Topic: [Feature] Taking advantage of e621's greatest strength (Collaboration + Subscriptions)

Posted under Site Bug Reports & Feature Requests

Requested feature overview description.

DeviantART allows you to receive submissions from groups that collect them. In the same way as if an artist that they've subscribed to, has their work appear in their feed like on furaffinity. The equivalent of 'groups' for e621 are 'sets'. A 'set' is a collection of artworks that have a central theme or common feature. This is different from a 'pool' which ties together submissions that were divided up into parts (A continuation of a single piece).

e621 has an advantage over DeviantART and other sites in that it's members collaborate by selecting artworks from different websites, including DeviantART itself, and linking them here in one place. If this site allowed people to subscribe (Watch) a set so that a folder appears on their profile, this website would greatly increase its visitor and user-base.

Why would it be useful?

  • A 'set' on e621 would become a subscription to several artists, across several websites.
  • Instead of subscribing to an artist, users will be receiving art that is based around a specific theme. This also allows them to filter through the types of posts they receive.

What part(s) of the site page(s) are affected?

The format and locations of buttons / boxes will be up to the website editor to decide. The folders containing the 'set' folders can be located in their profile. This would allow people visiting their profile page to see what sets they've subscribed to, unless the website designer opts to hide them.

Would the admins like to contact the site owner and ask them whether this change is feasible?

Updated

Why isn't the existing RSS-feed functionality (which works for any search), or simply editing your user profile to contain a link to the search you want, sufficient?

Updated by anonymous

savageorange said:
Why isn't the existing RSS-feed functionality (which works for any search), or simply editing your user profile to contain a link to the search you want, sufficient?

Those who are familiar with RSS feeds can do this. You could also post the URL for sets in your profile. But this is not common-knowledge among users and the aggregator would also need to notify you of any changes. If adding a subscription feature is as simple as posting an RSS link, then how much work would it be to add folders that contain set updates.

Updated by anonymous

PastelMutant said:
Those who are familiar with RSS feeds can do this. You could also post the URL for sets in your profile.

I mean, you could post URLs if you wanted, but it's simpler than that.
{{~big_breasts ~lol_comments ~tentacles}} -> ~big_breasts ~lol_comments ~tentacles. Literally just putting your search string in brackets. Barely more complicated if you want a custom title : {{~big_breasts ~lol_comments ~tentacles|BLT}} -> BLT

Or if you wanted actual sets (it's not at all clear to me whether you *actually* mean sets when you say sets), then {{set:dragonsnosex}} -> set:dragonsnosex

the aggregator would also need to notify you of any changes.

Notifying you of changes is the core of what an RSS aggregator does. It shows you everything new on the feeds you are subscribed to.

If adding a subscription feature is as simple as posting an RSS link

It's not as simple as posting an RSS link. You need an RSS aggregator to use RSS links properly.

Updated by anonymous

savageorange said:
I mean, you could post URLs if you wanted, but it's simpler than that.
{{~big_breasts ~lol_comments ~tentacles}} -> ~big_breasts ~lol_comments ~tentacles. Literally just putting your search string in brackets. Barely more complicated if you want a custom title : {{~big_breasts ~lol_comments ~tentacles|BLT}} -> BLT

Or if you wanted actual sets (it's not at all clear to me whether you *actually* mean sets when you say sets), then {{set:dragonsnosex}} -> set:dragonsnosex

This is handy to know, but the majority of users don't know how to do this. The main point of advertising is to provide people with something they didn't know they wanted. Also, which RSS aggregator would they use? It would need to work across multiple platforms (Mobile, Desktop, ect).

Updated by anonymous

savageorange said:
Why isn't the existing RSS-feed functionality (which works for any search), or simply editing your user profile to contain a link to the search you want, sufficient?

Could you please explain more thoroughly where I'm supposed to type and where I then find the links?

Updated by anonymous

MyNameIsOver20charac said:
Could you please explain more thoroughly where I'm supposed to type and where I then find the links?

I mentioned two separate things: RSS, and search links.

I figure from what I've seen of your forum activity, you already understand search links. If you want to put them in your profile, go My Account -> Settings, put them into "About me", and click Save.

Then you can click on your username whenever you want the links.

If you are looking for RSS, I'm not sure I can guide you as my browser (Firefox) appears to have changed since the last time I did this -- at that time, I rightclicked -> View Page Info -> Feeds and there were a list of feed urls. Builtin feed reading support was removed in July 2018, IIRC, and that may be the reason.. Maybe an aggregator addon like Brief is needed now to access feeds easily.

The RSS feeds are attached to post/index pages (so for example solo has RSS feeds associated with it)

Anyway, my quick workaround was just to Right Click->View Page Source and find the atom urls on pages 20-25 of the source.

The first one listed is the feed for the particular search you're in:

Then that URI goes into your feed aggregator, eg. Brief. I use rawdog, personally.

PastelMutant said:
The main point of advertising is to provide people with something they didn't know they wanted.

I saw no indication at all in your original post that this request was about advertising.
It was like 'put user-choosable buttons which represent folders that in some way are subscriptions into people's user page ! Also collaboration is good (in some way that might possibly be related to the maintenance of sets)!'

Loads of information missing. I didn't know what to make of that -- what *exactly* is the problem? What *exactly* is the proposed solution? -- , which is why I asked how it differed from RSS + links in your profile. So far, you've said 'it will be easier' and now 'it's for advertising' (presumably advertising posts), essentially. OK, let's say it will be easier, what exactly *is it* that will be easier? I still don't know.

Also, which RSS aggregator would they use? It would need to work across multiple platforms (Mobile, Desktop, ect).

This is a good point; I don't know that much about typical RSS aggregation (there are sites and browser addons, but I use a standalone program which I believe is Linux-only).

Updated by anonymous

savageorange said:
'put user-choosable buttons which represent folders that in some way are subscriptions into people's user page !

I'm just saying that they may allow different users to see what sets the other has subscribed to. See the folders from groups appear

savageorange said:
what *exactly* is the problem? What *exactly* is the proposed solution? -- , which is why I asked how it differed from RSS + links in your profile. So far, you've said 'it will be easier' and now 'it's for advertising' (presumably advertising posts), essentially.

To attract users to this site, the website designer can offer them something they didn't know they wanted. Which is also my definition of 'advertisement'. The process you've described, while good to know, involves a steep learning curve. If you make an account in DeviantART, you'll see how uploads appear from groups that you've subscribed to.

savageorange said:
OK, let's say it will be easier, what exactly *is it* that will be easier? I still don't know.

Read my original post. You seem to have lost track of what I was proposing. These changes are intended to increase the viewership of 'sets'.

Updated by anonymous

savageorange said:

I figure from what I've seen of your forum activity, you already understand search links. If you want to put them in your profile, go My Account -> Settings, put them into "About me", and click Save.

did this.

Then you can click on your username whenever you want the links.

https://e621.net/user/show/315648
no links :<

If you are looking for RSS

nope

also

Loads of information missing.

exactly, commercial!

Updated by anonymous

MyNameIsOver20charac said:
did this.

https://e621.net/user/show/315648
no links :<

One link, which is

https://e621.net/post/search?tags=%7Ecradle_position+%7Eskidoo+%7Ehoodie_%28artist%29

It's directly under the User Info heading. I've got a pile of links in mine in case that helps figuring it out.

PastelMutant said:
I'm just saying that they may allow different users to see what sets the other has subscribed to.

The bolded text is important information that should have been in the OP. What you actually said was

The folders containing the 'set' folders can be located in their profile. This would allow people visiting their profile page to see what sets they've subscribed to

This bolded text is ambiguous and could reasonably be interpreted as either 'people visiting their own profile page' or 'people visiting another person's profile page'. Given the context of the preceding sentence, I interpreted it as the former case rather than the latter.

If you make an account in DeviantART, you'll see how uploads appear from groups that you've subscribed to.

I know how DA's system works, as I do in fact have a DA account.

Read my original post.

I did that (several times, in fact, to make sure there weren't details I was missing). That is, in fact, why I criticize your proposal for lacking specifics. I never knew what you were proposing, and IMO it is unlikely that anyone else reading OP will either.

These changes are intended to increase the viewership of 'sets'.

With these two bits of information you've finally provided, I think I can conclude that you "want users to be able to subscribe to sets, and that the posts within those sets should be visible to other users when they visit that user's userpage. For the purposes of advertising sets."

Updated by anonymous

savageorange said:
With these two bits of information you've finally provided, I think I can conclude that you "want users to be able to subscribe to sets, and that the posts within those sets should be visible to other users when they visit that user's userpage. For the purposes of advertising sets."

I just think the set's aren't being utilized as much as they could. Since the people here upload pictures from several different websites, affording people with the ability to subscribe to sets would give them a greater reason to use e621.

Updated by anonymous

  • 1