I have noticed a few times when the forum list shows a particular forum indicates unread posts but when I open that forum there are no unread posts.
Specifically this morning the Lost Stories forum shows last updated 18/3/24 03:32:16 but when I open that forum the most recent thread is 'miss friday' last updated 16/3/24 21:18:11
My time zone is GMT (=UTC).
Edit correcting typo
If you access the posts through the All Threads by Date list, then the forum sections don't get marked as read.
To make sure that all forum sections are marked as 'Read' when you view all the topics listed in the 'All threads by Date', then click the little check mark under the heading on the left, in the 'All threads by Date' list. That will grey out all the forum sections.
The discrepancy is not what is marked as read.
In the list of forums the last updated time is more recent than the most recent post listed in that forum.
@Dinsdale I do not have anyone on my "ignore" list.
In the list of forums the last updated time is more recent than the most recent post listed in that forum.
This will happen if someone edits an older (not most-recent) post. The edited post will have the update timestamp matching the 'last updated' time, but this could be anywhere on the page. Also, if a post is deleted (or added then deleted) I would expect this then, with no matching post timestamp on the page. Ever posted something, thought 'Nah...', then deleted it?
ETA: I'm causing it now with multiple edits to (my last post on) the 'Memorable Quotes...' thread
ETA2: Nope, edits don't change the 'Last Updated' timestamp, just the deletes.
I saw that effect with deleted posts a year or so back. Someone would post something, change their mind and delete it again. The "Last Update" would be when they created the later-deleted post (and I tried it myself, it worked).
Do you have anyone - yes, HIM - on your "ignore" list? If the most recent post was his, it could well have that kind of effect.