# Managing volume of posts



## hansonpm

Hi all, 

I absolutely adore WRF and am truly impressed by the rapidity of the responses I get. How is that done? I want to give back, and I've subscribed to daily digest for a couple of forums, but I am overwhelmed by the volume of posts. 

Sometimes I check out the ones at the top of the list (the oldest ones) to see if I have any clarification to offer, and sometimes I go to the bottom and try to answer the most recent questions. But I'd really like to be able to answer a manageable number of posts in real time.

Is there any way to further filter what comes in so that I could subscribe to individual messages without jamming up my inbox? Say, for example, is there anyway to filter medical Spanish posts so I just get the ones from Spanish to English, my native language? 

Or do you all have some other secret weapon?

Thanks!


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## SDLX Master

There's no secret weapon hansonpm. Subscribing is a good idea, but the one that works, at least for me, is paying a visit to the ones I am interested in posting, then a little browsing here or there and replies come up.


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## Valeria Mesalina

Go to "users control panel", then "edit options". You´ll see this:



> *Default Thread Subscription Mode*
> When you post a new thread, or reply to a topic, you can choose to automatically add that thread to your list of subscribed threads, with the option to receive email notification of new replies to that thread.


You can choose "Instant email notification", "No email notification", "Daily email notification", "Weekly email notification". 

You can still see the threads you´ve subscribed to from the "subscribed threads" folder on your user control panel, but your inbox won´t be clogged.


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## TimLA

Hi,
Just my two cents...
If you are on a busy forum turn OFF the email subscriptions - your inbox will be filled all the time.

I applaud you for "wanting to give back" - Brava!

The way I approach it (I hang around IE mostly)
1. I'm looking for "zeros" - I spend most of my time starting on page 2 and 3 and look for "no responses".
___If I can answer it great, if I can't, I attempt it and say "at least my answer will pop you back to the top for the experts to see you again".
2. I look for "1"s, and see if there has been a real answer, or just another question asked.
3. I look for interesting titles. Odd words and sentences where I might learn something and help someone else out.
4. I look for titles in my areas of expertise.
5. I look for posts from foreros that I "know" and might appreciate another opinion.
6. If 1-5 are finished, I go to bed.

You'll develop your own style, based on the time you have, the forum, and your particular interests.


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## Kelly B

TimLA, I look for threads with no replies as well.  Here's a quick way to find them:
In the *Display Options* box at the bottom of the page:
*Sort By*: Number of Replies
*Sort Order*: Ascending
*From the*: Last Day (or the approximate time since you last logged on)

This displays recent threads with the fewest replies at the top of the page.


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## TimLA

Kelly B said:


> TimLA, I look for threads with no replies as well.  Here's a quick way to find them:
> In the *Display Options* box at the bottom of the page:
> *Sort By*: Number of Replies
> *Sort Order*: Ascending
> *From the*: Last Day (or the approximate time since you last logged on)
> 
> This displays recent threads with the fewest replies at the top of the page.


 
 *Our *hobby is "lookin' for zero's".

I will sometimes use your technique, but I generally stick to the pages, because I have a "rule" that I *try* not to answer posts for at least 30 minutes (I don't always follow the rule!).
I'm already a "forum hog", and this gives others a chance to answer posts.


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## Loob

Well, I _- sort of_ - follow Tim's prescriptions...

But for me the most important point is "turn OFF the email subscriptions".


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## hansonpm

Thank you, everyone, for your replies! Those were just the kind of ideas I was looking for.

I think I will try changing from weekly to daily digest, because it will be a reminder, and if I have time I will try some of your suggested approaches to choose what to reply to.

See you in the forums!


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## TrentinaNE

Looking for "1s" and "2s" is almost as important. Often, the only response a thread will have is a question asking for clarification or an answer that isn't really correct. Then the original poster will respond to clarify or ask "are you sure?" and the response count will suddenly be up to 2 but the thread will be no closer to resolution than a zero-response thread. So you might want to take a look at some of those as well. 

Elisabetta


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## hansonpm

Excellent suggestion, thanks!


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