven’t understood everything yet.

I hope not, because full and easy integration of communication into a website would make it such a powerful tool.

[dingxiaohan]

I’m still floundering here. Is there any way that subscribers to forums and groups can get notification of _all_ contributions to those forums/groups?

[danbp]

You can certainly find this plugin usefull:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress-group-email-subscription/