# Suggestion for thread icons **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 19, 2003, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216 "2003-05-19T10:51:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/1 "2003-05-19T10:51:30Z")
On other boards which use the same software (e.g. [hitechcreations.com](http://hitechcreations.com)) if you post a message to a thread, then thereafter the icon for the thread has a little dot in it. This makes it very easy to identify in which threads you are active. Could this be implemented here? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/2 "2003-05-19T13:47:11Z")
That’s an option we had not turned on. Let’s try it and see what happens. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/3 "2003-05-19T18:26:18Z")
I don’t know if the one has anything to do with the other, but after you turned on that option, the board got horribly slow! ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/4 "2003-05-19T18:43:46Z")
Holy crap. I noticed that and thought I was insane. It looks like a bullet hole. KAPOW! ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/5 "2003-05-19T18:56:26Z")
I love this. I hope you keep it. Unless it has anything to do with slowing down the board, of course. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/6 "2003-05-19T19:08:49Z")
Ah, much better, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/7 "2003-05-19T19:24:50Z")
I was just about to ask that. My first impression was that the CSR thread on my gravity report was being swallowed up by the black hole contained in it. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/8 "2003-05-19T23:32:28Z")
As Q.E.D. stated, the boards became atrociously slow shortly after the bullet-through-the-envelope icon was implemented. I really don’t need to know to what thread I’ve posted _that_ badly! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/9 "2003-05-20T03:19:49Z")
I think it must be. It’s an awful coincidence that the slowdown started right after **Tuba** turned on the option and has persisted until now. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/10 "2003-05-20T11:37:22Z")
It’s a great feature. Is it the cause of the problems, though? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/11 "2003-05-20T13:05:24Z")
Please turn it off. Please. Even at times when the US is sleeping, when the board is normally zipping at almost light speed for me, it’s sluggish. During U.S. work hours, it’s impossible even to view the threads. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/12 "2003-05-20T16:52:20Z")
Great new feature! I doubt it’s the cause of the slowness. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/13 "2003-05-20T18:20:22Z")
a) Thanks for turning it on; it looked like a great feature. b) Thanks for turning it off after the cost became apparent. ---
**Author:** ![jdavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f6c823/32.png) [@jdavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdavis)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/14 "2003-05-20T18:28:00Z")
The ‘dot’ icons have been turned off. Performance has returned to normal. Jerry ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/15 "2003-05-20T18:30:49Z")
We noticed. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/16 "2003-05-20T18:43:46Z")
Ahhh. So much better now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/17 "2003-05-20T18:53:21Z")
The new icon really caused the board to slow down? How is that possible? 😕 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/18 "2003-05-20T18:56:50Z")
Well, I hope that you will investigate this and find a solution, because that black dot is exceedingly useful. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/19 "2003-05-20T19:03:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by qts \* > \*\*Well, I hope that you will investigate this and find a solution, because that black dot is exceedingly useful. \*\* Eh, I found it a little distracting. At first I kept wondering how _every damn thread_ I’ve posted in could possibly be closed. But if you’re that concerned about seeing the threads you’ve posted in, just search for all posts made by you in the past two days. Open a new window, surf the other forums, and just refresh the search results every few minutes. Happy ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216/20 "2003-05-20T19:05:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > \*\*The new icon really caused the board to slow down? How is that possible? 😕 > > Esprix \*\* Well, think about what the board software has to do to put that dot there: - Get your cookie with logged-in username - Check the first thread on the page - Check each post within that thread to see if you posted to it - If the last thread has been checked, done; if not, repeat from step two. - do that for evey single logged-in user. Yes, as a PHP and Perl programmer, I can definitely see that causing the server slowdown. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-for-thread-icons/176216.md?page=2)