# Three questions about thread subscriptions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-questions-about-thread-subscriptions/304271>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [May 17, 2005, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-questions-about-thread-subscriptions/304271 "2005-05-17T17:54:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-questions-about-thread-subscriptions/304271/1 "2005-05-17T17:54:25Z")

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First, does the act of subscribing to a thread place a heavy demand on the servers? I prefer to subscribe to threads without email notification, just as a handy way to find particular threads at a later date. However, if it places an undue demand on the servers, I won’t be so capricious in my zeal.

Second, is there an upper limit to the number of threads I can subscribe to? (I’m currently at a little over a hundred.)

Third, do the mods/admins have access to my thread subscription list? I’m not trying to hide anything, just a random curiosity. (As an extension of that, can any paid member see the thread sub list of any other paid member? That might be cool…although, on a moment’s reflection, that might lead to more problems than coolness. Never mind.)

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**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-questions-about-thread-subscriptions/304271/2 "2005-05-18T02:06:59Z")

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I can somewhat answer the second question: if there is a limit, it’s a rather high one. I have unsubscribed from only a handful of threads, and I’ve been in a lot of them. I know that it is over 1K at the moment.

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**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-questions-about-thread-subscriptions/304271/3 "2005-05-18T19:26:20Z")

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I don’t think that thread subscription places a heavy demand on the server by itself. I do note that the system does batch email. I also note that at times of heavy service the very first task that gets dropped is email, so you may not get perfect service. (Then again, you might get stuff twice, as I have of late.)

I don’t know that there’s a limit to the number of threads you can subscribe to, can’t imagine so, though I’m sure there’s limits to everything.

Lastly, we do not have access to your list of subscribed threads and even if we did, we don’t have an interest in your preferences, let alone time to look at it.

your humble TubaDiva