diff --git a/app/views/aspects/show.html.haml b/app/views/aspects/show.html.haml
index 5f8354803..e50c53602 100644
--- a/app/views/aspects/show.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/aspects/show.html.haml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
   - for post in @posts
     = render type_partial(post), :post => post unless post.class == Album
 - if @posts.size == 0
-  .empty_message
+  #empty_message
     .null_arrow ⇧
     %h3 Nobody has said anything yet.  Get the conversation started!
 
diff --git a/app/views/js/_websocket_js.haml b/app/views/js/_websocket_js.haml
index a0663edfc..27f7942e0 100644
--- a/app/views/js/_websocket_js.haml
+++ b/app/views/js/_websocket_js.haml
@@ -59,14 +59,23 @@
 
   function processPost(className, html, aspectIds){
     if(onPageForAspects(aspectIds)){
-      $("#stream").prepend(
-        $(html).fadeIn("fast", function(){
-          $("#stream label:first").inFieldLabels();
-        })
-      );
+      var addPostToStream = function (html){
+        $("#stream").prepend(
+          $(html).fadeIn("fast", function(){
+            $("#stream label:first").inFieldLabels();
+          })
+        )
+      };
+
+      if( $("#empty_message").length > 0 ){
+        $("#empty_message").fadeOut(400, addPostToStream(html)).remove();
+      } else {
+        addPostToStream(html);
+      }
     }
   }
 
+
   function processPhotoInAlbum(photoHash){
     if (location.href.indexOf(photoHash['album_id']) == -1){
       return ;
diff --git a/public/stylesheets/application.css b/public/stylesheets/application.css
index e4c94610a..7bb190bb6 100644
--- a/public/stylesheets/application.css
+++ b/public/stylesheets/application.css
@@ -754,7 +754,7 @@ ul#settings_nav {
     #left_pane ul li a:hover:after {
       content: "        ►"; }
 
-.empty_message {
+#empty_message {
   margin-top: 12px;
   text-align: center;
   color: #777777;
@@ -764,8 +764,8 @@ ul#settings_nav {
   width: 80%;
   border: 2px dashed #777777;
   border-radius: 5px; }
-  .empty_message h3 {
+  #empty_message h3 {
     color: #777777; }
-  .empty_message .null_arrow {
+  #empty_message .null_arrow {
     font-size: 80px;
     display: inline-block; }
diff --git a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
index 072ba8fad..dfc6662c6 100644
--- a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
+++ b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
@@ -981,7 +981,7 @@ ul#settings_nav
         &:after
           :content "        ►"
 
-.empty_message
+#empty_message
   :margin
     :top 12px
   :text