This task represents the work involved with introducing ways for people to become automatically subscribed to topics and by extension, being notified when new comments are posted in said "topics."
//Note: the key difference between automatic and manual topic subscriptions is the actions people take to become subscribed to receive notifications about new comments in specific sections.//
=== Objective and theory of change
**Objective**
This work is intended to increase the likelihood Junior and Senior Contributors know when someone is talking to them.
**Theory of change**
We think that:
- //If// people can decide to automatically receive notifications when new comments are posted in topics they've participated in...
- //Then// they will be able to more easily and quickly identify comments requiring a response
- //...and// be more likely to respond to those comments in a timely manner.
=== Background
We've run multiple usability tests with Junior Contributors throughout the design and development of different #discussiontools features. As part of these tests, we've asked participants – when applicable – how they would expect to know when someone responds to something they have said on a talk page.
All of the participants who answered this question have stated that they expected to automatically receive some kind of notification. This work is a direct response to these findings. //More details in T273908.//
=== User stories
- As a Junior or Senior Contributor who is starting a new discussion on a talk page that is not my own user talk page, I want to immediately be made aware when another person says something in said discussion, so that I can seize an opportunity to talk with another person who may have valuable information to share about a topic/question/idea/decision/etc. I have expressed an interest in.
- As a Junior Contributor or Senior Contributor who commented in a discussion on a talk page that is not my own user talk page, I want to be made aware when another person says something in said discussion, so that I can know about new information people have to share about the topic/question/idea/etc. I have expressed an interest in.
=== Requirements
**Meta**
- Platforms: mobile and desktop
- The editing interface people are using to start a new discussion or post a new comment should NOT impact their ability to automatically be subscribed to a topic.
- The software should continue considering a discussion/conversation to be any `== H2 ==` section that exists on pages used for hosting conversations (e.g. talk pages, pages in `wgExtraSignatureNamespaces` namespaces...more in T249036).
- No new comment notifications should be sent for comments authored by users the would-be recipient has muted in `Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-echo` > `Muted users`
//Note: the functionality should be implemented in such a way that in a future iteration it will be easy for the software to offer people the ability to change what conversations they are and are not automatically subscribed to on a conversation-by-conversation basis.//
**Initiating a subscription**
- For people who have automatic topic subscriptions enabled, they should be automatically subscribed to a topic after taking either of the following actions:
-- 1) Posting a comment in a discussion they are not already subscribed to
-- 2) Starting a new discussion
- After "1)", people should see the `[ subscribe ]` affordance on the page turn into `[ unsubscribed ]`
**Being made aware of automatic subscription**
- The **first time** someone is automatically subscribed to a conversation, they should be made aware:
-- They will receive a notification if/when someone posts a new comment in that discussion
-- Where they can adjust whether they are automatically subscribed to discussions they participate in the future
**Notification delivery/receipt**
//In general, new comment notifications initiated via an **automatic** subscription should be delivered in the same ways they are when initiated via **manual** subscriptions (T263820).//
- Notifications about new comments in sections people are subscribed to should appear in Notices
**Managing automatic subscription behavior**
- The setting that controls the channels through which new comment notifications are delivered should continue to be: `Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-echo` > `Talk page subscription`
- People should be able to enable/disable being automatically subscribed from all conversations they start and/or comment in within `Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-editing` --> `Discussion pages`
=== Open questions
- [ ] 1. What happens in cases where someone responds to the authors of two separate comments [in the same section] without tagging either of them? //See the example @Tacsipacsi described in T254263#6334962 //.
- [ ] ~~2. How do we ensure people are aware that automatic topic subscriptions exist and understand how they can enable/disable the feature?~~
-- This question is now represented as a requirement within the `**Initiating a subscription** portion of the `===Requirements` section above and it will be "answered" through the user experience design which will fulfill this requirement.
- [ ] ~~3. Where is the preference for automatically subscribing to topics surfaced?~~ //This will be answered in T281017.//
- [ ] ~~4. How – if at all – might the existing `Watch this page` setting within the two tools' `Advanced` shelves impact peoples' understandings of what notifications they will receive from conversations they've participated in and/or started?~~
-- This is a question we will not prioritize answering at this time. Instead, we will revisit it if/when people express confusion/uncertainty about how the `Watch this page` checkbox relates to topic subscriptions.
- [x] 5. Is there an override whereby you can opt-out of automatic subscriptions on a per-conversation basis? //More in: T281017.//
-- To start, there will not be. Instead, people will have two options for managing automatic topic subscriptions:
--- 1. They will be able to opt-out of being automatically subscribed to conversations entirely by adjusting a to-be created preference in `Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-editing`
---- 2. They will be able to unsubscribe to conversations they have automatically been subscribed to by clicking the `[ unsubscribe ]` affordance that will accompany all talk page conversations
-- If the two options above prove to be insufficient, we will explore offering people more granular control over the conversations they are and are not automatically subscribed to (e.g. exposing a setting within the Reply and New Discussion Tools themselves).
- [x] 6. For people who have automatic topic subscriptions enabled, is it possible for the "state" of the `[ subscribe ]` affordance to change upon them publishing a comment to said section?
-- @Esanders confirmed this is possible. I've updated the `**Initiating a subscription**` portion of the `===Requirements` above to reflect this.
- [ ] 7. Is it possible for the "Automatic topic subscription" setting (exact name TBD) to be visible such that the two things below are true?
-- A) The "Automatic topic subscription" setting is only visible to people //if// the `Enable topic subscription` settings is **enabled**
-- B) The "Automatic topic subscription" setting appears to people as //if// it is a "sub-setting" of the `Enable topic subscription` setting
=== Done
- [ ] All `Open questions` are answered
- [ ] All `Requirements` are implemented
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