# Following and notifications
Following is a list of other people's public MAX channels you keep an eye on: competitors, partners, channels where you buy or sell ads. It shows their subscribers, growth, views and ERR for the selected period plus the latest event, and the MAX main bot can send you a morning digest and instant alerts about them — a jump in subscribers, an ad post, a popular post and more.
## Where to find it
The page address is . You can get there:
- from the “My MAX” menu — the “Following” item (how the section is organized is described in [My MAX overview](/en/my/overview/));
- from the MAX bot — the “Open “Following”” button under digests and alerts;
- from similar-channel cards on a channel page and from the “⋯” menu in [Favorites](/en/my/favorites/) — both have buttons that add a channel to Following.
The page is available after you sign in (free). A guest sees an invitation to sign in instead of the list. The list belongs to your **organization**, not to you personally: all members of the organization see the same channels, folders and notification settings. If you are a member of several organizations, the page shows the channels of the one that is currently selected.
!!! note "Following or Favorites?"
Favorites are plain star bookmarks without notifications, and they hold a lot of channels. Following is a short list of channels you need to hear about right away: only here do you get the notification bell, the latest event and the digest in the bot.
An overview of the page for a demo organization with the Business plan:
## How many channels you can follow
The limit belongs to the organization and depends on its MAX subscription:
| Plan | Channels in Following |
|---|---|
| No subscription | 1 |
| Premium | 5 |
| Business | 100 |
Organizations on the Business plan can buy **channel packs**: each pack adds +50 channels for 30 days from payment and costs 990 ₽; up to 10 packs per purchase. A purchased pack works for its whole term and is added to the limit of your current plan. More about plans — [Plans and payment](/en/start/plans/); buying packs — [Subscriptions and billing](/en/cabinet/billing/).
The limit is shown to the right of the heading: **“12 of 100”** means 12 channels are in the list out of 100 allowed. When you run out of room, a link appears next to it: “Buy more channels” (if packs are available to your organization) or “Upgrade plan” (goes to the plans page), and the “+ Add a channel” button opens the subscription window explaining that the limit is reached instead of the add window.
### “Some notifications are paused”
The list can end up longer than the limit — for example, when a channel pack expires or the organization moves to a lower plan. Nothing is deleted: all channels stay in the list, but notifications (digest and alerts) come only for as many channels as the limit allows — the ones added earliest. The most recently added channels get a grey **“paused”** label next to the bell, and a “Some notifications are paused” banner appears above the list with a “Buy more channels” or “Plans” button. To lift the pause, turn notifications off for the extra channels (bell → “Off”) or buy a pack — the pause lifts by itself.
## Top of the page
1. **The “N of M” limit** — how many channels are in the list and how many your plan with packs allows (see above).
2. **“+ Add a channel”** — the window for adding a channel by link (see [How to add a channel](#how-to-add-a-channel)).
3. **Folders.** “All” — every channel in the list with the total count; then your organization's folders with a colored dot and the number of channels in each; “No folder” — channels not yet sorted into folders (shown once folders exist); “+ Folder” — the new-folder window. Clicking a folder shows only its channels. More in [Folders](#folders).
4. **Period selector** — 7 days · 30 days · 90 days · Year · All time · Custom dates. The period sets the time span for growth, average views and ERR in the table and for growth in folder headers. The default is 7 days. Without a subscription 7 and 30 days are open, the other periods have a lock and lead to the plans page; with Premium or Business everything is open. The rules are the same as on the [channel page](/en/channel/overview/).
5. **“Find a channel” search** — by channel name; works inside the selected folder.
6. **“Sort by”** — name (the “Channel” option), subscribers, growth, average views or ERR. Sorting by paid columns isn't available without a subscription. The default is by name. You can also sort by clicking a column header in the table; clicking again reverses the order.
7. **“Ascending” / “Descending”** — switches the sort direction. Channels stay in their folders: sorting applies within each folder.
8. **“Figures for …”** — the exact dates the table figures cover (for example, “12 October — 18 October 2026”).
Next to the direction button is a grey “N of M” line: how many channels are shown after the search and folder filter out of the total.
At the bottom of the page there's a hint — “All metrics are available · “—” means no data” (with a subscription) or “Growth, average views and ERR are available with a MAX subscription” (without one). If there are more channels than fit on one page, “Back” / “Next” buttons and a **“Per page”** selector appear: 10, 25 or 50 rows. The default is 50, so a folder isn't split across pages.
## How to add a channel
Only **public MAX channels** can be added to Following. A link to a group chat, a private or a deleted channel is rejected with a message explaining why. Private channels you have access to are kept in a separate section, [Private channels](/en/my/private/).
1. Click **“+ Add a channel”**.
2. In the **“Link to a public MAX channel”** field, paste a link like `https://max.ru/channel_name` or just the channel name.
3. If your organization has folders, choose a **“Folder”** — the channel goes straight into it and gets its notification settings. By default the folder currently open in the filter is selected, or “No folder”.
4. Click **“Add to the list”**.
The channel appears in the list, and a message at the top says “Channel “…” was added to “Following””. If the channel isn't in our catalog yet, we find it in MAX and start collecting it: during the first collection the line under the name reads “Collecting data · a few minutes”. An organization can add up to 10 new channels per hour that aren't in our catalog yet (the counter is shared with ownership verification in [My channels](/en/my/channels/) and with [Add a channel](/en/max/add-channel/)); channels already in the catalog don't use this counter.
Adding a channel to Following doesn't give you owner rights — it's just observation. Your own channel is verified in [My channels](/en/my/channels/).
You can also add a channel to Following from other pages: with the **“Follow”** button on a similar-channel card (the [Similar channels](/en/channel/similar/) tab) and with **“Add to “Following””** in a channel's “⋯” menu in Favorites.
## Folders
Folders help you group channels by purpose: “Competitors”, “Partners”, “Buying ads” and any of your own. Following folders are shared across the organization and separate from Favorites folders.
- Up to **20** folders.
- Names up to **40 characters**; two folders can't have the same name (case-insensitive).
- One of **9** colors: red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, purple, pink, grey.
While the organization has no folders, channels are shown as a single list without a header.
### How to create a folder
1. Click **“+ Folder”** above the list (or “+ New folder” in a channel's “⋯” menu — then that channel goes straight into the new folder).
2. Type a **“Name”** or pick a suggested one: “Competitors”, “Partners”, “Buying ads”, “Selling ads”, “Post ideas”, “Clients” (names already in use aren't suggested).
3. Pick a **“Color”**. The site preselects a color none of your folders use yet — it's just a hint, you can choose any.
4. The “This is how the folder will look:” line previews the folder with the chosen color and name.
5. Click **“Create folder”**.
### Folder header
On the page channels are grouped by folder in folder order; the “No folder” group comes last, labelled “channels not sorted into folders yet”. An empty folder is shown at the end of the list with a hint on how to fill it.
1. **Colored dot, folder name and channel count.**
2. **Folder totals** — “Total subscribers” (sum of subscribers of all channels in the folder) and “Over 7 days” (total growth for the selected period, green for growth, red for decline; with a subscription). Totals cover all channels of the folder, not just those shown on the current page.
3. **Folder bell** — notifications for all channels in the folder at once (see [Folder notifications](#folder-notifications)).
4. **Folder “⋯” menu**: “Name and color…”, “Folder notifications…” (on the right — what's on: “All”, “N of 6” or “Off”) and, in red, “Delete folder…”.
5. **Table column headers** — click to sort by a column (see [Channel row](#channel-row)).
6. **Last activity** of the channel.
7. **Channel bell** with a label showing how many alert types are on.
**Rename or recolor a folder**: folder “⋯” → “Name and color…”, change the name or color → “Save”. The color appears in the filter above the list, in the folder header, in the “Move to folder” menu and in the [All events](/en/my/events/) feed.
**Delete a folder**: folder “⋯” → “Delete folder…” → the “Delete folder” button in the folder window. The channels aren't deleted: they stay in Following, under “No folder”, with their notification settings.
### Moving a channel to another folder
Open the “⋯” menu in the channel row and choose a folder under **“Move to folder”**. The current folder is checked and unavailable; to take a channel out of a folder, choose “No folder”. A channel placed in a folder gets that folder's notification settings; when moved to “No folder”, it keeps its settings as they were.
## Channel row
| Column | What it shows | Who can see it |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | Avatar, name (link to the channel page) and @name or status: “Collecting data · a few minutes”, “Channel unavailable”, “Deleted in MAX”. Your own verified channel has an owner badge | everyone who sees the page |
| Subscribers | Current subscriber count | after sign-in (free) |
| Growth · 7 days | How the subscriber count changed over the selected period (the header names the period) | Premium and Business subscribers |
| Average views | Average views per post over the period | Premium and Business subscribers |
| ERR | Average post views divided by subscribers, in percent — the share of subscribers who see a post. More in [How metrics are calculated](/en/metrics/basics/) | Premium and Business subscribers |
| Last activity | The channel's most recent event within a month: a colored dot for the type, what happened and how long ago (“3 days ago”); no events — “—” | everyone who sees the page |
| Notifications | Bell: “All”, “N of 6” or “Off”; over the limit — a “paused” label | everyone who sees the page |
| ⋯ | Channel actions menu | everyone who sees the page |
Without a subscription, paid columns show a **“— Subscribe”** cell that opens the subscription window. Your own verified channel shows its figures without a subscription. A “—” in an open column means there's no data (for example, no posts in the period).
If a channel became private after you added it and your organization can no longer see it, the row turns into a placeholder: “This channel has become private — its metrics are hidden. You can remove it from Following” — no name or figures, and the menu only has “Unfollow”.
On a phone the table becomes cards: subscribers, growth for the period and the bell, the rest under “All metrics”.
### Channel “⋯” menu
- **“Notifications…”** — the channel's notification window (on the right — what's on now).
- **“Move to folder”** — your organization's folders (shown once folders exist).
- **“+ New folder”** — create a folder and put this channel into it right away.
- **“Channel page”** — open the channel's analytics.
- **“Unfollow”** (in red) — remove the channel from the list. It isn't erased for good: if you add it again, its previous folder and notification settings come back.
## Notifications for a channel
The bell in the row (or “⋯” → “Notifications…”) opens the **“Notifications”** window. Under the title — which channel it is and which folder it's in.
- **“Send notifications for this channel”** — the master switch: the morning digest in the MAX bot at 09:00 and instant alerts about the events below. When it's off, nothing comes for this channel and the bell shows “Off”.
- **“Quick choice:”** — buttons “All” (turn on every type), “Important only” (ads, channel disappearance and popular posts) and “Nothing” (turn every type off).
- **“Alert me right away when:”** — six alert types, each with its own switch.
- Under the types — a hint on where notifications are sent, with a “general settings at hi.datool.ru” link (without a subscription — a link to the plans).
- At the bottom — “Cancel” and “Save”. Settings take effect after “Save”.
The bell label sums it up: **“All”** — all six types are on, **“4 of 6”** — four are on, **“Off”** — notifications for the channel are off. A new channel is added with every type on (or with the folder's settings if added straight into a folder).
### The six alert types
| Type | When it comes |
|---|---|
| Sharp change in subscribers | Within a day subscribers grew or fell by 1,000 people or by 5%. A 5% change counts only if it's at least 50 people — for small channels 5% is a couple of subscribers. At most once a day for growth and once a day for decline |
| An ad post was published | The channel published a post we marked as an ad (how we detect ads — [How we detect ads](/en/metrics/ads/)). Once per post |
| Name or address changed | The channel has a new name or a new @name. Once per change |
| Channel disappeared | The channel was deleted or became unavailable in MAX. We remind you weekly until it's back |
| A large channel mentioned it | A public channel with 10,000+ subscribers linked to the channel or reposted it. At most once a day per mentioning channel |
| A post went popular | A post younger than 3 days got three times more views than the channel's average post over 30 days, and at least 1,000 views. Once per post (how we judge popularity — [Hits and post popularity](/en/metrics/popular/)) |
!!! note "Settings don't hide events on the site"
A switched-off alert type stops coming to the bot, but the event still shows up in “Last activity” and in the [All events](/en/my/events/) feed.
### Folder notifications
The bell in a folder header (or folder “⋯” → “Folder notifications…”) opens the same window, only the switch is called “Send notifications for the folder's channels”. The setting applies to **every channel in the folder** at once and to channels added to it later. After that, a single channel can still be changed in its own window — the folder doesn't force them to match.
## Where and when notifications arrive
Following notifications are sent by the datool.ru **MAX main bot** — to your private chat with the bot in MAX. Three conditions must be met:
1. **MAX is linked to your account** — you signed in to the site via MAX or connected it in the account's “Profile and sign-in” section ([Profile](/en/cabinet/profile/)). Only then can the bot message you first.
2. **“MAX main bot” is on in your account** — at (on by default; more in [Notifications](/en/cabinet/notifications/)). The “Set up notifications” link on the [All events](/en/my/events/) page leads there too.
3. **Your organization has an active MAX subscription** (Premium, Business or the all-in-one plan). Without one you can still save notification settings in advance — the window says so — but the bot won't send anything.
Every member of the organization who meets the first two conditions receives notifications.
| What | When | What's inside |
|---|---|---|
| Alerts | Checked every 15 minutes | One message with all new events of your channels — up to 15 events; the rest come in the next message |
| Daily digest | Every day at 09:00 Moscow time, for the previous day | For each channel: subscribers and daily growth, posts, views, ERR, the best post and the largest mention. Up to 10 channels — your verified channels first, then the largest ones from Following; the rest as an “and N more” line |
Digests and alerts cover Following channels with notifications on (except paused ones) and your verified channels. Under the bot's messages there are “Open “Following””, “☰ Main menu” and “Turn off summaries” buttons; the last one turns off “MAX main bot” in your account, and you can turn it back on there.
!!! warning "Private and missing channels"
If a Following channel becomes private, it drops out of digests, alerts and the events feed — only its owner sees a private channel's metrics. A missing channel (deleted or unavailable) sends a “Channel disappeared” alert once a week until it's back.
## What's next
- [Favorites](/en/my/favorites/) — bookmarks without notifications, also with folders.
- [All events](/en/my/events/) — the event feed of your channels and Following for 90 days.
- [Words](/en/my/words/) — track mentions of words across all posts instead of channels.
- [Notifications](/en/cabinet/notifications/) — where digests and alerts are sent.
- [Plans and payment](/en/start/plans/) — Following limits and channel packs.