Adjusting notification settings

<h1>Adjusting Notification Settings</h1> <h2>Overview</h2> <p>Staying connected with your communities is important, but notification overload can be overwhelming. Zakaya gives you complete control over your notification experience, allowing you to customize when, where, and how you receive alerts. This guide will walk you through all the notification settings available to help you find the perfect balance.</p> <h2>Managing Global Notification Preferences</h2> <h3>Accessing Notification Settings</h3> <p>To access your notification settings:</p> <ol> <li>Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the app</li> <li>Select "Settings" from the dropdown menu</li> <li>Click on "Notifications" in the left sidebar</li> </ol> <p>This will take you to your global notification preferences that apply across all communities unless you set specific overrides.</p> <h3>Notification Channels</h3> <p>Zakaya offers multiple ways to receive notifications. You can enable or disable any combination of these channels:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Push notifications</strong>: Alerts that appear on your device (mobile or desktop)</li> <li><strong>Email notifications</strong>: Updates sent to your registered email address</li> <li><strong>SMS notifications</strong>: Text messages sent to your verified phone number (for high-priority alerts only)</li> </ul> <p>For each channel, you can click the toggle switch to turn it on or off.</p> <h3>Notification Frequency</h3> <p>You can control how often you receive notifications by selecting one of these options:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Real-time</strong>: Receive notifications as events happen</li> <li><strong>Batched</strong>: Group notifications and receive them at scheduled intervals (hourly, twice daily, or daily digest)</li> <li><strong>Muted</strong>: Temporarily pause all notifications</li> </ul> <p>If you choose "Batched," you'll see additional options to set your preferred delivery times.</p> <h2>Community-Specific Notification Settings</h2> <p>Each community in Zakaya can have its own notification settings, allowing you to prioritize the communities that matter most to you.</p> <h3>Setting Community Preferences</h3> <p>To adjust notifications for a specific community:</p> <ol> <li>Navigate to the community's main page</li> <li>Click the settings icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner</li> <li>Select "Notification Preferences"</li> </ol> <p>From here, you can choose:</p> <ul> <li><strong>All messages</strong>: Receive notifications for all activity in the community</li> <li><strong>@mentions only</strong>: Only receive notifications when someone mentions you</li> <li><strong>Important announcements</strong>: Only receive notifications for posts tagged as announcements</li> <li><strong>Custom</strong>: Create a tailored notification setup for this community</li> <li><strong>Muted</strong>: Receive no notifications from this community</li> </ul> <h3>Room-Specific Settings</h3> <p>For even more granular control, you can adjust notification settings for individual chat rooms within a community:</p> <ol> <li>Enter the chat room you want to customize</li> <li>Click the bell icon (🔔) in the top-right corner of the room</li> <li>Select your preferred notification level for this room</li> </ol> <p>This is particularly useful for high-activity rooms where you might want fewer notifications, or for important rooms where you don't want to miss anything.</p> <h2>Direct Message Notifications</h2> <p>Direct messages (DMs) have their own notification settings to ensure you never miss important one-on-one conversations.</p> <h3>DM Notification Options</h3> <p>To adjust your DM notification preferences:</p> <ol> <li>Go to Settings &gt; Notifications</li> <li>Scroll to the "Direct Messages" section</li> <li>Choose your preferred notification level:</li> <li><strong>Always notify</strong>: Receive notifications for all DMs</li> <li><strong>Only from buddies</strong>: Only receive notifications from people in your buddy list</li> <li><strong>Only from community members</strong>: Only receive notifications from people in your communities</li> <li><strong>Custom filters</strong>: Set up advanced rules for DM notifications</li> </ol> <h2>Advanced Notification Features</h2> <h3>Quiet Hours</h3> <p>Set specific times when you don't want to be disturbed:</p> <ol> <li>In Notification Settings, scroll to "Quiet Hours"</li> <li>Toggle the feature on</li> <li>Set your preferred quiet period (e.g., 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM)</li> <li>Choose whether emergency notifications can bypass quiet hours</li> </ol> <p>During quiet hours, notifications will be held and delivered once the period ends.</p> <h3>Keyword Alerts</h3> <p>You can set up custom alerts for specific keywords or phrases that are important to you:</p> <ol> <li>In Notification Settings, find the "Keyword Alerts" section</li> <li>Click "Add Keyword"</li> <li>Enter the word or phrase you want to be notified about</li> <li>Choose which communities this alert applies to</li> <li>Set the notification priority (Normal or High)</li> </ol> <p>This is great for tracking specific topics or projects across multiple communities and rooms.</p> <h2>Examples</h2> <h3>Example 1: Work-Life Balance Setup</h3> <p>Sarah uses Zakaya for both work and personal communities. Here's how she configured her notifications:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Work communities</strong>: Real-time notifications during work hours (9 AM - 5 PM), batched notifications after hours</li> <li><strong>Personal communities</strong>: Batched notifications during work hours, real-time after work</li> <li><strong>Quiet hours</strong>: Set from 11 PM to 7 AM for all except emergency alerts</li> <li><strong>Channels</strong>: Push notifications on mobile during the day, email digests in the evening</li> </ul> <h3>Example 2: Project Manager Configuration</h3> <p>Marcus manages multiple projects on Zakaya and needs to stay on top of important updates without getting overwhelmed:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Project rooms</strong>: @mentions only for general project rooms</li> <li><strong>Decision rooms</strong>: All messages for rooms where important decisions are made</li> <li><strong>Keyword alerts</strong>: Set up for "deadline", "urgent", and specific project code names</li> <li><strong>DM settings</strong>: Always notify for direct messages from team leads and clients</li> </ul> <h2>Troubleshooting</h2> <h3>Not Receiving Notifications</h3> <p>If you're not receiving expected notifications:</p> <ol> <li>Check your device settings to ensure Zakaya has permission to send notifications</li> <li>Verify that you haven't accidentally muted the community or room</li> <li>Check your notification channels (push, email, SMS) are correctly configured</li> <li>Ensure you're not in quiet hours mode</li> <li>For mobile devices, check that battery optimization isn't restricting the app</li> </ol> <h3>Too Many Notifications</h3> <p>If you're feeling overwhelmed by notifications:</p> <ol> <li>Start by muting non-essential communities</li> <li>Switch from "All messages" to "@mentions only" for busy communities</li> <li>Consider using batched notifications instead of real-time</li> <li>Set up quiet hours during your focus time</li> <li>Use the "Custom" setting to fine-tune exactly what you want to be notified about</li> </ol> <hr /> <p>Remember, finding the right notification balance is personal and may take some adjustment. Don't hesitate to revisit these settings as your needs change or as you join new communities.</p>