# Middle Ground Between "Watching" and "Tracking" Posts?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-ground-between-watching-and-tracking-posts/913894>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [July 1, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-ground-between-watching-and-tracking-posts/913894 "2020-07-01T02:39:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-ground-between-watching-and-tracking-posts/913894/1 "2020-07-01T02:39:28Z")

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On a lot of message boards, when you get email notifications for subscribed/watched threads, you can set it so you only get one email until you actually visit the website again. If 10 people have replied to a thread I am watching since I last visited, I don’t want 10 emails, which is what “watching” does. However, “Tracking” only emails me if someone mentions my @name or directly quotes me, so that’s no good either. Is there any way to do this? That’s how the old board worked.

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**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-ground-between-watching-and-tracking-posts/913894/2 "2020-07-01T02:41:55Z")

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So do I “watch” or “track” this thread? Hmmm…

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**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-ground-between-watching-and-tracking-posts/913894/3 "2020-07-01T20:58:01Z")

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My understanding is that “Tracking” also enables little number bubbles on the thread when there are new replies. Less intrusive than emailing, but you still have to visit the forum to see them.

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**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-ground-between-watching-and-tracking-posts/913894/4 "2020-07-01T22:02:17Z")

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> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#):
>
> My understanding is that “Tracking” also enables little number bubbles on the thread when there are new replies. Less intrusive than emailing, but you still have to visit the forum to see them

I think “Watching” also enables little number bubbles…maybe the difference is that Watching doesn’t put the number bubbles in my avatar notification?

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**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-ground-between-watching-and-tracking-posts/913894/5 "2020-07-02T08:13:43Z")

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See the settings in Preferences \> Emails.

Activity Summary may do what you need. (I haven’t tried it.)