# What is this thread icon? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 19, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269 "2003-05-19T22:25:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/1 "2003-05-19T22:25:30Z")
Next to [a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=185037) that I started in IMHO is a strange envelope icon thingy that Ive never seen before. It has an envelope with a big black dot in the middle. What does this mean? Ive seen the one with a lock, or the one with an arrow, but this is a new one. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/2 "2003-05-19T22:59:54Z")
Yes, it is new. It marks threads that you have posted in. ---
**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, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/3 "2003-05-20T03:43:04Z")
It’s new, and it’s evil. I think that feature is responsible for the horrible board slowdown today. Turn it off, turn it off!!! ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_The\_Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Buck\_The\_Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_The_Diver)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/4 "2003-05-20T04:03:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*It’s new, and it’s evil. I think that feature is responsible for the horrible board slowdown today. Turn it off, turn it off!!! \*\* If so, it is truly a tool of _Satan_! ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/5 "2003-05-20T05:33:03Z")
Hrm… pending the possuble overuse of the hamsters, I like it. I post about five times a day, and I forget sometimes where I’ve posted. So I’ll usually search for them. Now I won’t have to as often. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/6 "2003-05-20T05:58:43Z")
The implementation of this feature came only after a long and heated debate concerning it. Read [this thread started by **qts**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=185000) to get the whole story if you have a few minutes. Read until **TubaDiva** ’s post, when she finally decides to give it a try. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/7 "2003-05-20T06:04:39Z")
Leave out a smiley or two, **Achernar**? ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/8 "2003-05-20T06:20:31Z")
🙂 🙂 Is that better? ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/9 "2003-05-20T06:34:33Z")
:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/10 "2003-05-20T08:04:05Z")
Just MHO: It kinda creeps me out. It looks like a bullet hole. “This thread has been shot by the sniper.” No offense to the mods. The **idea** is actually pretty cool! It’ll just take some getting used to. When this board was brand new, “Submit Reply” and “Preview Reply” were large white circles with just enough shading to make them look convex. Those also creeped me out, because they reminded me of Rover, from **The Prisoner**. So be it. (Now I’ll have sniped a thread in this forum!) ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/11 "2003-05-20T09:58:51Z")
This thread will henceforth have **[THE BLACK SPOT OF DEATH](http://www.youthonline.ca/pirates/glossary.shtml)**. It has been warned! ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/12 "2003-05-20T18:16:44Z")
Hopefully the slow boards issues which just happened to start at the same time are entirely unrelated. I hope. ---
**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, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/13 "2003-05-20T18:18:53Z")
I notice they turned the feature off again, and the boards are running fast again. Coincidence? I think not ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/14 "2003-05-20T20:31:10Z")
[See here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=185000). ---
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/15 "2003-05-20T23:51:01Z")
No no no. It means you have moderator points. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thread-icon/176269/16 "2003-05-21T07:06:22Z")
It’s gone now. Strange. Good, it freaked me out.