When you get a comment on your question or answer, or when a comment @-mentions you, a red notification appears on the top bar inbox. When you get an answer to your question, a red notification appears as well. When someone edits your question or answer, you get a notification. When a question or answer earns a badge, you get a notification in the rep area. But when you get a close vote, or in fact your question is closed, nothing happens. (Re-opening, too.)
This is especially problematic when the close vote identifies a duplicate and adds a comment. There is no notification! This just happened to me on Does using SSL mean you have to say your app uses Cryptography? and I have double checked my inbox to be completely sure there was no notification. I continually argue that marking a question a duplicate is a gift to the asker, who doesn't have to wait for answers, but now I discover the gift is not treated the way an answer or comment would be. That isn't right.
I propose inbox notifications (red) for the following occasions:
- a close-as-duplicate vote is cast and an auto-comment is added
- any close vote is cast and you have close vote privileges
- your question is closed and you have reopen privileges
I propose edit notifications (green rep area) for the following occasions:
- your question is closed
- your question is re-opened
- your question is deleted
This will improve the interactions users have with the closing system. I understand the philosophy of not notifying of negative events, but not all of these, not even all closes, are negative, and it is important for the asker to react to them.
