Posting for updates - please don't!

[Outdoor Girl]

I won't use the notify feature - I have enough emails coming in every day that I don't need another bunch to delete.

Generally speaking, if I'm following a thread, I have enough interest in the thread to post an actual comment.  And that way, I get the updates.  Sometimes I have to stretch to have something to comment on - and it is probably obvious that I'm posting for updates - but I don't actually say, 'Posting for updates.'

It is the easiest way to find threads I'm interested in.

[Luci45]

I thought "Posting for updates" was kind of a nudge to the OP to find out if there is any news. It's another way to bring older threads up as a reminder. It just takes a second to hit 'New', glance it it, then page back to the list of threads. I don't mind it at all.

I go to "Show unread posts since your last visit" because there are a lot of threads I'm following and didn't post on, but can't always remember to check. It's quite easy to skim over the listing and skip posts that I am not interested in.

It shows just a few pages and there is that little smilie if I've posted on it. Since the time is on the list, I can even stop skimming; for example, if I know I checked at 10AM and it's now 4PM, I can quit looking because there will be nothing more I am interested in.

I don't use the 'notify' feature at all. I tried and it didn't work well for me.

[doodlemor]

I found a  quick way to check for real updates.

First, click on the OP's name by the title of the thread.  When the person's profile comes up, click on "show posts" on the left of the screen.  Then you can read their recent posts, and see if there is an update to the interesting thread.

[Morrigan]

Except that if you click "notify" you get an email every time someone posts to the thread, leading to an absolute avalanche in your inbox.

I understand it may be annoying for some people, but I don't intend to stop doing it just because of that. Unless there is a rule against it, I don't see why I, or anyone else should have to change how we do things. It's pretty rare anyway. I know I only do it a couple of times a year.

I agree.

Sorry, OP, but "posting for updates" is much better and you can just skip by those posts.

Except I don't get any e-mails, and I do 'notify'. 

And it's not the 'skipping by those posts' that's the problem.  It's the problem that sometimes, when I (and others) click on a thread that has new posts, one that I've been following, there's 5, 10, sometimes more than a dozen posts of just 'posting for updates' and nothing actually adding to the thread.  That's my problem with 'posting for updates'.  When there's a different way that won't mislead people into thinking there's actually something substantially added to the thread.

[Morrigan]

Except that if you click "notify" you get an email every time someone posts to the thread, leading to an absolute avalanche in your inbox.

I understand it may be annoying for some people, but I don't intend to stop doing it just because of that. Unless there is a rule against it, I don't see why I, or anyone else should have to change how we do things. It's pretty rare anyway. I know I only do it a couple of times a year.

I agree.

Sorry, OP, but "posting for updates" is much better and you can just skip by those posts.

This, plus I don't think it is appropriate to tell other posters how they should and should not post unless they actually are breaking a board rule.

Except I didn't tell anyone how to post and how not to post.  I offered an alternative to 'posting for updates'.  Most people don't know what notify does, in my experience.

[RingTailedLemur]

Except that if you click "notify" you get an email every time someone posts to the thread, leading to an absolute avalanche in your inbox.

I understand it may be annoying for some people, but I don't intend to stop doing it just because of that. Unless there is a rule against it, I don't see why I, or anyone else should have to change how we do things. It's pretty rare anyway. I know I only do it a couple of times a year.

I agree.

Sorry, OP, but "posting for updates" is much better and you can just skip by those posts.

Except I don't get any e-mails, and I do 'notify'. 

Well, I did it a couple of times and got bombarded.  I'm not doing it again.

[WillyNilly]

I don't want email notifications. Period.  EVER.  So to suggest that I should get what I don't want to appease other posters is pretty dismissive.  At the end of the day this is an entertainment site, and we should each get to choose how involved we want to be (so long as no one is breaking the rules).

I also agree "posting for updates" keeps the OP informed that people want updates.

[lowspark]

I don't want email notifications. Period.  EVER. 
<snip>
I also agree "posting for updates" keeps the OP informed that people want updates.

Huge POD to this. No way do I want any more emails hitting my inbox, especially on a very active thread.
Now, if there were a way to select certain threads that could appear in a specific "unread" list even though you hadn't posted to them, that would be cool.

And yes, "posting for updates" keeps the thread active and does really indicate that there is further interest to keep the thread going.

I honestly don't see what's bothersome about them. They take about 2 seconds to read, then scroll on by. And I don't really remember ever seeing a dozen of them in a thread, at least not consecutively. I don't think I've seen more than maybe three or four consecutively. Yeah, there may be a bunch spread out through the thread but again, they really aren't much of a nuisance to me. I have to admit, I've never given them a second thought till this discussion popped up.

[joraemi]

I always thought that several people posting asking the OP if there was any updates was a good way to nudge the OP that people were waiting to hear what came of the situation. If no one posts asking for an update to the situation, the OP might just assume no one cared to hear what ended up happening.

Yes, I have made this assumption in my own threads. If no one asks me or bumps up the thread I assume the situation is considered closed. I've felt like I was talking to myself, when there wasn't feedback.

POD these.  I post for updates if there hasn't been any activity from the OP and it has been awhile with no additional  information - like some of the other PP, I assume if no one has posted to my thread that there is no interest, so I don't bother posting outcomes of situations, etc.  If someone posts for updates, then I know they are interested.

I don't post for updates in super active threads becasue I figure the OP is still commenting there.

I also hate the bombardement of emails that comes with the "notify" feature.  I just come to the boards and click the ones that I'm watching/participating in.

[Morrigan]

As has been said before, you DON'T need to get e-mails if you use the 'notify' feature.  You can turn off the e-mail part of it.  I use notify and NEVER get e-mails.

[Morrigan]

I don't want email notifications. Period.  EVER. 
<snip>
I also agree "posting for updates" keeps the OP informed that people want updates.

Huge POD to this. No way do I want any more emails hitting my inbox, especially on a very active thread.
Now, if there were a way to select certain threads that could appear in a specific "unread" list even though you hadn't posted to them, that would be cool.

To the bolded:    That's what the notify feature is for.  Seriously.  As I just stated, you don't need to get e-mails about it.  You can turn that feature off in your notifications.

[WillyNilly]

I don't want email notifications. Period.  EVER. 
<snip>
I also agree "posting for updates" keeps the OP informed that people want updates.

Huge POD to this. No way do I want any more emails hitting my inbox, especially on a very active thread.
Now, if there were a way to select certain threads that could appear in a specific "unread" list even though you hadn't posted to them, that would be cool.

To the bolded:    That's what the notify feature is for.  Seriously.  As I just stated, you don't need to get e-mails about it.  You can turn that feature off in your notifications.

Listen, its great you like to use the site like that.
But I don't want to.  And I don't have to.  I don't want to check a specific list.  I just want to click into various sub-boards and see what's going on - what new posts, what spin-off posts and what old posts have "new" buttons next to them.

I understand that "posting for updates" can get annoying the once a week or so it happens, but really its up to all of us to determine, within the rules, how we want to use this site.  For many of us, we like the "posting for updates" for reasons mentioned already.

[CakeBeret]

I don't want email notifications. Period.  EVER. 
<snip>
I also agree "posting for updates" keeps the OP informed that people want updates.

Huge POD to this. No way do I want any more emails hitting my inbox, especially on a very active thread.
Now, if there were a way to select certain threads that could appear in a specific "unread" list even though you hadn't posted to them, that would be cool.

To the bolded:    That's what the notify feature is for.  Seriously.  As I just stated, you don't need to get e-mails about it.  You can turn that feature off in your notifications.

Where does the notification go, if not to your email?

[stargazer]

I don't want email notifications. Period.  EVER. 
<snip>
I also agree "posting for updates" keeps the OP informed that people want updates.

Huge POD to this. No way do I want any more emails hitting my inbox, especially on a very active thread.
Now, if there were a way to select certain threads that could appear in a specific "unread" list even though you hadn't posted to them, that would be cool.

To the bolded:    That's what the notify feature is for.  Seriously.  As I just stated, you don't need to get e-mails about it.  You can turn that feature off in your notifications.

Listen, its great you like to use the site like that.
But I don't want to.  And I don't have to.  I don't want to check a specific list.  I just want to click into various sub-boards and see what's going on - what new posts, what spin-off posts and what old posts have "new" buttons next to them.

I understand that "posting for updates" can get annoying the once a week or so it happens, but really its up to all of us to determine, within the rules, how we want to use this site.  For many of us, we like the "posting for updates" for reasons mentioned already.

Exactly.  "Posting for updates" over and over can get slightly irritating but it does let the OP know we are still interested.  And I will not use the notify feature whether I get emails or not.  I simply prefer to go to each section and check to see if the little "new" button is next to a thread I'm interested in.  It's great you like notify - but you are coming off as rather pushy here.

[oogyda]

Except that if you click "notify" you get an email every time someone posts to the thread, leading to an absolute avalanche in your inbox.

I understand it may be annoying for some people, but I don't intend to stop doing it just because of that. Unless there is a rule against it, I don't see why I, or anyone else should have to change how we do things. It's pretty rare anyway. I know I only do it a couple of times a year.

I agree.

Sorry, OP, but "posting for updates" is much better and you can just skip by those posts.

This, plus I don't think it is appropriate to tell other posters how they should and should not post unless they actually are breaking a board rule.

I agree....particularly with the bolded statement.  FWIW, I think I've only asked for updates once in the entire time I've been on the board.