The easiest method to stay up-to-date with Confluence content that you care to follow is to use the Watch feature, which operates for Pages, Blog Posts, and Spaces. Once you have enabled a Watch, Confluence will send you a notification by e-mail whenever anyone edits the content, creates a new page or blog post, or adds a comment. You can choose the individual pages, blog posts, and/or spaces that you want to monitor and you can stop watching them at any time.
If you prefer RSS Feeds vs. E-Mail, please see the page "RSS Feeds-How to Create & Customize."
In general, when Watch is enabled, you will receive e-mail notifications for:
- Content adds, edits, and deletions (unless the author ticks the 'Minor change' check-box).
- Attachments uploaded, including new versions or deletions of an existing attachment.
- Comments (Adds and Replies).
The format of the e-mails may contain some strange-looking commands in ellipses (called Wiki Markup), which is the way the pages are coded within Confluence. In its latest software release (v4.0), the company has improved the readability of the e-mail notifications; however, ICANN will not be able to upgrade to that version until some time in Q2-2012. Hopefully, even though it is a bit cryptic, you will be able to discern what has changed on the page that you are "watching" sufficient to determine if it warrants further attention.
To Watch a Page or Blog Post
To start watching a page or blog post:
- Go to the page or blog post.
- Click the Tools menu at the top of the page.
- Click the Watch icon in the drop-down menu.
To stop watching a page or blog post:
- Go to the page or blog post.
- Click the Tools menu at the top of the page.
- Click the Stop Watching icon in the dropdown menu.
New Feature: you can now click on the Tools menu and select "Watch Page Family." This capability is useful when a page has many child (or descendant) pages and you would like to watch them all without having to click each one individually. There is a tab in the User Profile section where you can manage Page Family Watches.
To Watch an Entire Space
Watch a space if you want to receive e-mail notifications of updates to any content in the space.
To start watching a space:
- Go to any page in the space, open the Browse menu and select Advanced.
- In the left-hand panel under Subscribe, click 'Start watching this space' (or Start watching all content).
To stop watching a space:
- Go to a page in the space, open the Browse menu and select Advanced.
- In the left-hand panel under Subscribe, click 'Stop watching this space'.
Autowatch
Confluence will automatically assign you as a Watcher of any page or blog post that you create or edit or to which you add a comment. This Autowatch feature is enabled by default; however, it can be turned on or off by clicking on your name (top right), then select Settings. On the next page, click Email, then Edit (bottom of page). Uncheck or check the Autowatch option box and Submit your change.
Networking
The 'Network' feature provides notifications on the activity of users you choose to follow. The types of activities include:
- Additions or edits to pages or blog posts.
- Comments or Replies added to a page or blog post.
- Updates to a User's Status (see below):
- Updates to a user's Profile.
You can follow an individual by clicking on your Name (top right menu) and selecting Network from the drop-down menu. From the Network page, enter the person's name (right side) and click Follow. There is also an option to click Follow when you mouse-over another user's picture.