29 Replies Latest reply: May 4, 2009 4:26 PM by Stan Jones RSS

    Where are the email digests?

    Nini Tjäder Community Member

      Where are the email digests?

      Or aren't there any any more?

      Or am I just not understanding how to get a digest from a particular forum?

        • 1. Re: Where are the email digests?
          DorothyK@Adobe CommunityMVP

          Not sure that is available. If people request it, and the technology can do it, it'll likely show up in time. The more people ask, the more apparent the need/desire.

          • 2. Re: Where are the email digests?
            john cornicello (retired) Adobe Employee

            Jive Clearspace does not offer digests. I will put it on the wish list.

             

            Thanks!

            • 3. Re: Where are the email digests?
              Stan Jones CommunityMVP

              I am trying top find a work flow that works.  My old one was digests, and I am perfectly willing to give them up, but the subject line indexing for email makes that unusable as a way to review lots of posts and the on line forum itself is slow for me. (I still think the javascript constant activity is a problem.  I tried to customize the "my view" to add forums, and if that option is selected, my P4 sticks at 100% doing something in internet explorer for minutes at a time with navigation frozen.) The navigation options make going from forum to forum difficult.  I have a been a regular contributor in the Encore forums, but try checking each of those forums when you have no idea what is in each one without selecting it.  Even book marking each one to make it somewhat easier is timeconsuming.  The bottom line for me has been that I have used all my time trying to find a way to work with the system.  So far I am still looking.

               

              Also, email replies to the forums/discussions I've subscribed to are bouncing.  It appears to be an adobe address, but it is a jive server that is reporting a 553 error.

              • 4. Re: Where are the email digests?
                Community Member

                Have been saving and searching e-mail digests for at least 5 years now. Very time efficient method for diagnosing and finding fixes or workarounds for issues with the Adobe Creative Suite. Great tool for helping the 500+ users we support in the U.S.

                 

                I scan the digests daily on the train and usually have an answer to our designer's questions before they ask them. If I can't find an answer by searching my archives, I have enough info to ask a semi-intelligent question and get a quick response.

                 

                It would appear that the current forum format requires searching through the forums while on-line, or reading through multiple e-mails daily to find that gem of info I can save for our users. Doesn't seem very efficient and will cost me a lot more time.

                 

                Please, bring back the digests.

                 

                Gary Scott

                Landor Associates

                • 5. Re: Where are the email digests?
                  Snarky7D Community Member

                  Please add this as my vote for the daily e-mail digests. They were a wonderful way of learning from a wide range of users with different points of view.

                   

                  Boy I already miss them!

                   

                  Thanks,

                   

                  Martin

                  • 6. Re: Where are the email digests?
                    Snarky7D Community Member

                    ACK!! I thought it was like the old forums and I subscribed to several of my old favorites. I just went to look at my inbox and I already have 20 e-mails. I am going to have to unsubscribe from receiving e-mail notifications altogether.

                    • 7. Re: Where are the email digests?
                      Community Member

                      I vote to bring back the digest!

                      • 8. Re: Where are the email digests?
                        gw11 Community Member

                        I would also vote for the return of digests

                        • 9. Re: Where are the email digests?
                          Andye Community Member

                          I agree email digests are essential.

                          Please find a way to support email digests.

                          • 10. Re: Where are the email digests?
                            Snarky7D Community Member

                            I gotta admit, I am having withdrawls not getting my daily fix of the digests. It was my primary learning time and I don't have time to go trolling through the forums one by one to look for replies and new topics.

                             

                            The digest was soo much easier!!!

                            • 11. Re: Where are the email digests?
                              ilex_verticillata Community Member

                              Please bring back the digests. I turned on "email notification", built my Outlook Rules - and in only a few hours have discovered that it is not very useful to me, for the same reasons as described by the previous posters.

                               

                              The new forum is really pretty but I am struggling with how slow it is. Maybe I am spoiled with a T-1 and a relatively new PC but I just can't spend so much time simply navigating. I hope this improves with time.

                              • 12. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                dave milbut Community Member

                                and so people learn that "pretty" is wonderful, except when it's useless.

                                • 13. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                  Stan Jones CommunityMVP

                                  ilex, for a workaround, set the folder you are sending your premire stuff to for "arrange by" subject, but DO NOT group.  This is still inadequate, but I can skim through and have most topics make better sense.  Some do not sort by date, and the first post does not (no "re" in front of it).  If you can improve this, let me know.

                                   

                                  I agree - we need digests as a tool.  It is much faster to skim a half day digest (by forum), then it is to skim 200 separate emails that cannot be sorted adequately.

                                   

                                  As stated in other places, Jive should use current standards for tracking which email (i.e. topic/post) as person is responding to, and not turn the subject line into a unique identifier that defeats regular grouping by conversation/subject.  I do not, in hindsight, blame Adobe for not understanding how this would become a problem (we couldn't really test this effectively), but Jive lets Adobe down with this poor method.

                                   

                                  For those of you who weren't tracking this in the "forum on forums" about the changes ahead of time, the judgment call was made that the recent adobe forums were not sustainable.  The staff member who delivered the news had very good credibility among supporters and critics alike, and I saw no reason to argue his conclusion.  (That's John above who pu digests on the wish list.)  The problems in a previous forum change were huge problems that truly rendered the forums unusable.  I do not like several of the problems in the current forums, but I don't see anything that will result in a roll back to the previous version given the stakes as I understand them.

                                   

                                  I do not recommend discussing this here; go to those forums and read till you've seen about every possible point several times.  Then decide where to weigh in!

                                  • 14. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                    Snarky7D Community Member

                                    Personally I do not have a problem with the new forums and the layout. I just feel that the lack of e-mail digests is a "missing" feature that needs to be rectified. There is just too much traffic on most of the forums, Photoshop, Premiere, Dreamweaver etc. To keep up with your favorite topics. Besides having the digests allowed me to see comments on some threads I would never have followed and over time I found some real "nuggets" this way!

                                     

                                    Still gotta say I miss them!

                                    • 15. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                      dave milbut Community Member

                                      everyone says: "it's pretty but...", "i don't have a problem, except...", "this is fine but..."

                                       

                                      yea, that's how i like MY systems...

                                      • 16. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                        Snarky7D Community Member

                                        Sorry Dave, I don't quite follow the tone of your reply?

                                         

                                        To clarify my stance, I like the new forums!

                                         

                                        However, I have only one issue and that is that what I consider an essential feature has been removed. As such I am discinclined to use this service the way I have been (for many years).

                                         

                                        So in my opinion the ommission of this feature is not "fine"!

                                         

                                        I think that Adobe should find a way to add this feature to this forum (even though I understand the forum software does not support this feature natively).

                                         

                                        So one can only hope! =)

                                        • 17. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                          dave milbut Community Member

                                          Snarky7D wrote:

                                           

                                          Sorry Dave, I don't quite follow the tone of your reply?

                                           


                                          ok... let me help ...

                                          To clarify my stance, I like the new forums!

                                          ok, that's a start...

                                           

                                          but you quickly contradict yourself:

                                           

                                          what I consider an essential feature has been removed. As such I am discinclined to use this service the way I have been (for many years).

                                           

                                          my point was that many people have come in and said "I LOVE the new system but... " then go on to list a fatal flaw.  i've said elsewhere it doesn't matter HOW GOOD IT LOOKS IF IT DOESN'T WORK (not yelling at snarky7d, i'm yelling at adobe!)...

                                           

                                          So in my opinion the ommission of this feature is not "fine"!

                                           

                                          exactly! neither are any of the other dozen or so show stoppers! and as each one stops a certain group of users from participating the way they want, each one forces those users to other venues. and if something isn't done for each of these show stoppers THIS FORUM IS DOOMED! and the longer they wait, the more they risk not being able to get those disgruntled expert users back.

                                          • 18. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                            Snarky7D Community Member

                                            Hey Dave,

                                             

                                            Thanks for getting back to me. I follow where you are coming from now.

                                             

                                            First, I don't think I am contradicting myself in my liking of the forum layout yet being upset about the ommission of what I consider an absolutely crucial feature - the daily digest of a group -  IMO.

                                             

                                            As such while the forum is still "useable" (and I am glad to see the final integration of the Macromedia and Adobe forums). Previousely I was never able to get a Dreamweaver or Flash digest sent to me daily due to the incompatabilities between the forum software. They may have been on the same page, but they were two different systems! So when I saw that the new forum was up I went in and happily subscribed to forums such as the Dreamweaver and Flash groups expecting a daily digest.

                                             

                                            Because I did not read and because I assumed Adobe would not be arrogant enought to drop the digest feature (without consulting users), within an hour or two my mailbox was flooded with e-mails! That may be the way some people like to receive their information, but it is not for me! BTW, the only thread I am subscribed to is this one!

                                             

                                            So now not only am I unable to get a new Daily Digest of Dreamweaver, Flash etc, but my old Digests of Premiere, After Effects, Encore etc are history! And even though I think the forums are relatively well designed and laid out compared to the many other forums out there. I do not have the time or inclination to go trolling through group after group and topic after topic!

                                             

                                            So like you, I am not happy with Adobe and say to them  - your forums are too extensive for users to have to endlessly search through group after group and topic after topic to keep up-to-date with the information they need. You have made it harder to use than ever. And like Dave says, you are alientating not just expert users, but all users - who are the lifeblood of these forums and many have spent countless hours providing a valuable contribution and support to others (like myself)!! These forums have been invaluable especially when you have released buggy products with issues as users can provide feedback, solutions and workarounds much quicker than your Adobe Updater.

                                             

                                            Oh, BTW Dave, I am curious, what are your other showstopper issues with the forum besides the lack of a digest? I have just plain not used the forums whatsoever (besides this topic) since the changeover and I am wondering what an expert user like you has found out.

                                             

                                            Cheers,

                                             

                                            Martin

                                            • 19. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                              Mark A. Boyd Community Member

                                              Snarky7D wrote:

                                               

                                              Oh, BTW Dave, I am curious, what are your other showstopper issues with the forum besides the lack of a digest? I have just plain not used the forums whatsoever (besides this topic) since the changeover and I am wondering what an expert user like you has found out.

                                               

                                              Rather than contaminating this topic with such an extensive list, you might want to read Forum Comments

                                               

                                              But, as you implied, who has the time? I don't care much for digests, but I hope to use the email system when/if they get it hammered into compliance. It seems to me that while they're working in that section of the code, it is the opportune time to work on implementing a digest.

                                              • 20. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                dave milbut Community Member
                                                , I am curious, what are your other showstopper issues

                                                 

                                                my biggies are

                                                1. lack of ability to return to last read post in a thread
                                                2. when using the back button and not on page 1 of the topic list, you're dumped back to page one - makes it impossible to read posts beyond the 1st page.
                                                3. the speed and responsivness of the current forums vs. the old forums.
                                                4. the fact that the right hand column goes away when you go into reply/post mode. this causes the scroll bar and the width of the reply box to go off screen for me becuase i browse with the page zoomed in so the right hand column is scrolled off the page. either leave the right hand column there when you got to reply to a post, or remove it when viewing the topic list, but don't change it so that the screen jumps all over depending on whether you're reading or posting!
                                                5. wasted space on the page on frivolities like "similar threads" and points and numbers of posts and icons/avatars. (not as big a deal for me as 1-4).

                                                 

                                                dave

                                                • 21. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                  Kath-H Community Member

                                                  Don't make me turn this forum around! Stop with the repetition!

                                                   

                                                  I'm going to mostly skim over what looks like the same ol' same ol' from the same people who have said it all before. In the process, I may well miss something important... but that's the risk I have to take to get through it all.

                                                  http://forums.adobe.com/message/1921196#1921196

                                                  • 22. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                    Nini Tjäder Community Member

                                                    Please reinstate them. Until there are Digests I am out of all Adobe forums. Don't have the time to followiw by visiting and cannot stand individiual mails as they are too many. Digests with a settable time between digests ariving (as in the old Forum) is a much better solution.

                                                    • 23. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                      ilex_verticillata Community Member

                                                      >>> ilex, for a workaround, set the folder you are sending your premire stuff to for "arrange by" subject, but DO NOT group.  This is still inadequate, but I can skim through and have most topics make better sense.  Some do not sort by date, and the first post does not (no "re" in front of it).  If you can improve this, let me know.

                                                       

                                                       

                                                      Stan, thanks for the tip. You are right, it is better, but only marginally.

                                                       

                                                      All the subject lines begin "[SPAM][InDesign]" and coupled with the post ID code tacked on the end, it is UGLY.

                                                       

                                                       

                                                      I am going to really miss following the forums.

                                                      • 24. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                        laszloacs Community Member

                                                        Ditto - I'm with Nini on this - I'm unsubbing from all forums.  Without the digests, I am frustrated with all the extra work I'm needing to do and still not getting a reasonable workaround.  Put in my vote for Jive Forum application to provide a Digest option! (methinks I'll pop over to their web presence and find a place to poke 'em on this topic - I'm sure they have a forum...)

                                                         

                                                        daLizard

                                                        • 25. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                          Erez9 9Kaplan8 Community Member

                                                          Please do bring back email digests ASAP.

                                                          • 26. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                            laszloacs Community Member

                                                            From all the comments I've gathered here and a number of other threads;

                                                            it appears this functionality is simply not going to

                                                            happen.  Part of the problem, apparently, was in the adoption of the

                                                            ClearSpace platform where the digest function was removed - at least

                                                            that's what I've been led to believe from the plethora of conversations

                                                            we've had.

                                                            • 27. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                              Stan Jones CommunityMVP

                                                              laszloacs wrote:

                                                               

                                                              From all the comments I've gathered here and a number of other threads;

                                                              it appears this email digests functionality is simply not going to

                                                              happen.  Part of the problem, apparently, was in the adoption of the

                                                              ClearSpace platform where the digest function was removed - at least

                                                              that's what I've been led to believe from the plethora of conversations

                                                              we've had.

                                                               

                                                              Can you point us to the comments that say this is not going to happen?  An early post in this thread, John added it to a wish list.

                                                              • 28. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                                laszloacs Community Member

                                                                I am not gonna make any presumptuous announcements attesting to arcane powers used to gain knowledge about the why and wherefore reasons there is no DIGEST function in this forum Adobe adopted.  There is no ONE thread...  This thread is one in which I posted while doing research after getting frustrated with the plethora of emails flooding my email client - even after changing all the rules and getting more and more frustrated with the loss of functionality I had gotten SO used to.  I spent some time searching for a solution and eventually decided my best solution was to simply close my subscriptions and stop the madness.

                                                                 

                                                                On another forum, after I made a couple of posts of my findings from the "Jive Software Forums" on Jive's website, another user wrote of his own digging into the digest functionality of this software adopted by the all-powerful Adobe (said with a sarcastic tone).  See: http://forums.adobe.com/message/1928474#1928474

                                                                 

                                                                Then peruse that thread for more a little more info - or embark on your own adventure into Jive's ClearSpace (Google it...) and report on findings, write a blog and post a link

                                                                 

                                                                Eventually, after quite some time and fruitless (depending on how you define fruity) effort; you may come to agree with my assertion made in my previous post. To wit, "... it appears this /email digests functionality is simply not going to happen."

                                                                 

                                                                G'day mate...

                                                                • 29. Re: Where are the email digests?
                                                                  Stan Jones CommunityMVP

                                                                  Thanks for the link.  To keep the bottom line here as well, the other thread contains this response on 4/29/09 from John Cornicello, who put digest on a wish list above.  John says, "I just checked in with Jive about email digests. Here is my question and their repsonse:"

                                                                   

                                                                  Instead of just individual email notifications, are email digests available in Jive Clearspace? I seem to recall that they were in Jive Forums. But I have not seen this option in Clearspace. Curious...

                                                                   

                                                                  Thanks!

                                                                   

                                                                  John

                                                                   

                                                                  Hey John,

                                                                   

                                                                  Unfortunately, nothing like this exists in Clearspace. I believe they were removed from the codebase when Clearspace was being built for technical reasons.

                                                                  John, is that the bottom line?  A pretty lame reason for not adding digests back to their system.