The problem with read receipts is that they can be a nuisance and are not always useful, since anyone can deny returning the read receipt. They would only be useful if the read receipt is returned automatically whenever a user reads a message. I think that, due to privacy concerns, users would feel uncomfortable if this were the case.
IMO, requesting a read receipt to know if someone has read your PM, besides being unreliable since the receiver can deny the read receipt, is not sufficient reason to keep it. A valid reason for requesting a read receipt, for example, is when someone may not want to mention something publically until they know someone has the information in a private message. There are probably other valid uses as well.
For now, I've implement the following policy:
- Non-admin users can not request a read receipt, so no popup request is made when sending a PM.
- Administrators can request a read receipt.
- Non-admin users will automatically send a read receipt, so no popup request is made when receiving a PM.
What this means is that only I will know if you receive the PMs I send you and I'll only request a receipt if I need one. Other users will not know whether you actually received a PM or not.
There is a modification available that adds a checkbox, rather than a popup, where the user can request a read receipt. The user receiving the PM can select via control panel whether to receive a popup or to automatically return read receipt. I will probably implement this. It has received a positive response by other forum administrators. It's about a 2 hour investment in time, but probably worth it as it adds more flexibility without the nuisance. I'll target this mod for this coming Friday since I'm taking the day off from my day job to work ToeQuest all day.
Regards,
--Robert