At what point do you unsubscribe from threads?

[Lsbcal]

Sometimes after a good discussion a thread goes way off topic (could be good or bad), sometimes they just get repetitious, and sometimes go too long into joking mode.

When do you cut the cord? What if someone actually restarts the intelligent discussion that might have taken place earlier in the thread and you miss it because you unsubscibed? What if it restarts months later and continues to be interesting?

[rodi]

I can't answer that since I don't use the subscribe method... I just click and read.

A lot of the most valuable threads are the ones that get off on a tangent... I've learned a lot from threadjack discussions. Then again - the one that got threadjacked to a discussion about high end speakers lost me. LOL.

[Meadbh]

When I first joined the forum I used to subscribe and get email notifications of PMs. It got to be information overload, so now I don't subscribe to anything. If I am not learning something or being entertained, I stop reading the thread.

[Lsbcal]

I guess you have have an email notice set up or you are effectively unsubscribed to the thread even after posting.

And before we get into that one again ... there is a thread for audio enthusiasts.

[Lsbcal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh When I first joined the forum I used to subscribe and get email notifications of PMs. It got to be information overload, so now I don't subscribe to anything. If I am not learning something or being entertained, I stop reading the thread.

So do you just keep a tab open with the discussion or do you memorize which threads in which sub forums you like?

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal So do you just keep a tab open with the discussion or do you memorize which threads in which sub forums you like?

When I open the Portal I look for titles I am interested in following and if there are new posts I open them.

[rodi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh When I open the Portal I look for titles I am interested in following and if there are new posts I open them.

This is what I do. With a lot more browsing in some sub-forums over others. (Fire and Money is my fave, and I don't hang on Young Dreamers as much - though I still check it.)

[Animorph]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh When I open the Portal I look for titles I am interested in following and if there are new posts I open them.

Me too.

There is the little arrow on the threads that I have contributed to (using a browser), so I can easily go back and recognize them.

The threads with new content since I visited are in bold, so I know what's new. The Recent Threads box on the right has the same bolding, though no arrows, and takes you right to the new content that hasn't been read yet. I usually load up the FIRE and Money forum to catch any older threads that still have new content. The I use the little link at the top of the page to "view first unread".

Not as social as a quick email interchange, but I can do things at my own convenience.

[Midpack]

I quit subscribing to threads a long time ago, got too many emails. I just rely on "New Posts." I rarely bothered to unsubscribe to individual threads (if that's what the OP meant).

And I used to follow threads I posted on until they were no longer active no matter how long they went - ironically email notification from subscribing made it too easy. Found I was repeating/restating too often, and I know few people ever change their POV on forums, so why bother. I try to contribute, like everyone else, but nothing to prove (usually, the exception is when newbies might be misled).

Now I usually reply, maybe go back one or two times, and then quit reading it no matter how active it may still be. If someone else wants the last word, fine and dandy.

[FIREd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack I quit subscribing to threads a long time ago, got too many emails. I just rely on "New Posts."

+1. I primarily access the forum through the portal for a quick glance at updates I might be interested in.

[NanoSour]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack I quit subscribing to threads a long time ago, got too many emails. I just rely on "New Posts."

Same, Same

[eytonxav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NanoSour Same, Same

+3

[sengsational]

Yeah, no subscriptions. I'll click on the "Search > View All of Your Posts" and open the ones I've commented on (in separate tabs), just in case someone has got a question for me. I'll usually read to the end and close that tab. Then I just pluck stuff off of the "Recent Threads" if I'm just poking around. I sort of treat the whole site as one big forum. In other words, I don't concentrate on any one forum, don't try to "keep up" with everything in one forum, or anything like that.

[Chuckanut]

I have started to routinely use the "Mark forums read" link to do just that. Then I start my reading based upon what ever is the newest comment on any subject. I subscribe to threads that I really think are important to me. And every few weeks I delete all my subscriptions. I doubt if I miss much.

[Lsbcal]

I didn't expect the thread to go in this direction but I'm learning some new tricks ... I think. Maybe I don't have to watch for email updates which kind of drives me crazy at times.

[obgyn65]

I have never subscribed to any thread.

[HFWR]

I don't subscribe, just read individual threads of interest. The "new posts" feature doesn't allow for scrolling back to revisit previous posts, making it hard to keep continuity. After reading threads of interest, I mark the forum read.

[growing_older]

Quote:

+1. I primarily access the forum through the portal for a quick glance at updates I might be interested in.

Me, too. This is my favorite feature of the ER portal and I wish other forums used it. I can always see when there is new content and when I click into a thread I automatically advance to the last post I read and can read new content from there. This also allows scrolling back to previous posts, so I always feel like I can see as much context as I want. Best implementation of a forum ever.

[RunningBum]

I've bookmarked the New Posts link so that's almost always the way I read e-r.org. If there's an active thread that keeps popping up in New Posts and I know I don't care about it or the thread title somehow irks me (sometimes people get too cutesy with thread titles for my tastes), I will open it and use the Ignore Thread option. I never subscribe so that I get emails on thread updates.

[tulak]

I use the iOS app. I view all the unread threads and read the ones that sound interesting. For those I want to skip, I select them and go back, which is a quick way to mark them as read. Plus it visually marks threads that I've participated in so they are easier to find. I prefer this much more to the website interface.

I've never subscribed to a thread.