There are tons of WordPress blogs out there, many of which you may comment on. While such interaction is always welcome, keeping track of the various discussions you’re engaged in can be difficult. Thanks to a recent WordPress update, this process has been refined, making it easier on those who visit, and comment on, multiple WordPress blogs.

The first aspect of the update is to automatically subscribe those who comment on a particular post. The official WordPress blog has the details:

• By default, posting a comment will now subscribe you to receive follow-up comments via email for that specific post, keeping you updated on the conversation. This is indicated by the checked box in the comment form.
• If you have a WordPress.com account, you now have a global setting to change this so that by default you will not be subscribed…
• If you don’t want email notifications for a thread, just uncheck the box when you post your comment. If you’ve disabled the feature, you can also subscribe to a specific thread by checking the box in the comment form.
• There is also a link at the bottom of every notification email that will allow you to change your subscription options.

Essentially, if you comment, you’re subscribed. This includes email notifications when other readers respond to a post containing one of your comments. As the screenshot indicates, you can change what posts you follow every time you post a comment:

Are default subscriptions the way to go as a WordPress user or should this be something users should have to opt into? Granted, WordPress members can adjust their accounts globally, but if you neglect to do so, every time someone comments in a post you’ve commented on, you’ll receive an email notification.