Private messaging

[A Former User]

Hi, I was wondering what the current status is of Private Messages. Are they still being considered?

[Nicolas]

@Jur512

Chats 1-on-1 === Private Messaging. But in real time and more convenient way.

[HolyPhoenix]

Yeah, I don't even see this as a feature request. Nodebb has a pm system already. I think it could be expanded upon to make it better (multiple participants, inbox & other folders), but I don't think writing a completely separate message system is the answer.

[A Former User]

@Nicolas said:

@Jur512

Chats 1-on-1 === Private Messaging. But in real time and more convenient way.

It's not more convenient than PMs for me; I miss the ability to quote in messages (helpful when you're exchanging relatively long, technical messages) and separate threads (helpful if you're having multiple discussion with someone).

With the current Chat implementation, everything is put into one window. That's great for quick WhatApp-like conversations, but not great for sending private messages, I think.

[Nicolas]

@Jur512

Interesting. For me current implementation of chats is so much-much better than Private Messages (in IPB for example)

[psychobunny]

The ability to quote messages could be added, I think that would be relatively easy to do... just need to think of the right UX to do so

[faizanzahid]

Is there anyway for mods or admin to read the user's private messages?

[NickBailey]

@faizanzahid said in Private messaging:

Is there anyway for mods or admin to read the user's private messages?

Would also be interested in this as we may need to moderate user's interactions when they are behaving poorly toward one another.

[scottalanmiller]

@julian said in Private messaging:

In the interest of not hammering people with emails every time something happens, I think a daily email is better, but perhaps an exception could be made for chat messages.

Spiceworks had a good model for this. Polar opposite of what NodeBB does today.

NodeBB does a simple "IM" system (similar to XMPP or something.) We definitely do NOT want constant emails about the current message system. Daily round up is good.

Spiceworks went the other route, it's like email inside the system. So you generally DO want it to email you when you get a message (and to include the message in the email) because it's a one to one response thing. It's almost just a view into someone's email.

Both are great to have. One is for "conversations". The other is like email for people who don't know each other well enough to know each other's emails.

[scottalanmiller]

@faizanzahid said in Private messaging:

Is there anyway for mods or admin to read the user's private messages?

Not without poking into the database.

[scottalanmiller]

@NickBailey said in Private messaging:

@faizanzahid said in Private messaging:

Is there anyway for mods or admin to read the user's private messages?

Would also be interested in this as we may need to moderate user's interactions when they are behaving poorly toward one another.

I would think that to do this you would want one of the users in the conversation to have a "Report Conversation" button. When pressed, it would say "By pressing this, you acknowledge that you are sending a copy of this conversation to a community moderator and the contents of this private communication will be exposed to a third party." Then, once pressed, the admin either gets emailed a record, or gets an interface to view the record, or maybe gets added as a transparent (or not transparent) third party to the "room".