[quote=@JDolan]
Given the layout of the site, and how everything is neatly piled up on the right hand side of the screen, it's kind of hard to ignore. Everything from Friends to New Roleplays to New Interest Checks, and the like are there, and right in the middle of it, is the status updates. What might fix things is a simple rearrangement so that the statuses are the very bottom of the list. 
[/quote]

This is also a  workaround that I think mahz and the mod team should consider-- especially if it is in fact easier than the initial suggestion. 

Per discussions a while back (2 years ago, after Guildfall), I know that mahz was contemplating the idea of an opt out feature for things on the site, so it's hard to say if the opt-out fact workable on the back end as it might sound at first.