How to know when a diary is updated
We’ve had this question posed a couple of times so here is a definitive answer that should walk anyone through the process to use the Notify List system that is built into Dear Diary.
Any references to the FAQ shown below you should be able to get to by just clicking the ‘FAQ’ button at the top of the screen.
Diarists:
How do I enable the notify list for my diary so that others can subscribe to it, and be emailed when I update?
The short answer is in FAQ 3.3
Enabling the menu as described in the FAQ is done as follows:
Log in to your diary and click on Customise in the top right hand corner.
From the three options presented, click on ‘General Diary Options’ and this will reveal a number of other options.
Select ‘Menu Bar Editor’ and scroll down a little, you should see a number of options with checkboxes next to them and a description.
The option you are interested in has a description of ‘If you want users to be able to subscribe to a mailing list that only you can post to in order to tell them when a new entry has been added to your diary then you need to enable this option.‘. Tick the box next to it and set the text to whatever you would like (the Default is ‘Notify List’) to be shown on the menu itself, this is what your readers will click on.
Scroll all the way down and click SAVE and it will send the updates back to the server. If you now view the menu on your diary you should see the new option has appeared.
If your menu bar is not visible then you can go to various places to make it visible (depending on which screens you want to make it visible). These places are:
Screen Settings / Welcome Page / ‘Show Menu Bar’
Screen Settings / Main Index / General Settings / ‘Show Menu Bar’
Screen Settings / Diary Entries / General Settings / ‘Show Menu Bar’
Some diarists prefer not to have a menu bar on the entries to make sure there is the maximum room possible for the entry itself and only put the menu bar on the index and welcome screens – for example.
By now, you, the diarist, should have a Notify List option on your menu (or whatever you called it). If you can’t see it or still don’t follow what to do then drop us a line and we’ll see what’s wrong.
Readers:
I’m enjoying a diary but I want to know whenever it is updated so I don’t miss anything!
The short answer is in FAQ 4.1
You need to see if that diarist has a Notify List menu option. First, make sure you can see the menu itself (they may or may not have menu’s, some diarists have even removed the menu from all screens!) and then look down it for something that looks likely. As a hint to help you look, the URL that it will go to will include ‘publicnotifymanager.cgi’. Most people will generally use something quite obvious though, such as ‘Notify List’, ‘Stay up to date!’, ‘Notify Me!’ and so forth.
If you don’t find it, contact the diarist and point them to this news entry and ask if they would mind putting a Notify List menu option up – some people don’t have them because they specifically don’t want them however.
If you have found it then clicking on it will bring you to a screen that asks you for your email address.
Enter your email address carefully into the box provided and click Proceed.
The system will now immediately send you an email to the address you gave, this is to stop people subscribing ‘unwilling’ people. The email will contain a URL for you to click on, either cut and paste it into your browser or click on it (some browsers may line-break the URL and this may then stop it working, in this case just cut and paste it yourself).
When you click on the URL this is your way of completing the process, you have validated that you have access to the email account and this is all the proof we need that we’re not going to start spamming some poor person!
That’s it! You’re on the notify list.
I’m on a notify list, how do I get off it!?!?
Short answer in FAQ 4.2
Follow precisely the same procedure as for getting on to a Notify List, the system will automatically detect that the email address you gave is currently on the Notify List and will send a confirmation email to you requesting that you confirm the unsubscription. Again, click the link in the email (or cut and paste it if you have problems) and the system will remove you.
If you have any problems with any stage of the above then please do email us and we’ll do our best to help!
Matt.