Choosing between email and stream notifications

You can receive notifications in Inbox and on email. Here you can find details about choosing when and how you want to be notified about new activity in your streams and when you don't.

Stream and Inbox notifications

You can keep track of activity in your community without ever leaving the community page through notifications in your Inbox and through streams.

Inbox notifications: When you collaborate on content in your community, you're automatically notified in your Inbox when updates are made to that content.
Stream notifications: If there is content that you want to watch but have not directly collaborated on, you can follow it in a stream. When there is new activity in your streams, such as likes, comments, edits or new content, you can see an indicator dot next to the stream name on your News or Home page. If you hover over the indicator, you can see a count of new activity for that stream since you last viewed it.

Tip: Relying on these notifications can save you time and cut down on your emails.

Email notifications

If you want to receive email notifications, do so prudently. You may find that you rapidly accumulate hundreds of email messages in a busy community, since you may get an email every time that stream is updated.

To receive emails in addition to Inbox and stream notifications,

Go to your avatar > Preferences.
Select Yes for Receive email or mobile notifications when there is activity in the community?.
Select Email next to your Inbox or streams.

Note: The option to change your email notification preferences may be unavailable in your community.

Examples of email notification strategies

Here are some email notification strategies:

Note: The options to change your email and Inbox notification preferences may be unavailable in your community.

Not receive any email notifications: You won't receive notifications on email. All update notifications you will receive in the community.
- On your Preferences page, select No in Receive email or mobile notifications when there is activity in the community?.
Receive emails for the News Digest only. You can change the frequency that you receive this digest from the drop-down list. For more information, see News Digest.
- On your Preferences page, select Yes in Receive notifications?, and select Email for News Digest.
Create an Email Watches stream and follow only critical items. This stream can be helpful when you're away from the community for a few days or if you want to watch something that you haven't directly collaborated on. For more information, see Creating custom streams.
- On your Preferences page, select Yes in Receive email or mobile notifications when there is activity in the community? and select Email for that stream.
Change the frequency of your email notifications. Instead of receiving an email for every update, you can receive a digest of updates.
- On your Preferences page, select Yes in Receive email or mobile notifications when there is activity in the community? and select one of the summary options from the list next to your Inbox and streams.