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subscriber

Post: # 2495Post drib »

The subscription service is back, but several things about it are vastly different than the original service.

First, and most important, is that you get one email per subscriber address - instead of one email per trip subscribed. The problem I had with the original was that the number of emails I sent overwhelmed my server. But one per address means many, many fewer emails.

Second, you subscribe and unsubscribe from a page devoted for subscriptions - instead of on Fare Compare. So Fare Compare will remain uncluttered. But there will be a learning curve using the new page. The new page is here:

rollcall/subscriber.php

Check off the trips you are interested in, enter your email address at left, and press "send." This will be the last time you use the above link. Going forward, you will receive a link with an encrypted key, and you should bookmark that link. But if you lose the link, it will be at the bottom of all emails sent to you from Subscriber. (There will also be a message from your initial click directing you to refresh the page and bookmark the new link.)

Third, the new email from the monthly updates will contain only fare changes - instead of an email version of the Dollar View. If you want the dollar view, then click $$ from Fare Compare, or the fare displayed on Roll Call, and bookmark those Dollar View links.

Fourth, I'm not going to have a separate process for AOL users. If you're an AOL user, it's time that you got a real email address!

As with all my stuff, they are not meant for a small screen! I don't own a smart phone - and I don't want one - so I can't test on one.

I'm sure there will be issues for something new. And there will be enhancements going forward, but this is where it starts.

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Re: subscriber

Post: # 2513Post drib »

I changed the address that I use to send email, for both Subscriber and the Drib Critic Readers Digest, to admin@bigdogfoto.com, and I hope there will be fewer of them that wind up in spam folders.

Still, please make sure that this address is marked as safe in your email client, and please let me know if you are not getting the emails!

For Subscriber, I was only planning on sending emails if there were updates - so on October 1 I sent them, and on October 7, I didn't. But I think I'll send them on October 14 regardless because some subscribers may not have seen the October 1 email.

Note that you should also get an email every time you update your subscription.

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Re: subscriber

Post: # 2532Post drib »

All subscriber emails from the November 1 update have been sent.

Don't forget to look at your spam folders because drib critic is often falsely mistaken for spam.

There will be a new emails after the two November follow-ups only if there are new fares found.

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trips parm on fare compare

Post: # 2546Post drib »

There was always a "trips" parameter on Roll Call - so that only the trips listed were shown.

I didn't do the same thing with Fare Compare because its display has to be specific to one ship. But sometimes that could be useful if you are only interested in that one ship.

So I added a checkbox to Subrscriber, beneath the Roll Call and Fare Compare links, which says "trip parms." If checked, and you click on Roll Call or Fare Compare, and there are trips selected, it will open those programs using a trips list. In Fare Compare, only the first trip in the list controls which ship is displayed - all other trip numbers not belonging to that ship are ignored.

For example, then:

rollcall/farecompare.php?trips=6542,6837,6851,6856

Of course, you can use a trips list directly on Fare Compare if you know what you are doing. But it's probably easier to go through Subscriber.

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