Matt BlazeNov 25, 2023

Periodic reminder that the "Direct Message" / "Private Mention" function here is dangerously broken with confusing semantics.

- Anyone mentioned *anywhere* in the body of a PM gets a copy.

- "Disabling" PMs in your profile merely means YOU never see messages sent to you; senders can still send them, with no error indication.

- Nothing is encrypted, which means administrators on any instance that processes a message can see them.

I strongly recommend using something else for private messages.

Show threadSuzanne Aldrich (she/her)Nov 25, 2023
@mattblaze It's so crazy to me how badly this was designed. It pretty much fits nobody's conception of what a "direct message" or "private mention" could possibly mean. How is this feature supposed to be useful? Did nobody attempt to plot out how it might get used or thought about by users? #UXFail #DesignFailures
Show threadMatt BlazeNov 25, 2023
@suzannealdrich It violates well understood usability and safety design principles (e.g., least surprise). Just a trash fire.
Show threadsleepysafNov 25, 2023
@mattblaze @suzannealdrich And yet i still somehow meet people who think it makes perfect sense and is intuitive.
idgi
Show threadcraftycat
@sleepysaf @mattblaze @suzannealdrich I got a private mention on my first day here, meaning I very quickly understood how it operates. I think maybe people in servers that welcome the rookies have a better understanding of it because we were exposed to the function immediately.
Nov 25, 2023 at 8:33amWeb