This topic comes up a few times per year and it’s always the same conclusion. Comparing messaging on this site to text or messaging apps is like comparing dial-up to high speed fiber optics. They both “work”, one just works way better.
<p><a href="https://www.swinglifestyle.com/profile/lookup.cfm?usercode=13157194">irishrose22</a>,</p>
<p>Yes, I understand what he means. I understand we are talking about two different things. "Real-time" has nothing whatsoever to do with email notifications and push notifications. The site does not currently have either one of those external notification system. Both of those systems are problamatic. Push notifications require the use of a 3rd party. A company like Google, Apple or Microsoft. Email notifications are not reliable. SLS does not validate email addresses (it is optional now). Someone could use a fake email address like "blah@blah.com". Someone could use their neighbor's or any random person's email address. When we did have notifications, that caused 10's of millions of emails to bounce back. That was 10's of millions of times that one of you thought the other member was notified and they were not.</p>
<p>With that being said, we are working on new systems. One update is that we will most likely start requiring valid email addresses. </p>
I think what Mr. Italian means by "real time" and push notifications is that if you are not actively in the app or on the web browser, there is not a notification that a message has been sent...like when you get a txt message or any other messaging apps where that feature is set up.
<p>By "real time" I mean it updates the instant you get a new, unread message. You do not have to do anything. If you are in these forums just reading a post on the screen and someone sends you a message, a number in a red circle will immediately start showing at the top of your page and the flying bird will show. The same thing happens on the mobile app except you do not see a bird. You get a pop-up type message box at the top of the app that asks you if you want to go and read that message.</p>
I think there’s some confusion as to what constitutes “real time” notifications. The site will give an IM waiting message if we refresh the page or open the messages tab. That’s NOT a real time notification. Same with the app. There’s no push notifications or anything. If I’m not in the SLS app I don’t see any notification of a message. It’s been this way for years. So unless I’m missing a setting or something I’m not sure what’s meant by the post claiming the feature was turned on a while ago. We just chalk it up to how the site works and check in randomly to see if anything is awaiting then respond when they show up.
I learned quickly that I seldom get notified of a message.
I just click the message tab a few times a day.
It doesn't bother me.
I suppose if I was waiting for an answer because we were making arrangements to meet and waiting to see what plans I need to make ,it would be annoying. But by that point I would have already switched to the cell for text/calls anyway.
The missing bird has been an intermittent thing for a long while.
We got in the habit of clicking on the message tab every time we log in.
"The real-time notification for unread messages was turned back on months ago. Apparently, it did have an issue for a few days this past week (which no one reported, that I am aware of). "
Nope. My accounts stopped showing notifications in real time while we were in New Orleans, so 7/8-7/13. Not sure yet about today, but yesterday I still had to log in or click the message tabs for it to update, unless I also had a tab open with an SLS messages screen.
No, I didn't report it. Your developers should have real time error reporting for every segment of user experience and if they don't, it's not my problem. I've long been used to substandard performance here being the norm and more of the same is like oh, look, water is wet.
Thanks Wayne. I rarely (if ever) have an issue with a message getting lost. The thing that is missing for me is an audible "ding" when I get a new message like I would with a text. I otherwise can leave my laptop logged in if I'm expecting a message, however there is also the thing where the inactivity timer will log you out. Again, this is not an issue with a simple text.
Nice to know that message polling is re-enabled. Not sure if there was any sort of notification that this was fixed, but if there was I obviously missed it.
BTW - Thanks for pinning the "Generic Profile Info" topic to the top of the Better Profile forum. I don't mind helping people with their profiles but it does get old when you offer the same advice over and over again. Perhaps that will help.
<p><a href="https://www.swinglifestyle.com/profile/lookup.cfm?usercode=50284075">mayhem8</a>,</p>
<p>The real-time notification for unread messages was turned back on months ago. Apparently, it did have an issue for a few days this past week (which no one reported, that I am aware of). That was fixed yesterday. The IM socket was also down Sunday night until Monday morning. We corrected that issue and it should not happen again. That was about 12 hours out of about 7 years that the new system has been in place.</p>
<p>I am quality control for this website and I consider the message system completely reliable. I hate problems and I love figuring them out and solving them and I am good at it, which is why I am in the position. Over the years, I have sent 1000's of test message and none disappear. Our developers and other staff members have sent messages and none disappear. We cannot fix a problem that does not exist for us. </p>
<p>If any of you are having messages disappear, you have to send a ticket using the "Bugs / Technical" category so that I can work with you and try to figure out why. You have to help me help you. One of you is going to have to put in some time and documentation to give me enough data that I can recreate the issue.</p>
The key words in that last post were - "...any sort of real time communication". Once upon a time if you got a message (SLS email actually) you'd get a flying bird indicator to let you know you have new mail. As I recall, SLS's IM at the time also had an audible "ding" if you got a new message.
Now, you only see new messages when you log in unless you randomly click on the messages link after you log in. Like others, we exchange cell numbers when a meeting is planned. That is the kind of real-time communication that people are looking for that is not provided on SLS. If it was, people wouldn't be as likely to even bother with 3rd party apps.
I mean we’d love to see a fully featured and reliable messaging option right here on the site. Until then it’s almost necessary to move off site for any sort of real time communication. That’s simply the reality of it unless you have time to babysit the site and constantly refresh/reload the message tab
If and/or when we get comfortable enough with a couple or single after communicating here, we will exchange cell numbers. If somehow we completely misjudged the person(s) and they are assholes or not what they appeared to be, it's pretty simple to block their number later if needed. For many years we also had an email addy we used just for swinging, but honestly we have not bothered with using it for a few years now. This has been quite successful for us without getting any third party apps like KIK or whatever.
When I got a new phone, not all the apps transferred and I just realized Kik was one of them. It was mostly spambots and ads that locked up my screen. Now I give out an old email address or G's phone number (because it doesn't lead anywhere, unlike mine).
The messaging system here isn't reliable enough for time sensitive information.
All things being equal, we'd prefer to keep our lifestyle communications on the web site that we are chatting to members on. That doesn't work here because the messaging systems is simply unreliable. It goes down, you don't get message alert birds, messages get chopped into smaller messages, and older messages get dropped off. We've not encountered these issues on other lifestyle web sites we are on. kik is quirky and loaded with spam. We've chatted with people on Telegram. Just haven't found a great messaging app we can use provable;y for lifestyle messages, but we're certainly;y open to suggestions.
We occasionally use kik. But it is so difficult. Potential LS friends say they are texting but nothing shows up. We have to search on them to find their messages and it's not clear why kik won't display them. We barely use it now it's so sorry.
it's not the same as group chat when the message don't indicate who is talking. Messaging here has always been very weak. The only thing worse is the antiquated forums.
<p>If you are a couple, you can both login from different devices and use the message system. You both can pull up the chat of another person and all 3 (or 4 if they do the same thing) of you can talk at once, so that is the same as group chat. </p>
<p>You can share all public and private pictures using the message system. We do not allow the sharing of personal pictures based on our understanding of the FOSTA laws. Also, more and more states (I believe 19) have laws restricting explicit content on the internet.</p>
MDCpl,
I can’t agree with that at all. The ads on KIK are beyond annoying. They are an insulting waste of time. Some of those ads will lock up my phone for 10 or 20 seconds at a time.
I still have Kik for the two or three couples we know that still use it, but our preference is for Signal, Telegram, or any other similar app with end to end encryption
We hate using the platform because of no notifications and you can't easily share additional pics and you can't create a group chat. Yes, the ads on Kik are a little annoying, but it's easy to overlook to have the benefits mentioned above. And it's free and totally anonymous. Until SLS gets notifications working, Kik is more 1st choice.
Kik is pretty dead now, but gained in popularity when the message system.here was completely unreliable. You'd send a message and it'd vanish into SLS limbo. It's gotten much more reliable with the biggest issue being no notifications still.
The other reason some still use it or other outside means is that allows for group chat so couples can have all 4 people can be on the same page.
Exactly HOP!
We get many messages here via the SLS site so never a need to venture to another source until we've actually chatted/meet up.
I should have clarified. There's been a stream of folks asking to exchange cell #s immediately upon reaching out to us. In most cases they haven't even told us their names yet.
In almost all cases these folks are relatively new to the site but have a cert or 2 so we assume their not scammers.
I don't mind exchanging cell #'s if a meeting is eminant, but until then, just using communication on the platform is fine by me. A lot of times people are also looking for more pictures and the whole point in having a profile is so that I don't have to go through and exchange all that info all over again.
We also do not need to see nude pics to know if there's enough interest in meeting people. We don't use KIK, but I assume it allows you to send pics.
