# How do you keep track in the Dope? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970 "2011-06-10T13:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/21 "2011-06-11T02:00:08Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Just FYI, if you post to a thread, you are automatically subscribed to it. That’s how I’m set, but I think I had actively had to change a setting for that? Then you just click on “User CP” in the upper left of the page, and it will show all of your subscribed threads, with the ones that have been replied to since your last visit marked. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/22 "2011-06-11T02:32:40Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > If I’m looking for threads where my username has been typed or quoted by others I do > Search –\> Advanced Search –\> Search by Keyword –\> and type in “Zeldar” –\> and click Search all Open Forums –\> and click Search Now > > If I’m doing that keyword search I will also type in “Zeldars” since there are times when that’s how people will have referred to my posts or name. Do the search with Zeldar\*, the apostrophe is a wildcard and you can search for Zeldar and Zeldars with one step. > [@Zeldar](#): > > Mine shows 0 subscribed threads. I know I’m “active” in at least ten at the moment. Posting in that many hasn’t “subscribed” me to any – unless I’m missing a trick. > [@WhyNot](#): > > Weird. This thread doesn’t come up for you when you click User CP? > > I don’t “subscribe” to any threads, but my User CP shows any threads I’ve posted in recently, and the ones that have new replies are bolded. > > I have no idea why yours doesn’t, sorry. ☹ You need to select an option other than ‘Do not subscribe’ for Default Thread Subscription Mode in your Options under your User CP in order to automatically subscribe to threads (choose ‘No email notifications’ if you don’t want any emails, for instance). ---
**Author:** ![Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marconi_N.Cheese)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/23 "2011-06-11T03:00:48Z")
Asterisk? Historically, that’s been the wildcard symbol. “I’ve got your tilde right here”. Eta: Ironically I was missing an apostrophe in that’s. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/24 "2011-06-11T03:13:57Z")
> [@Marconi\_N.Cheese](#): > > Asterisk? Historically, that’s been the wildcard symbol. > > “I’ve got your tilde right here”. > > Eta: Ironically I was missing an apostrophe in that’s. > > Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk Yes, asterisk, brain glitch on my part. Something that starts with a, that star thingie. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/25 "2011-06-11T03:19:05Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > You need to select an option other than ‘Do not subscribe’ for Default Thread Subscription Mode in your Options under your User CP in order to automatically subscribe to threads (choose ‘No email notifications’ if you don’t want any emails, for instance). That fixed my problem! I had the “Do Not Subscribe” option selected. I changed it to the “No Email” choice and it’s working fine now. Thanks for the help! ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/26 "2011-06-11T03:26:19Z")
I often forget where I am in the SDMB. I read most of the different forums but I tend to type replies without stopping to think which one I’m in. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/27 "2011-06-11T03:42:38Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > That fixed my problem! I had the “Do Not Subscribe” option selected. I changed it to the “No Email” choice and it’s working fine now. > > Thanks for the help! This was news to me as well. Just changed it myself, we’ll see if I ever use it. To the OP, I’m lazy like. I browse mostly on just one PC and all the threads I’ve read show grey as visited links. Whether I post or not I tend to like to follow threads that I’ve found interesting enough to read. There was a time where I read nearly every thread that was posted in my favorite forums and it was less useful, but nowadays I only click on a few and it’s pretty easy to sift through and find the visited ones to check in on when they rise back to the top. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/28 "2011-06-11T03:50:40Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > This was news to me as well. Just changed it myself, we’ll see if I ever use it. > > To the OP, I’m lazy like. I browse mostly on just one PC and all the threads I’ve read show grey as visited links. Whether I post or not I tend to like to follow threads that I’ve found interesting enough to read. There was a time where I read nearly every thread that was posted in my favorite forums and it was less useful, but nowadays I only click on a few and it’s pretty easy to sift through and find the visited ones to check in on when they rise back to the top. I guess I should answer the OP. I browse the way you do, clicking on marked threads as new posts are added to them to follow the discussion, since I read many more threads than I post in. The Subscribed Threads list in my User CP is useful when I only have a few minutes, so that I can keep up with the few threads I have posted in. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/29 "2011-06-11T12:22:57Z")
I’ve never bothered with any of these tools. I occasionally stop and think, “Hey, I posted that one incredibly witty reply…somewhere. I wonder if anyone noticed.” Then I shrug and move on. There was one brief period at one point where the software automatically placed a dot on the envelope icon of threads you had posted in. I found that handy. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/30 "2011-06-11T22:38:50Z")
Yeah. I don’t do it either, because there’s no way to just see replies to you, as far as I know. I post way too often for getting told about every single response to a thread to be useful. And unsubscribing is a bit tedious when you are subscribed to a lot fo threads. I think it has to do with the modern philosophy towards forums. This isn’t social networking. In general, we are responding to the posts, not the posters. I personally embrace this. I’ve tried doing it the other way, but it very soon becomes very tedious. It’s bad enough having to remember who is sensitive about what. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/31 "2011-06-11T23:08:53Z")
I almost always automatically subscribe (with no email notification) to every thread I post to. Then I just click **User CP** to see a list of threads I’ve participated in (along with little icons showing me whether there’s been any new activity since the last time I checked the thread). Works great; and as far as I know, it doesn’t count as a “search.” ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/32 "2011-06-11T23:20:20Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > To the OP, I’m lazy like. I browse mostly on just one PC and all the threads I’ve read show grey as visited links. Whether I post or not I tend to like to follow threads that I’ve found interesting enough to read. There was a time where I read nearly every thread that was posted in my favorite forums and it was less useful, but nowadays I only click on a few and it’s pretty easy to sift through and find the visited ones to check in on when they rise back to the top. This is what I do as well. If I’m still not sure what I’ve been active in (or can’t find it), I’ll search “all posts by me”, but rarely. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/33 "2011-06-12T04:29:54Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > There was one brief period at one point where the software automatically placed a dot on the envelope icon of threads you had posted in. I found that handy. If you auto subscribe there will be a check mark to the right of the title of any thread you’ve posted in (indicating that you are subscribed to it), which essentially does the same thing as the dot you described. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/34 "2011-06-12T04:51:48Z")
I remember the threads I have responded to and if they are still on the front page the next time I’m here I check out the later responses. I learned very quickly to change my user settings to Do Not Subscribe. If not then your email inbox gets filled up very fast with notifications about responses to threads you might no longer be interested in. And then it’s a pain to go back and individually unsubscribe from each one. My wife and I use the same email address and when I had the settings set to subscribe to threads I responded to she opened the mail to see a cascade of notifications from the Dope. She is not a message board user and her response was “Holy Shit!, what did you SAY to these people!” I tried to explain that I was being notified that someone had added a comment to a thread I replied to and that they weren’t even really talking to me but she thought that each email was a personal response to me. I just gave up and changed to Do Not Subscribe. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/35 "2011-06-12T04:54:05Z")
As has already been mentioned, you can subscribe to a thread without getting email notifications. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/36 "2011-06-12T04:54:28Z")
Dude, just choose subscribe without email notification. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/37 "2011-06-12T04:59:39Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Dude, just choose subscribe without email notification. I really don’t view it as a very important thing. I read the Dope as part of my daily news and it isn’t hard to keep track of whether the thread is still active or has fallen off the page. Simplicity. It’s what works for me. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970/38 "2011-06-12T05:02:42Z")
OK, then you probably should have said that, instead of relating a long anecdote about how you got spammed with a skrillion emails and just couldn’t handle it and finally gave up, indicating that you were not aware of an additional option. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-in-the-dope/584970.md?page=1)