# How often do you unsubscribe from a thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 3, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964 "2011-12-03T17:59:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/1 "2011-12-03T17:59:08Z")
I find myself maybe once every two weeks or so unsubscribing from a thread that I’ve been subscribed to. Usually because it’s gotten boring to read, but sometimes because it’s gotten too long too fast and I can’t keep up/it isn’t worth the effort. It always feels weird to do, though. Like walking away from a conversation you’re in the middle of. Do you unsubscribe from threads very often? Mods: if this is the wrong forum, feel free to move it. It just seemed like since it was about using the board, that this was the right place. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/2 "2011-12-03T18:41:41Z")
I’ve only subscribed to about 7 threads ever - so…very infrequently. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/3 "2011-12-03T18:51:17Z")
Mine is set to subscribe me to threads when I post to them, so I’m subscribed to every thread I’ve posted in, except the ones I’ve unsubscribed from. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/4 "2011-12-03T19:33:12Z")
I’ve never unsubscribed. And I too subscribe to threads I post to automatically. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/5 "2011-12-03T19:40:38Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Mine is set to subscribe me to threads when I post to them, so I’m subscribed to every thread I’ve posted in, except the ones I’ve unsubscribed from. I turned that on several years ago, but not when I first joined, so I’m not subscribed to every thread I’ve ever posted to. Still, I only unsubscribe when the thread has gone into a fat-chewing phase that far exceeds my interest in the original topic. But that does happen, so it’s not unheard of. I’d guess three-four a year. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/6 "2011-12-03T19:52:45Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Mine is set to subscribe me to threads when I post to them, so I’m subscribed to every thread I’ve posted in, except the ones I’ve unsubscribed from. I unsubscribe when it gets boring, when it’s the kind of thread where you contribute a data point but other posts don’t matter, too much TMI, or when it gets too hot and heated and I’m trying to avoid getting drawn back in. ETA: about 5% of my threads, or a bit less. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/7 "2011-12-03T19:55:55Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Mine is set to subscribe me to threads when I post to them, so I’m subscribed to every thread I’ve posted in, except the ones I’ve unsubscribed from. Same here - every now and then when I go check my subscribed threads and realize I’ve got billions of them, I’ll start to unsubscribe to the old ones. I only stay “subscribed” to ones I don’t want to lose track of, because they contain useful reference information. Recipes, tips, links, that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/8 "2011-12-03T20:07:52Z")
As soon as people start posting puns that thread is off my radar. And just about any thread that starts getting too many silliness, post-padding, or “me too” kinds of posts. I really like the unsubscribe feature. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/9 "2011-12-03T20:29:15Z")
I’ve subscribed to a couple of threads that I’ve started, though I usually don’t; never to those that I read. If I post to a thread, and I want to follow up, I can search for it. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/10 "2011-12-03T20:34:26Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > As soon as people start posting puns that thread is off my radar. This is me, too. I especially hate it when it takes over a thread I was interested in. Ruins the thread. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/11 "2011-12-03T20:49:47Z")
I don’t subscribe automatically, so when I _do_ subscribe to a thread, it’s because I really want to keep track of things. (Heck I don’t even subscribe to all of my own threads!) Anyway, as a result, since I’m pretty choosy about the subscription feature, I almost never need to unsubscribe. I think I’ve just been fortunate that the threads for which I receive updates haven’t fallen prey to the puns/inside jokes/trainwreck syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/12 "2011-12-03T21:25:02Z")
Since I post from my phone for the most part, it subscribes you automatically. However, I’m still pretty OCD, so I’ll go along and undo that as soon as the thread has run its course for the most part. And if a thread pops back up that I am getting emails on but aren’t interested in any longer, there’s a button to push to do that too. It’s one of the few advantages of Doping on your phone. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/13 "2011-12-03T21:33:54Z")
Never. But then, I’ve never subscribed to one either. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/14 "2011-12-03T21:34:03Z")
At some point a year ago or so I enrolled to automatically subscribe to threads I posted in. Before that I had to manually track which ones were interesting. If they popped back to the top of the forum list, I’d probably find them. But it was hard to keep up with the ones in forums I don’t hit every day. I started searching on my own name to pull up the list of active posts, but realized the subscribe feature does that. I may have unsubscribed from a thread or two. Usually the drop down and aren’t active. The only reason I would unsubscribe is if the topic became heated and I wasn’t interested in following anymore, just to keep it from being active at the top of my list. But usually I can ignore threads I’m not interested in any more, so it’s a rare thing. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/15 "2011-12-04T20:21:16Z")
By the way, I filtered SDMB mail into my trash in gmail, so I don’t get the email notifications every time a thread is updated. I just use the User CP link to find the threads I’ve posted to. This has simplified my life a lot. I used to get way too much email from the SDMB because of thread subscriptions. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/16 "2011-12-04T20:29:26Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > By the way, I filtered SDMB mail into my trash in gmail, so I don’t get the email notifications every time a thread is updated. I just use the User CP link to find the threads I’ve posted to. This has simplified my life a lot. I used to get way too much email from the SDMB because of thread subscriptions. Not sure you’re aware, but you can set it not to e-mail you regarding subscriptions. That’s what I do. Re the OP: Very rarely. Usually when I post a point early in the thread, and it’s since gone off topic or disintegrated into puns. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/17 "2011-12-05T01:34:01Z")
Subscribe automatically as well, and very rarely unsubscribe. The only times I can think of is when I’m getting a lot of spam about a thread I just don’t care about in my email…and even then, with hotmail I can just do sweeps now, so I generally do that, especially when I’m on travel. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/18 "2011-12-05T16:05:27Z")
**OpalCat** , there’s a setting for “No email notifications”. Works like a charm. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/19 "2011-12-05T16:43:06Z")
I just discovered the auto-subscribing thing fairly recently – well, in the last year or so. At first I was managing my list like something depended on it, unsubscribing a thread the moment it went a day without a post, keeping only a managable number of threads marked. Then it dawned on me how I could use my subscription list as a vanity search. What can I say? I love reading my old shit. Now, I generally only unsubscribe to a thread if I’ve floated a throwaway post of some stripe or another, but the thread lives on despite me. That is, if it’s a really dull thread and I’ve barely contibuted then I don’t really want to see it in my list anymore. That said, I think I’ve unsubscribed to maybe 10 threads since I started subscribing. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-unsubscribe-from-a-thread/604964/20 "2011-12-05T16:51:30Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > **OpalCat** , there’s a setting for “No email notifications”. Works like a charm. Ah, I didn’t know that. It’s good to know but in this case it doesn’t matter because what I already have set up works out the same.