Hi Erik,
I believe what happens is that once you've read any subtopics under the higher level items on the 'main' page that it won't show the check mark on the main page any longer which indicates new activity.

There are a number of ways to get new activity on the board, perhaps the simplest is to just go into the main page and choose the 'Recent Posts' link at the top right.   You can also click 'subscribe' while in individual threads or use the following option to have the recent topics sent to you via email:

If you would like to receive an email containing new forum topics, please use the following steps to set your preferences.

1. Log into your forum account
2. Select the 'User Details' button at the top
3. Select the 'Settings' option on the left navigation menu
4. Scroll down until you see the option 'Email Digest of New Topics'
5. Choose the frequency (Daily, Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Monthly)
6. Click the Save button at the bottom

Regarding the 'XML' feed link at the bottom, the message board currently only feeds on the most recent topics but our hosting company plans to enhance this in the future.