# How did I come to start tracking \*hundreds\* of threads?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688
**Category:** Site Feedback
**Created:** [August 16, 2023, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688 "2023-08-16T23:52:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2023, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/1 "2023-08-16T23:52:51Z")
This is weird–a few weeks ago, when I last logged in, I had only 15-20 threads I was tracking (I keep it low and manageable).
I logged in today, just for a moment, and now it looks like I have _several dozens_ or more, going all the way back to 2000-2001. It seems as if all of the threads I’d either started, or posted in, are now tracked.
What happened? Did some setting get changed?
Tripler
Take it from me: I am not that interesting. . .
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### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/2 "2023-08-17T00:19:43Z")
On the top right corner click on your badge (explosives), then on the bottom right there is something which sort of looks like a person. You click on it and it is profile. the 5th line down says preferences, which you click on and one of the entries which says tracking. There might be something there which is set so you have so many tracked items.
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### Author:  [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/3 "2023-08-17T23:48:34Z")
Unfortunately not. I see settings tor tracking threads I visit for 10 minutes, or that I post in/reply to, but nothing that explains how I got so many tracked so quickly. . . Somehow, the settings have changed to where I’m tracking threads I haven’t visited /participated with _in years_.
Is there no way to mass “untrack all”?
Tripler
This is a **disco\_bot** thing, isn’t it. He’s getting his revenge . . . 😠
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2023, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/4 "2023-08-18T00:37:12Z")
Go to your unread page. Catch up on the fresh ones you actually care about until your unread page is only old stuff from long ago.
Refresh the Unread page & click [dismiss]. That will update all the old dormant threads as if you’d just now read them to the very end. You’re still tracking them, but since nobody is updating them, they’ll just sit there dormant. And they’ll all be gone from your unread page until / unless somebody posts another post to them.
It seems that occasionally some mass update to the database is triggering this happening to some people. I have no specific idea why/ how. But I believe my remedy will solve your annoying symptoms.
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### Author:  [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/5 "2023-08-19T18:07:42Z")
Interesting. . . when I go to my Unread page, _nothing_ shows up. But when I go to [this tracking page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest?state=tracking) its when everything shows up. I know what you’re asking me to do, 'cause I’ve done that before. But this time the unread page is blank, but all my tracked threads seem to be cornfielded, zombies, or corny zombies,
I don’t know of any other way to pull up tracked threads, and I’m obliged to @crowmanyclouds for the link in [this thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-find-a-list-of-threads-im-watching-tracking/941794/3).
I do wish I knew how to ‘film’ my onscreen pages to show you a movie of what I’m seeing and doing. . . That’d probably help.
Tripler
Looking back at that link, it seems this has been asked before!
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/6 "2023-08-19T22:47:05Z")
The url you linked to is
`https://boards.straightdope.com/latest?state=tracking`
Which simply shows all the threads you are tracking (IOW, all threads you ever posted to or read for awhile), listed in order by their latest post.
As long as you’ve been here, that _ought_ to be thousands. What’s interesting to me is how you came to be looking at that link at all. And how it might ever have done anything different than what I’ve described.
To be clear, I’m no expert on Discourse. I’m just feeling my way around like the rest of us, and trying to read the labeling on the tin to see what it means.
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### Author:  [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/7 "2023-08-20T19:45:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> To be clear, I’m no expert on Discourse. I’m just feeling my way around like the rest of us, and trying to read the labeling on the tin to see what it means.
I hear ya! I’m in the same boat, and am obliged for your help!
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> As long as you’ve been here, that _ought_ to be thousands. What’s interesting to me is how you came to be looking at that link at all. And how it might ever have done anything different than what I’ve described.
I originally asked the question here:
> [@Easy way to find a list of threads I'm watching/tracking?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/easy-way-to-find-a-list-of-threads-im-watching-tracking/941794):
>
> Topic subject pretty much says it all. Is there a link/page/point where I can find all of the threads I’m watching and/or tracking? Ideally, I’d like to turn a few of them off, since they’re old or I’m not really following them anymore. . . . that, and I think @discobot is still effing with me. I know I could wait a few weeks’ time and go to the “Dismiss” button on the ‘Unread’ link. But I can’t seem to stay away that long. Tripler I still hate yer silicon guts, @Discobot.
and @crowmanyclouds was kind enough to post the url I linked to above.
I will swear on my Pythagoras’ grave, that I had only a dozen or so threads _actively tracked_ up until a few week ago. How do I know? i went through the list (via the url), opened each thread, and selected ‘ **Normal** ’ instead of ‘ **Tracking** ’ to clean up that list, since there seemed to be no answer on ‘mass untracking.’ How dozens and dozens of unread-for-years threads became actively tracked after I’d done the ‘dismissal’ steps you laid out is beyond me.
Here’s what I’m going to do: over the course of the next few weeks’ free time, I’m going to _manually untrack each thread_ by opening each one and selecting ‘normal’ (save for a few token ones) to clear out the inventory. I’ll let you know when I do, so we can establish a date/time.
Tripler
I only want to focus my attention on a few tracked threads at a time.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/8 "2023-08-20T20:15:34Z")
I have tens of thousands of tracked threads. Substantially every thread I’ve ever read or participated in. But I never click the latest/tracked link so I never see that list. Nor do I care how large it is or isn’t.
I just use the Unread list, which are those tracked threads that someone has posted to recently. Those are threads I’ve already read to the end previously, so I’m being notified that there’s now new content at the bottom to look at. When I do read from the old end of the thread to the new end of the thread, it disappears from unread. Until somebody else adds another post.
If I truly lose interest in a thread then I’ll switch it from [tracking] to [normal]. That happens on some long-running rant threads and such. Or those that get stupid and pissy.
I also use the New link, which are threads that are recently created that I’ve never seen at all.
Between unread and new I’ve got everything covered. I just never use any flavor of the “latest” pages.
You’re not me and there’s no need for you to do it my way. But I thought I’d pass it along as another way to maybe accomplish whatever your goals are.
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### Author:  [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2023, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/9 "2023-08-22T23:51:32Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> I have tens of thousands of tracked threads. Substantially every thread I’ve ever read or participated in
Which, to me is weird, because up until a few weeks ago, I’d not seen my entire SDMB career in one location (or a good portion of it anyway–I don’t think its complete). I had no idea that the unread and dismiss functions could pretty much “isolate” tracked-cornfield-zombies.
I’m on a roll though. . .
Tripler
Some threads from my youth are best left as corny-zombies.
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### Author:  [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2023, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-come-to-start-tracking-hundreds-of-threads/988688/10 "2023-08-26T22:48:40Z")
Scrub completed. I am tracking zero threads, including this one.
That only took an hour–there were entire years missing from the list . . . seemed I hadn’t been tracking anything between 2009-2011.
Tripler
C’est fin.