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Email SystemUser Guide

User Email Guide

Learn how to manage your emails, notifications, and preferences in StoryFlow.

Overview

StoryFlow sends you helpful emails to keep you engaged with your stories and family. You can:

  • View all your emails in the notification center
  • Control what emails you receive and when
  • Set quiet hours for uninterrupted time
  • Mark emails as read or take action on them

Notification Center

Accessing Your Emails

  1. Web App: Navigate to /notifications or click the notifications icon in the header
  2. Unified View: See both in-app notifications and email messages in one place
  3. Filter Options: Filter by type (emails, comments, family updates, system notifications)

Email Types You’ll Receive

Welcome Emails

  • Sent when you first join StoryFlow
  • Includes getting started tips and next steps
  • Template: “Welcome to StoryFlow!”

Story Reminders

  • Weekly prompts to continue working on your stories
  • Personalized with your story titles
  • Template: “Time to add to your story”

Family Invitations

  • When someone invites you to join their family group
  • Secure invitation links with expiration
  • Template: “You’re invited to join [Family Name]”

System Notifications

  • Account updates, book exports, order updates
  • Important security and account information
  • Template varies by notification type

Managing Your Inbox

Reading Emails

  • Click any email to view full content
  • Emails are automatically marked as read when opened
  • Use the “Mark All Read” button for bulk actions

Taking Action

  • Many emails include action buttons (Continue Story, Join Family, etc.)
  • Click the action button to go directly to the relevant page
  • Some emails may include multiple actions

Organizing

  • Use filters to view specific types of emails
  • Search functionality to find specific messages
  • Delete unwanted notifications

Email Preferences

Access your email preferences at /settings under the “Notifications” section.

Global Email Settings

Email Enabled

  • Master switch to turn all emails on/off
  • When disabled, you won’t receive any automated emails
  • Manual emails (like password resets) will still be sent

Marketing Emails

  • Control promotional and feature announcement emails
  • Educational content about storytelling
  • Product updates and new features

Frequency Controls

Story Reminders

  • Daily: Get reminded every day
  • Every Few Days: Reminders every 3-4 days
  • Weekly: Weekly reminders (default)
  • Monthly: Monthly check-ins
  • Never: No story reminders

Family Notifications

  • Immediate: Get notified right away
  • Daily: Daily digest of family activity
  • Weekly: Weekly family summary
  • Never: No family notifications

System Notifications

  • Immediate: Important updates right away (recommended)
  • Daily: Daily digest of system updates
  • Weekly: Weekly system summary
  • Never: No system notifications (not recommended)

Quiet Hours

Set times when you don’t want to receive emails:

Settings

  • Enable Quiet Hours: Turn on/off quiet time
  • Start Time: When quiet hours begin (default: 10:00 PM)
  • End Time: When quiet hours end (default: 8:00 AM)
  • Timezone: Your local timezone for accurate scheduling

How It Works

  • Emails scheduled during quiet hours are delayed
  • Urgent emails (security alerts) bypass quiet hours
  • Family emergency notifications bypass quiet hours

Preferred Sending Times

Optimize when you receive emails:

Send Time

  • Choose your preferred time to receive emails (default: 10:00 AM)
  • Emails are batched and sent at your preferred time when possible

Send Days

  • Choose which days you want to receive emails
  • Default: Monday-Friday (weekdays only)
  • Options: Any combination of days

Email Security

Safe Email Practices

Verify Sender

  • All StoryFlow emails come from @workbeehive.com
  • Check the sender address carefully
  • Be cautious of emails claiming to be from StoryFlow but from other domains

Link Safety

  • StoryFlow links always go to mystoryflow.com domains
  • Hover over links to verify destination before clicking
  • Never enter your password from an email link - go directly to the site

Report Suspicious Emails

  • Forward suspicious emails to support@workbeehive.com
  • Include full email headers if possible
  • Don’t click links or download attachments from suspicious emails

Managing Invitations

Family Invitations

  • Only accept invitations from people you know
  • Invitations expire after 7 days for security
  • You can leave a family group at any time from your settings

Story Sharing

  • Only share stories with trusted family members
  • Review what you’re sharing before accepting invitations
  • You control your own story privacy settings

Troubleshooting

Not Receiving Emails

Check Your Settings

  1. Go to /settings and review your notification preferences
  2. Ensure “Email Enabled” is turned on
  3. Check that the specific email type is enabled
  4. Verify your email address is correct in your profile

Check Your Email Provider

  1. Look in your spam/junk folder
  2. Add noreply@workbeehive.com to your safe senders list
  3. Check if your email provider is blocking the emails

Still Having Issues?

  • Contact support with your account email
  • Include what types of emails you’re expecting
  • Mention when the issue started

Too Many Emails

Reduce Frequency

  1. Go to /settings > Notifications
  2. Change frequency from “Daily” to “Weekly” or “Monthly”
  3. Disable marketing emails if you only want essential notifications
  4. Set up quiet hours to limit when emails arrive

Unsubscribe Options

  • Use the unsubscribe link in any email
  • This will disable marketing emails but keep essential notifications
  • You can also disable all emails in your settings

Email Not Loading

In Notification Center

  • Refresh the page
  • Clear your browser cache
  • Try a different browser or device

Email Content Issues

  • Some email content may not display correctly in all email clients
  • Try viewing the email in StoryFlow’s notification center
  • Contact support if specific emails are consistently problematic

API for Developers

If you’re building integrations or want to programmatically manage email preferences:

User Email Endpoint

GET /api/user/emails/received
``` -->
 
**Parameters:**
- `limit`: Number of emails to retrieve (default: 50)
- `offset`: Pagination offset (default: 0)
- `unread_only`: Only return unread emails (default: false)
 
**Response:**
```json
{
  "success": true,
  "emails": [...],
  "total": 42,
  "has_more": true
}
``` -->
 
### Mark Emails as Read
 
```bash
POST /api/user/emails/received
``` -->
 
**Body:**
```json
{
  "email_ids": ["email-id-1", "email-id-2"],
  "action": "mark_opened"
}
``` -->
 
See the [API Reference](./api-reference) for complete documentation.
 
## Best Practices
 
### Engagement Tips
 
1. **Set Realistic Preferences**: Choose email frequencies that match your lifestyle
2. **Use Action Buttons**: Click through to continue stories or join family activities
3. **Review Regularly**: Check your notification center weekly to stay connected
4. **Customize Settings**: Adjust preferences as your needs change
 
### Privacy & Security
 
1. **Keep Email Updated**: Ensure your email address is current in your profile
2. **Use Strong Passwords**: Protect your account with a strong, unique password
3. **Review Permissions**: Regularly check what emails you're receiving
4. **Safe Sharing**: Only share personal stories with trusted family members
 
### Family Collaboration
 
1. **Respond to Invitations**: Join family groups to share memories together
2. **Set Family Preferences**: Coordinate with family on notification preferences
3. **Share Thoughtfully**: Consider what stories are appropriate to share
4. **Stay Connected**: Use email notifications to stay engaged with family stories
 
For more advanced configuration and troubleshooting, see the [Setup & Configuration Guide](./setup-configuration).
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