New Messaging System Coming Soon

Hi all,

We've got a new exciting feature improvement to announce regarding the 'Mailbox' which we are due to update over the next coming weeks.

As technology progresses, so does our habits and the way that we interact with one another online.  This has advanced us forward to overhauling the mailbox into a new messaging system which will make it much easier to communicate with other members (and also groups of members).  Those familiar with mobile messaging services like WhatsApp and iMessage will be the most accustomed to these changes.

In summary:

- All of your messages to another member will be combined into a single message.

- Manage all of your album invites and friend requests all in one place.

- Quickly search through your message history.

- For the first time, you can now create 'Group Message' so you can communicate with several members at the same time.

- You can easily see your online friends for a quick chat.

- Effortlessly browse your messages without having to change pages.

- Plus many more features to discover.

Being able to communicate with other members is one of the most important features that we can have on the site, which is why we've put in lots of effort to ensure that this is as best as it can be for you.  Simplicity is the key, which is why we've streamlined communication from one into one simple message (no longer will you need to spend time tracking back through old messages).

Considering that now over 65% of our members use the site on a mobile and tablet (which is still steadily growing), we've copied traits of the main mobile messaging services and prioritised our design for mobile devices.  For everyone, we've made sure that it's quick and easy to check your messages without changing the page and losing track of where you were (or who you were checking out!).

Here's a sneak peak of what's to come: 

Desktop:

Mobile: 

Group messages:

To help answer any common questions:

- What happens to all of my existing messages?

Once we update the site to the new messaging system, it will take some time for us to migrate all of your existing messages over into the new format.  Rest assured no messages will be lost during this process; they will all be combined into a single message and shown on your account shortly.  Until the migration is complete, the old mailbox will still be available.

- Can I opt out and keep the old format?

After the migration has been completed, the old faithful mailbox will be permanently retired.

- What has happened to the Messenger?

The messenger has been a great servant to us all, but has unfortunately reached the end of life.  The new messaging feature will now take over as the primary way to quickly message other members.

- Can I still block members?

The existing privacy options will still be available on the new messaging system.

- What if I don't want to be included in a group message?

If you do not want to be part of a group message, you can easily leave and remove yourself from that group.

- Can I still have separate messages with the same user?

Now that the new message system combines all of your messages with one user, there is no longer the option to have separate messages with the same user.  You should find that it is now much easier to keep track of your communication history.

- If it's not broken, don't fix it?

As creatures of habit, we don't like change.  We all get nostalgic and often say we prefer the old ways, but we assure you that once you are familiar with the way the new messaging system works and how quick it is, you won't want to look back.

• Have any suggestions?

We love hearing feedback and constructive criticism.  Once you're familiar with how the new messaging system works, please feel free to drop us a message and let us know what you like and what else you think we can improve.

• What other changes can we expect to see?

You may have noticed that we've been fairly quiet updating a few other areas of the site, such as stories and groups.  As we progress through the year, we've got plenty more improvements up our sleeves to update more areas of the site.  Profiles, chatroom, gallery and searches - there's plenty more to come!

Thanks for reading.

Sounds excellent. The inability to message more than one user at a time has caused me frustration. And some of these other features are ones I have had on other sites, including my own, for years. Looking forward to it.

NOT looking forward to this

What about those who ARE NOT FAMILIAR with iMessage or Whatsapp?

Guess they get left out in the cold when it comes to chatting with friends.

Taking away the ability to chat with friends sucks rocks

Quote by DenimAngel

NOT looking forward to this

What about those who ARE NOT FAMILIAR with iMessage or Whatsapp?

Guess they get left out in the cold when it comes to chatting with friends.

Taking away the ability to chat with friends sucks rocks

Anything is an improvement over the current messaging and PM systems in this software. I hardly use private messages here for that reason. Frankly, this sounds rather like conversations in the Xenforo software I use so likely to be better.

And I don't see how this system will make it harder to chat with friends. It's basically impossible in the current system and this one sounds like it will enable it again.

Quote by Mendalla

Quote by DenimAngel

NOT looking forward to this

What about those who ARE NOT FAMILIAR with iMessage or Whatsapp?

Guess they get left out in the cold when it comes to chatting with friends.

Taking away the ability to chat with friends sucks rocks

Anything is an improvement over the current messaging and PM systems in this software. I hardly use private messages here for that reason. Frankly, this sounds rather like conversations in the Xenforo software I use so likely to be better.

And I don't see how this system will make it harder to chat with friends. It's basically impossible in the current system and this one sounds like it will enable it again.

Harder because I'm not familiar with Whatsapp or imessage so I guess my time might be up ... Sorry

I just absolutely hate change especially involving having to learn something new without any kind of tutorial or instructions. But that's just me ..

Quote by DenimAngel

Harder because I'm not familiar with Whatsapp or imessage so I guess my time might be up ... Sorry

It will be like text messages, and if you haven’t texted someone before, the way you send a message will pretty much be the same.

There will be a place to enter your message like a text box, much like now. Then there will be a button you press to send the message and it will be viewable to you and the receiver.

This will mostly affect how the messages are presented, add a search function, and will lose the ability to send multiple messages to the same person under separate subject lines. The search function should help with finding topics discussed and help limit the need for starting multiple message threads with the same individual.

We will also gain the function to have group chats and send messages to multiple people, which even the old site struggled with - as when you sent a message to multiple recipients, they couldn’t send something to everyone back and would have to know who else got the message and manually input the recipients one at a time manually.

And as stated here or elsewhere, any unwanted group chats can easily be opted out of by leaving the group.

Hopefully the updates also help with the load time, which is one of the reasons I’ve had to start new threads on stories space 2.

Might be wonky syncing the old ones though since many threads happened simultaneously but were about different subjects lol.

One thing I’d love to see down the line for desktop is to be able to have the message function run at the same time while browsing stories and the forums so a conversation(s) could happen while doing other things on the site. :)

Thanks for all the work in helping make the site better. :)

Quote by Violet_the_Verbose

Quote by DenimAngel

Harder because I'm not familiar with Whatsapp or imessage so I guess my time might be up ... Sorry

It will be like text messages, and if you haven’t texted someone before, the way you send a message will pretty much be the same.

There will be a place to enter your message like a text box, much like now. Then there will be a button you press to send the message and it will be viewable to you and the receiver.

This will mostly affect how the messages are presented, add a search function, and will lose the ability to send multiple messages to the same person under separate subject lines. The search function should help with finding topics discussed and help limit the need for starting multiple message threads with the same individual.

We will also gain the function to have group chats and send messages to multiple people, which even the old site struggled with - as when you sent a message to multiple recipients, they couldn’t send something to everyone back and would have to know who else got the message and manually input the recipients one at a time manually.

And as stated here or elsewhere, any unwanted group chats can easily be opted out of by leaving the group.

Hopefully the updates also help with the load time, which is one of the reasons I’ve had to start new threads on stories space 2.

Might be wonky syncing the old ones though since many threads happened simultaneously but were about different subjects lol.

One thing I’d love to see down the line for desktop is to be able to have the message function run at the same time while browsing stories and the forums so a conversation(s) could happen while doing other things on the site. :)

Thanks for all the work in helping make the site better. :)

I'm sure the update will be great for those who do group chats and group emails. :)

Any update on when it's being deployed here? I know it's up at the other place.

We are just working through a few "quirks", but hope to have it fully rolled out this week

I wish Admin would sort out some of the more important problems here, such as notifications.