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How to Get Email Updates for Your Saved Searches

Turn on email for a saved search so Wire sends you new stories, photos, and livestreams that match it, collected in one digest email. Setting this up takes about two minutes per saved search.

Want the emails to stop?

See How to Stop Saved-Search Digest Emails to unsubscribe or to turn off email for a single saved search.

Before You Begin

You will need:

Note

Two settings control these emails: one on each saved search, and one on your account. Both must be on before Wire sends you anything.

Instructions

  1. Go to the Search page at https://wire.pluckyworks.org/search/ and set up the search you want to be notified about.

  2. Click Save this search in the Filter panel on the left side of the page.

    A modal (a pop-up window) opens.

  3. Enter a name for the search.

  4. Tick Email me when new content matches.

    Underneath, Wire explains what the setting does: "Include new content that matches this saved search in your saved-search digest."

  5. Save the search.

Turn On Email for a Search You Already Saved

  1. Go to the Search page at https://wire.pluckyworks.org/search/.

  2. Click the pencil icon next to Save this search in the Filter panel.

    The icon is small and faint, and it sits to the right of the Save this search button. Hover over it to confirm you have the right one: it reads Manage saved searches.

  3. Find your saved search in the list and tick Email me when new content matches.

    The setting saves as soon as you tick it.

The Filter panel header showing the Reset button, the Save this search button, and the faint pencil icon that opens the manage-searches modal

Allow Digest Emails on Your Account

Your account setting controls every saved-search digest at once. If it is off, Wire keeps your saved searches but sends no email for any of them.

  1. Open your account settings at https://wire.pluckyworks.org/settings/.

  2. Go to the Email Preferences section.

  3. Turn on Saved-search digest emails.

    The setting is described as: "Receive one combined email containing new content from the saved searches you marked for email delivery."

Make a Broad Search Eligible for Email

Some searches work well as bookmarks but are too broad, or change too often, to produce a useful email. Wire disables the email option on those and tells you why.

What Wire shows What it means What to do
Bookmark-only searches cannot send email. The search is filtered only to your Outlet's bookmarks. Add a search word or another filter, or use this search as a bookmark instead.
Add a word or filter to enable email. The search is blank, uses only the Last 24hrs filter, or is built only from exclusions. Add a search word or a specific filter.

Filters specific enough to enable email include a Group, Outlet, tag, series, License, date range, word-count range, photo size, photo source, or "has images." The email option becomes available as soon as the search is specific enough.

You can still save, open, and re-run a broad or bookmark-only search. Only the email option is unavailable.

What Happens Next

Wire combines ready matches from all of your email-enabled saved searches into a single digest email:

  • The email groups content by type and by saved-search name, so you can see why each item was included.
  • A story that matches two of your saved searches appears under both names in the same email.
  • Links in the email take you back to the search and the content in Wire.
  • Wire checks your access again while preparing the email. Content you can no longer reach is left out.

Digests are prepared on a rolling schedule rather than immediately after each new item arrives, so expect a short delay between a story landing in Wire and the email reaching you.

Wire emails a matching item once per saved search, based on the first time it matched. The same item will not be emailed again for that saved search later. It can still appear for a different saved search that it also matches.

If email delivery is temporarily unavailable, Wire holds the matches and sends them once delivery resumes rather than risking a duplicate email.

Next Steps

Troubleshooting

  • The email checkbox is greyed out: The search is not specific enough to send email. Check the message under the checkbox and see Make a Broad Search Eligible for Email.

  • I ticked the box but no email arrives: Check that Saved-search digest emails is on in your account settings. Both the per-search setting and the account setting must be on.

  • I turned everything on and still see nothing: Wire does not send matches retroactively. Email starts from content published or updated after you turn the setting on, so wait for new matching content to arrive.

  • A story appeared under two headings in one email: That story matched two of your saved searches. This is expected, and the heading tells you which search each copy came from.

  • A story I saw in Wire is missing from my digest: Your access is checked again when the email is prepared. If your Outlet or Group membership changed, or the story was removed, it is left out.

  • Still stuck? Contact your Group administrator for membership and permission issues, or email support@pluckyworks.org for technical problems.