poster status and those little round circles

[MajorDad]

I looked around the site and through 8 pages of these FAQ posts and couldn't find the answers , so I'm making a post to ask the question.

I used to be a real gm, but then the criteria for real gm changed, and some new names and posting levels were established. i was a veteran and now am an analyst. is it possible to put somewhere the different posting levels, their names and how many posts a person needs to achieve that status?

the other question I have is about those little circles. they appear on the index page right before the thread title. i can figure out that the lock means a locked thread. but what do the others icons mean? Sometimes I see data flowing. sometimes it's standing still. sometimes there is an exclamation mark in the little circle. and how are these circles created? Do they refer to a hot topic? one that's had a lot of responses? one that is currently being read by somebody? one that has had a lot of viewership lately? once again, can you define somewhere what these little circles mean?

[hermes]

Realgm = 10,000
General Manager = 7,500
Head Coach = 6,000
Lead Assistant = 4,500
Assistant Coach = 3,750
Analyst = 3,000
Veteran = 2,500
Starter = 2,000
Sixth Man = 1,500
Bench Warmer = 1,250
Rookie = 1,000
Pro Prospect = 750
Senior = 500
Junior = 250
Sophomore = 100
Freshman = 50
Ballboy = 0


and flowing circles i think means that there are new posts you haven't read, still circles means you've read all the posts

not always reliable though