Why Postbiz never replays a publication whose outcome is uncertain
Table of contents
You schedule a post for 9 am. At the appointed time, Postbiz’s sending engine calls the network’s API. One of three things can happen: the network confirms, the network clearly refuses, or the network… doesn’t answer.
The silent case
The first two are simple. A confirmation: the post is published. A clear refusal (missing permissions, text too long): it didn’t go out, we tell you so and let you fix it.
The third case is the trap: timeout, an error on the network’s server, a connection dropped mid-send. The post may or may not be published. An automated system has two reflexes:
- retry: if the post had already gone out, it’s published twice, in front of your audience;
- do nothing: if it hadn’t gone out, it’s missing.
The rule we chose
Postbiz never automatically replays a publication whose outcome is uncertain. The post moves to the Unknown result state, with a message explaining what happened, and you decide after checking on the network.
Why this choice? Because the two mistakes aren’t equal. A post that arrives a few minutes late can be made up for. A public duplicate can’t: even deleted, it was seen.
The same rule applies to replies you send from the inbox: a message whose sending was interrupted is marked as failed, never sent again without you knowing.
Post states
| State | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | Not scheduled yet |
| Scheduled | Waiting for its time |
| In progress | The engine is sending it |
| Published | The network confirmed |
| Error | The network refused; the message says why |
| Unknown result | The outcome is uncertain: check on the network |
What it changes for you
- A notification asks you to check your post when the outcome is uncertain.
- You open the network and check whether the post is there. If it is, you delete the calendar entry; if it isn’t, you schedule the post again.
- Nothing is replayed behind your back.
Article by
The Postbiz team
Postbiz is open-source software to schedule your posts and answer all your messages and comments from a single inbox. Here we write about what we learn while building it.
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