"Alerts first"
then "New Posts"
I use the "Watch Thread" function frequently, without email notification. This puts an alert that a new post was added to a thread I'm watching. I find it useful
Last if there is still time, I will go through menu of sub-forums. As I said before, usually rarely get to any sub-forums below the first 15. No need to change the lay out of the forum, just stating a fact.