There are a number of ways to subscribe to notifications. Many seem to prefer the e-mail option (called mail in the settings), which is why this is set at the default. I do suggest, however, that people experiment with both the simple option or feed. Simple means that notifications are displayed upon your next login. This might be ideal for those who plan to return to the site on a frequent occurrence. (At least once per week or more.) The feed option takes advantages of the RSS news feed capabilities of Drupal's system and offers custom feeds to users based upon groups and/or content they are subscribed to.

Now, for an overview of how and were subscription data is maintained. This can be found by clicking on the My Account link showing in the main Navigation menu (visible under someone’s username in the left-hand column while logged in), and then the Notifications tab. As things stand, notifications are available not only when content is created, but when it is updated or when someone adds a comment. Under the Overview tab is a summary of any existing subscriptions someone may have.

Tags is the term used to describe subscriptions to collections content some type. For example, someone can subscribe to content postings grouped within Image Albums, categories for Blog Articles, and even User Points awarded to name a few. Keep in mind the Image Albums are also used in conjunction with our Web Store, providing details on Installation Packages and Themes - Templates - Skins we sell to customize the appearance of different CMS programs. Those interesting in being informed as to when we release a new theme should locate the grouping within the store. 

Groups, by contrast, refers to discussion or project work groups you have joined or added to on this site. Inclusion in some groups is considered mandatory. For example, everyone registered on the site will be included in the Announcement group. Depending on someone's role, there may be other mandatory groups. Individuals may adjust their membership settings in these groups, however, to the setting they desire (mail being the default, feed, or simple).

Content Type in Group - not real sure why this is listed in the Overview, as management of these subscriptions is all through the Groups tab mentioned above. I do not plan to include any other content types in Groups beyond what exists at the moment, so this can be ignored.

Thread seems to relate to specific discussion threads located inside Groups. As most people will be subscribed to the group as a whole, this one may not have too much real value. As there could be circumstances where someone may want to use it to, say, track overall activity in a group by a feed, and that of a specific thread by e-mail; I'm preserving the option.

Content Type still wants to appear in the Overview, but I have - I hope - gotten rid of any options in this area. This is the one I believe to have been the cause of the recent spate of duplicate notifications. By creating more categories for content posted on the site that appear in the Tags section, I think I have resolved that issue.

Author refers to subscriptions to anything created or updated by a specific person active on the system.

Getting back to other controls found in the Profile area, there is an Autosubscribe box, found in someone’s main account settings. By clicking in this box, someone can automatically be subscribed to any threads they create or comment on. Click on the Edit tab when viewing the profile, and scroll down the page to find this item.

Controls are also offered over the timing of notices under Send Interval. Immediate is the default setting within all Profiles, as this will generate notices the quickest. For those seeking a way to manage traffic within areas that are busy, choosing other intervals might be desireable. The settings for Every Hour, Twice per Day, Daily, and Weekly should be self-explanatory. The option of Never is also available to block any future notifications from the selected area. Keep in mind, however, there may already be some notifications queued that may be may occur before the Never block would go into effect. In most cases, this would occur within a hour or so at most.