diff --git a/app/helpers/conversations_helper.rb b/app/helpers/conversations_helper.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4c7e59115
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/helpers/conversations_helper.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+module ConversationsHelper
+  def new_message_text(count)
+    if count > 0
+      t('new_messages', :count => count)
+    else
+      t('no_new_messages')
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/views/comments/_comment.html.haml b/app/views/comments/_comment.html.haml
index 3d8a56173..ffe727553 100644
--- a/app/views/comments/_comment.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/comments/_comment.html.haml
@@ -5,11 +5,10 @@
 %li.comment{:data=>{:guid => comment.id}, :class => ("hidden" if(defined? hidden))}
   = person_image_link(comment.author)
   .content
-    %strong
+    .from
       = person_link(comment.author)
-
-    = markdownify(comment.text, :youtube_maps => comment.youtube_titles)
-
-    .info
-      %span.time
+      %time.timeago{:datetime => comment.created_at}
         = comment.created_at ? timeago(comment.created_at) : timeago(Time.now)
+
+    %p
+      = markdownify(comment.text, :youtube_maps => comment.youtube_titles)
diff --git a/app/views/conversations/_conversation.haml b/app/views/conversations/_conversation.haml
index 604ae5125..35657566e 100644
--- a/app/views/conversations/_conversation.haml
+++ b/app/views/conversations/_conversation.haml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 
   .last_author
     .timestamp
-      = time_ago_in_words conversation.updated_at
+      = time_ago_in_words(conversation.updated_at)
     = authors[conversation.id].name
 
     - if conversation.participants.size > 2
diff --git a/app/views/conversations/_show.haml b/app/views/conversations/_show.haml
index 85adf3bef..9e71f45b7 100644
--- a/app/views/conversations/_show.haml
+++ b/app/views/conversations/_show.haml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
         = conversation.subject
         
       .conversation_controls
-        = link_to (image_tag('reply.png', :height => 14, :width => 14) + ' ' + 'reply'), '#', :id => 'reply_to_conversation'
+        = link_to (image_tag('reply.png', :height => 14, :width => 14) + ' ' + t('.reply')), '#', :id => 'reply_to_conversation'
         = link_to (image_tag('deletelabel.png') + ' ' + t('delete').downcase), conversation_conversation_visibility_path(conversation), :method => 'delete', :confirm => t('are_you_sure')
 
     .span-6.avatars.last
@@ -33,5 +33,5 @@
         = form_for [conversation, Message.new] do |message|
           = message.text_area :text, :rows => 5
           .right
-            = message.submit 'Reply', :class => 'button'
-            = link_to 'Cancel', '#'
+            = message.submit t('.reply').capitalize, :class => 'button'
+            = link_to t('cancel'), '#'
diff --git a/app/views/conversations/index.haml b/app/views/conversations/index.haml
index 6fdc0f141..7962d6c84 100644
--- a/app/views/conversations/index.haml
+++ b/app/views/conversations/index.haml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   = include_javascripts :inbox
 
 - content_for :page_title do
-  Message Inbox
+  = t('.message_inbox')
 
 :css
   footer{ display:none;}
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
   #left_pane_header
     %h3
       .right
-        = link_to 'New Message', new_conversation_path, :class => 'button', :rel => 'facebox'
+        = link_to t('.new_message'), new_conversation_path, :class => 'button', :rel => 'facebox'
       Inbox
 
   #conversation_inbox
@@ -26,13 +26,13 @@
       = will_paginate @conversations
     - else
       %i
-        You have no messages
+        = t('.you_have_no_new_messages')
 
 #conversation_show.span-16.prepend-8.last
   - if @conversation
     = render 'conversations/show', :conversation => @conversation
   - else
     #no_conversation_text
-      no conversation selected
+      = t('.no_conversation_selected')
     #no_conversation_controls
-      = link_to 'create a new message', new_conversation_path, :rel => 'facebox'
+      = link_to t('.create_a_new_message'), new_conversation_path, :rel => 'facebox'
diff --git a/app/views/conversations/new.haml b/app/views/conversations/new.haml
index 9be57e181..84c343fb0 100644
--- a/app/views/conversations/new.haml
+++ b/app/views/conversations/new.haml
@@ -26,20 +26,20 @@
   .span-12.last
     #facebox_header
       %h4
-        New Message
+        = t('conversations.index.new_message')
 
     = form_for Conversation.new do |conversation|
       %br
 
       .span-2
         %h4
-          to
+          = t('.to')
       .span-10.last
         = text_field_tag "contact_autocomplete"
 
       .span-2
         %h4
-          subject
+          = t('.subject')
       .span-10.last
         = conversation.text_field :subject
 
@@ -47,5 +47,5 @@
         = text_area_tag "conversation[text]", '', :rows => 5
 
       .text-right
-        = conversation.submit :send, :class => 'button'
-        = link_to 'cancel', conversations_path
+        = conversation.submit t('.send'), :class => 'button'
+        = link_to t('cancel'), conversations_path
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/_header.html.haml b/app/views/layouts/_header.html.haml
index 7184c98e6..589eb60d6 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/_header.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/layouts/_header.html.haml
@@ -24,12 +24,12 @@
     - if @notification_count
       #notification_badge
         = link_to "", notifications_path, :title => new_notification_text(@notification_count)
-        = image_tag 'icons/mail_grey.png'
+        = image_tag 'icons/monotone_flag.png', :height => 20, :width => 20
         .badge_count{:class => ("hidden" if @notification_count == 0)}
           = @notification_count
       #message_inbox_badge
-        = link_to "", conversations_path #, :title => new_notification_text(@notification_count)
-        = image_tag 'icons/mail_grey.png'
+        = link_to "", conversations_path , :title => new_message_text(@unread_message_count)
+        = image_tag 'icons/mail_grey.png', :height => 16, :width => 16
         .badge_count{:class => ("hidden" if @unread_message_count == 0)}
           = @unread_message_count
 
diff --git a/app/views/shared/_stream_element.html.haml b/app/views/shared/_stream_element.html.haml
index ec529a2e0..36a28cbc7 100644
--- a/app/views/shared/_stream_element.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/shared/_stream_element.html.haml
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
     .from
       = person_link(post.author, :class => 'author')
       %time.timeago{:datetime => post.created_at}
-        = link_to(how_long_ago(post), status_message_path(post))
       %p
         = render 'status_messages/status_message', :post => post, :photos => post.photos
 
@@ -29,6 +28,9 @@
         %span.aspect_badges
           = aspect_badges(aspects_with_post(all_aspects, post))
 
+      %span.timeago
+        = link_to(how_long_ago(post), status_message_path(post))
+
       = link_to t('comments.new_comment.comment').downcase, '#', :class => 'focus_comment_textarea'
 
     = render "comments/comments", :post_id => post.id, :comments => post.comments, :current_user => current_user, :condensed => true, :commenting_disabled => defined?(@commenting_disabled)
diff --git a/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml b/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml
index 2819c4a9c..8131d11b0 100644
--- a/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/diaspora/en.yml
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ en:
   search: "Search"
   new_notifications: "%{count} new notifications"
   no_new_notifications: "no new notifications"
+  new_messages: "%{count} new messages"
+  no_new_messages: "no new messages"
   _home: "Home"
   _more: "More"
   _comments: "Comments"
@@ -523,3 +525,16 @@ en:
           fullmonth_day: "%B %d"
           birthday: "%B %d"
           birthday_with_year: "%B %d %Y"
+
+  conversations:
+      index:
+          message_inbox: "Message Inbox"
+          new_message: "New Message"
+          no_conversation_selected: "no conversation selected"
+          create_a_new_message: "create a new message"
+      show:
+          reply: 'reply'
+      new:
+          to: 'to'
+          subject: 'subject'
+          send: 'Send'
diff --git a/public/images/icons/monotone_flag.png b/public/images/icons/monotone_flag.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..baea94936
Binary files /dev/null and b/public/images/icons/monotone_flag.png differ
diff --git a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
index 89045d0bb..d5a85aa0b 100644
--- a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
+++ b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
@@ -254,6 +254,7 @@ header
 .stream
   .stream_element
     :padding 20px 20px
+      :right 70px
     :min-height 50px
     :border
       :bottom 1px solid #ddd
@@ -262,6 +263,9 @@ header
     &:hover
       .right
         :display inline
+      .from
+        a
+          :color $blue
 
     .youtube-player, .vimeo-player
       :border none
@@ -393,7 +397,7 @@ header
       :margin
         :top 2px
       :color #999
-      :font-size smaller
+      :font-size 11px
 
     .comments
       .info
@@ -410,7 +414,7 @@ header
 
 .time,
 .timeago
-  :color #ccc
+  :color #999
   a
     :color #ccc
   :margin
@@ -559,6 +563,8 @@ ul.show_comments
   :line
     :height 18px
 
+  :position relative
+  
   textarea
     :width 100%
     :height 1.4em
@@ -593,9 +599,6 @@ ul.show_comments
         a
           :color #444
 
-      div.time
-        :color #bbb
-
     form
       :margin
         :top -5px
@@ -634,6 +637,12 @@ ul.show_comments
       textarea
         :min-height 2.4em
 
+.comments 
+  time
+    :margin
+      :right -15px
+  .timeago
+    :color #999
 
 .stream.show
   ul.comments
@@ -693,11 +702,14 @@ a.paginate, #infscr-loading
     :right 12px
 
     &.controls
+      :z-index 6
       :background
         :color $background
       :font
         :size 12px
       :color #999
+      :padding
+        :left 100px
       a
         :color #999
         :font
@@ -1672,11 +1684,11 @@ h3 span.current_gs_step
   :top 5px
   :display inline
   :margin 0 10px
-    :right 0
+    :right -5px
   :font
     :weight bold
     :size smaller
-  :width 30px
+  :width 28px
 
   a
     :z-index 5
@@ -1685,6 +1697,16 @@ h3 span.current_gs_step
     :width 20px
     :height 20px
 
+  &:hover
+    .badge_count
+      :background
+        :color lighten(#A40802, 5%)
+
+#notification_badge
+  img
+    :position relative
+    :top 2px
+
 .badge_count
   :z-index 3
   :position absolute
@@ -2275,6 +2297,7 @@ ul.show_comments
       :margin
         :left 0.5em
         :right 0.5em
+
 .mark_all_read
   :position relative
   :top 10px