# What's the best word to describe "typical" topic notification state
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020
**Category:** UX
**Created:** [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 10:26am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020 "2015-08-12T10:26:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 10:26am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/1 "2015-08-12T10:26:03Z")
Topic notification state is controlled by this button at the bottom of topics:
However, I am no longer sure “Regular” is the best word to indicate typical notification state. So let’s put it to a vote.
**Fill in the blank:**
> ### {blank}
>
> You will be notified if someone mentions your @name or replies to you.
_Poll ([view on site](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/1))_
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 10:34am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/2 "2015-08-12T10:34:58Z")
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### Author:  [@AstonJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/AstonJ)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 12:05pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/3 "2015-08-12T12:05:27Z")
I’m glad you started this as I have always thought watching is pretty confusing on Discourse.
How about just have a button that says ‘ **Watch Category** ’ or ‘ **Watch Topic** ’ and when somebody clicks on that you give them the various options? (I also think that ‘muted’ should be separate.)
Then simply show the watch status per thread or category with an unwatch button.
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### Author:  [@downey](https://meta.discourse.org/u/downey)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 12:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/4 "2015-08-12T12:20:25Z")
Agree. Both “Watch” and “Mute” should be actions the user can take on a topic, rather than an attribute of the topic. IMHO “Tracking” should/could be removed altogether as too edge. (Does anyone have real world numbers on how much it’s used?)
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/5 "2015-08-12T12:28:24Z")
> [@downey](#):
>
> Does anyone have real world numbers on how much it’s used?
A huge amount, out of the box we auto track stuff you spent a minute reading
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### Author:  [@downey](https://meta.discourse.org/u/downey)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/6 "2015-08-12T12:28:54Z")
Sorry. I meant how many people manually opt in to it.
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### Author:  [@jspautsch](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jspautsch)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/7 "2015-08-12T12:44:06Z")
What about **Not watching** or **Not tracking**? It teases the function to the user, as opposed to a dropdown that just says “Default,” which could be anything.
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### Author:  [@erlend\_sh](https://meta.discourse.org/u/erlend_sh)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/8 "2015-08-12T12:57:28Z")
I really like that. Just keep it binary, simple.
I’ve mentioned before how I would really like it if “Watching & Tracking” instead became either “Tracking & Tracking+” or "Watching & Watching+, because the verbs are so interchangeable that there’s no way of telling which means what without reading the description.
“_Not_ tracking” would further enforce that simpler, binary terminology.
**Edit:** I think @mcwumbly makes an excellent point below. I immediately had that same cognitive hickup when I read Default.
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### Author:  [@jspautsch](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jspautsch)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 1:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/9 "2015-08-12T13:00:43Z")
Or, find another word that’s more explicit, like **Notify** or **Notify me**.
Although, “Watching” is used in a variety of web apps to denote a notification state.
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### Author:  [@mcwumbly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/mcwumbly)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/10 "2015-08-12T13:29:38Z")
I like Normal the best of the options.
I like Default too, but its problematic because it conflicts semantically with what my default tracking state may be set to in my preferences.
Also, how about changing from a drop down to three buttons that represent actions :
Mute Track Watch
Only one can be depressed at a time. Clicking it again turns it off. That way, changing states is always a single click. I also like the imperative tense better.
This also fits the binary choices mental model referenced above.
When they are all off you are in the **Normal** tracking state (which need not be displayed as a separate string, but may need a name for reference).
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### Author:  [@mcwumbly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/mcwumbly)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/11 "2015-08-12T13:31:57Z")
> [@downey](#):
>
> Sorry. I meant how many people manually opt in to it.
I do this somewhat frequently. More often, I manually stop tracking topics after I have lost interest after some time.
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### Author:  [@awesomerobot](https://meta.discourse.org/u/awesomerobot)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/12 "2015-08-12T13:32:45Z")
I agree — “not tracking,” if selected, also better implies what the other functions in the dropdown may be (if there’s a ‘not tracking’ option, there must be a ‘tracking’ option)
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### Author:  [@wesochuck](https://meta.discourse.org/u/wesochuck)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/13 "2015-08-12T13:43:41Z")
What about **Priority** as an option in place of Regular? To mimic the Android notification state options (All, Priority, None)?
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### Author:  [@kensims](https://meta.discourse.org/u/kensims)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/14 "2015-08-12T13:55:15Z")
> [@downey](#):
>
> Agree. Both “Watch” and “Mute” should be actions the user can take on a topic, rather than an attribute of the topic. IMHO “Tracking” should/could be removed altogether as too edge. (Does anyone have real world numbers on how much it’s used?)
In the forum where I’m an admin, I have my preferences set to do Tracking for every topic that I enter (and have every topic set to remain New until I enter it). That way I make sure to read everything. But I sure **don’t** want to be **emailed** about everything.
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### Author:  [@jspautsch](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jspautsch)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/15 "2015-08-12T15:47:38Z")
My suggestion would be something like this, either:
A) Phrased as an action…
1. Notify / Notify me
2. Track
3. Don’t track
4. Mute
Or B) phrased as a state…
1. Notifying
2. Tracking
3. Not tracking
4. Muted
Although really I’m fine with “Watch / Watching”.
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### Author:  [@anon82356247](https://meta.discourse.org/u/anon82356247)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/16 "2015-08-12T19:43:56Z")
I’d like to see notification level that includes activity in that category or thread in a daily digest email.
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### Author:  [@DeanMarkTaylor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/DeanMarkTaylor)
#### Post date: [12 באוגוסט, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/17 "2015-08-12T22:18:32Z")
###Unable to Vote, “other”?
For me there isn’t a choice in the voting options in the first topic post.
Each of them seems non-descriptive (doesn’t really mean anything) compared to the other states (Watching, Tracking, Muted).
I would like to suggest **Unmonitored**.
I know not perfect but it means something and when compared to **Muted** , to me “muted” feels far stronger - a clear difference.
###Phrasing
> [@jspautsch](#):
>
> Or B) phrased as a state…
I too have had an issue with the phrasing - doesn’t really feel right,
My suggestions for state names would be as follows:
- Watched
- Tracked
- Unmonitored
- Muted
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### Author:  [@watchmanmonitor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/watchmanmonitor)
#### Post date: [13 באוגוסט, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/19 "2015-08-13T00:43:18Z")
The thing about default is: I’d expect to be able to change a default.
I like Tracking / Not Tracking
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [13 באוגוסט, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/20 "2015-08-13T01:16:30Z")
> [@mcwumbly](#):
>
> I like Default too, but its problematic because it conflicts semantically with what my default tracking state may be set to in my preferences.
Yeah this basically rules out default as @watchmanmonitor also noted.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [13 באוגוסט, 2015, 6:40am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/whats-the-best-word-to-describe-typical-topic-notification-state/32020/21 "2015-08-13T06:40:07Z")
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