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Please, please, please, let me opt out of "receive a notification" when someone left a comment under my answer/question.

I have tiredness issues along with anxiety and depression. Sometimes, I do have the energy to respond to a question (writing an answer) but it doesn't mean I have the energy to reply to comments under my post or to argue in comment with people.

Worse, sometimes people just argue between themself and I receive a ping every time. Just reading about conflict is tiring for me but, since it's under my post, I feel like I have to monitor the conversation so it doesn't get too ugly.

I could just quite SE for an unknown period of time but I still like to read new questions/answers (without necessarily participating). Especially on my favorite SE site who isn't MSE.

I could also completely ignore the "notification" inbox, but MSE isn't the only site I participate in and I sometimes wait for "very important" notifications in those. So, every time I receive a notification, I need to know if it's about this answer I'm waiting for or just someone arguing in comments on MSE.

For people thinking that "I just need more self-restraint". I agree, I need more of that. But self-restraint is also tiring and if there was a tool to help me self-restraint, it would help a lot.

So, could we please have a feature that allows us to not receive a notification when someone comments under a specific post of yours?

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    Is hiding the notification counter a option for you? So, you do have all your notifications there but no red circle with the counter running. With a userscript it will be easy to achieve that.
    – CaldeiraG
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 10:36
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    @Marco13 well, i can see a comment today on one my topics and only answer tomorrow, is that wrong?
    – CaldeiraG
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 10:43
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    You could also ask for a post to be deassociated. If you then remove all comments of your own, you're also not pingable anymore. This could be a kind of emergency measure for you until this feature is implemented,
    – rene Mod
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 10:44
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    Possible duplicate of More control over multicollider - muting a comment thread on a single post is one of the requested features.
    – Glorfindel Mod
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 10:59
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    @Glorfindel 7 years, 5 months ago - Do you still have any hope that this will ever see light? ;-)
    – Christine H. Richards
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 14:01

3 Answers 3

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I'm generally in favor of a "do not receive any more notifications about this post" button you could press on any specific post, and a profile preference that could let you opt out completly or per-site.

The reason for that is as much about the efficacy of notifications then it is about tiredness. The more noise you get in there, the less attention you pay. Therefore it is a good idea, also for the reaction times and amounts to other notifications, to allow users more finegrained control over their notification preferences.

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I'm not in favor of an option like this.

By asking or answering a question on any of SE's sites, you're participating in the community. Other participants can ask you for clarification, or discuss aspects of your contribution.

Ignoring comments is borderline rude. Call me blunt, but SE isn't a blog where you can write whatever you want and then "disable comments".

I need to know if it's about this answer I'm waiting for or just someone arguing in comments on MSE.

I'm sorry you feel that way about MSE, but if you're not interested in discussions on MSE, the easiest solution is not to contribute something that's going to be discussed.

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    That's just silly - we all have the option to disengage. In fact, it is the recommended course of action when discussions get to the point where "it's difficult to be friendly". Me contributing my point of view is not an invitation to engage in a debate with everyone who disagrees with me.
    – ColleenV
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:16
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    "we all have the option to disengage." Sure, but this is just going to be used to disable notifications of "someone arguing in comments on MSE." And yes, in a sense, a answer on a public site like this is an invitation to read and respond. How would you feel if I just mentioned you @ColleenV, and then disabled all comment notifications here (/on this question)? I'd consider that pretty rude.
    – Cerbrus
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:17
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    @ColleenV if you want to disengage then step away I guess. Close the website. Turn off your device etc.
    – Script47
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:23
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    @ColleenV: The fact that someone commented on an answer you wrote isn't worthy of a notification? Or the fact that someone may ask for clarification on a question you just posted?
    – Cerbrus
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:23
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    "I don't see a problem giving them an option to mute a conversation that may just be three people arguing among themselves without anything addressed to the author." There would probably be a case for a "NLN" flag there... Problem solved.
    – Cerbrus
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:28
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    @ColleenV 1. My phone is always muted. 2. When I receive a call or a text I have the option to check it, no one forces me. Many times I don't because I'm busy. Not every call/text (in this case comment) needs to handled right away.
    – Script47
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:29
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    @ColleenV yes - I've had cases of that too, nothing that a flag couldn't handle.
    – Script47
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:29
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    The solution to that situation is already in the comment you linked, @ColleenV. Ignoring that problem isn't going to make it disappear.
    – Cerbrus
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:30
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    Now, considering we're not going to convince each other, I suggest we leave it at that.
    – Cerbrus
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:30
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    SE is not a social network, and even in those you don't have to heed comments if you don't want to. Also I've been in the network for a few years, and I have seen useful comments in my own posts less than a handful of times.
    – Senior Wrangler
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:52
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    @Renan: you have no idea how often I've asked an OP for clarification on a unclear question only to be ignored, resulting in the question being closed as unclear. If you post a question here, you do have some obligation to check the comments. They're there to help you.
    – Cerbrus
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 11:54
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    @Cerbrus I would agree with you on main sites. But here, not so much. If someone wants to take a break, we should let them do so. If you are logged in on multiple sites with same account then you will get notifications no matter on which site you currently are.
    – Resistance Is Futile
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 13:18
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    @HerMajestyQueenofARC: If someone wants a break, they probably shouldn't be getting involved in loaded issues such as those that are currently being discussed...
    – Cerbrus
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 13:20
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    @Cerbrus It is easy to get into a mess without anticipating it... at one point you think you can handle it, the next moment you can't.
    – Resistance Is Futile
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 13:22
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    If you're not able to "deal" with comments on a question you post, then maybe you have more important things to worry about than posting a question. Posting a question is an invitation to respond, be it in comments or answers.
    – Cerbrus
    Commented Oct 21, 2019 at 13:33
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This is definitely something that can be done client-side with userscripts, as the urls to the notification source should contain the ID of the post you're not interested in following, by which they can be filtered out. Even if this functionality will not be officially supported soon or ever, you may be able to find or create a userscript that enables it just for you.

Also, a couple ideas to expand on this feature:

  • Differentiate notifications about comments explicitly mentioning your name (like in chat, where you just see the counter vs when you get mentioned by name or receive a reply to one of your messages)
  • Mute only certain kinds of notifications: Answers, Comments, Edits, etc.
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