So, if like me, you spend an inordinate amount of time watching the Latest section like a hawk. You may have even noticed that sometimes, a notification about a new post appears, but when you click the button to see it, it just shows a greyed out, already-read post! Weird, huh?
Nope! That is probably an indication that the last poster in that thread edited their post since you last read it. So, yes, it’s technically “read,” but it’s still the latest activity on the forum for that given moment!
Is that really what it is? That would explain why I get a grey bubble while I am in a topic.
It’s definitely happened to me a few times. I’ve noticed it most with P&R posts, perhaps because people are apt to go back and edit stuff in. Dunno if it relates to the gray bubbles or not (but that’s a good theory)… I just noticed it when I’d just read someone’s–I think DanTheMan’s–post in the Trump thread, went back to the tab I had Latest open in, and saw it said 1 new posts were available, click to see them (or whatever the verbiage is). Clicked the notification, and it put the Trump thread back on top, but unbold and gray as though I’d read it. I clicked it again, and saw that the last poster had added another paragraph or two to their remarks.
Note that edits to the last post also bump a topic.
We, uh, did note that. Over the last three posts :P