Subscribe to Artist Gallery

[mrnuff]

I have a client who owns an art gallery.

They want people to be able to subscribe to different artists' galleries on the website so they get an email update every time a new image is added.

I have looked around a bit and haven't found anything that fits the bill exactly.

They need to be able to add artists and their work themselves.


Does anyone have any thoughts on how to implement such a thing?

Thanks

[kgun]

Originally Posted by mrnuff

They want people to be able to subscribe to different artists galleries on the website so they get an email update every time a new image is added.

1. I understand that you want to remind them when that artist adds a new picture.
2. You need a subscriber and an artist table (database).
3. I also assume that a subscriber can be an artist and vice versa. How do you solve that?
4. Then you need unique artist keys and subscribers keys with an unique email field (in a separate column).
5. Add a new field (column) in a database with the address?

When those unique keys are in the place, and the tables filled with data, the rest is a matter of creating the correct relations (tables) in your database and fire a send email event to the correct persons in a PHP / JS event handler when a new image is added.

So the image should be added through PHP (JavaScript) code to your database to test if there is persons that has to get an email alert.

You should get the ideas of making your database here: http://www.apa.org/databases/training/fieldguide.html (I would have one field for each part of the name).

I can not do the programming for you.

[wige]

I am imagining that the e-mail notification function would be triggered by the actual upload of the new image, as a part of the same form, although you might also do a nightly process that checks what artists were updated and sends corresponding e-mails. Regardless, I think you would need three tables in a relational database. The first table would list the artists, the second would list the subscribers complete with contact information, and the third would be a list of userids and artistids. As a user subscribes to an artist, a new record would be added to the third table, and when a subscription is canceled the record is deleted. This will allow users to subscribe to an unlimited number of artists.

[advancedmerchant]

Here is an easy and free way... Include a link on each artist's index page, to changedetection(dot)com. When new art is added for an Artist, simply note it on the artist's index, and everyone that signed up will be notified! Of course, it is not as immediate as sending the email yourself, but it does work.

I use this service to monitor my competitor's websites so I always know when they are trying something new.....

Very 'generic', no advertising.

[weegillis]

Jeux D´Eau.

Artists are like water cascading down a rapid. Now here, now there, and look how the light trembles at that instance! Your system needs to be 'awake' but 'not awake.' The notification might best be served as a digest on a weekly basis. No one upload can be that significant to trouble your list server to send it instantly.

Speaking of which, why not a list server? Simply update the outgoing message as needed each time? If each artist had their own list, you would only need to send out one list at a time. Anyone could subscribe to any list. To uncomplicate matters for your users, it would be your software that manages the lists. That simple.

[Peopleunit]

Perhaps you can find an online gallery system that provides for RSS updates. People might be more willing to subscribe to an RSS feed as opposed to exposing themselves to yet more email. Use email sparingly.