What does a plus sign mean after a username online?

[G01]

What does it mean when a person has a plus sign after there name in the "currently online" list? I just realized that some people's names are written as:

"G01+"

Why would that plus sign be there?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

It means they are on your buddy list.

 

[berkeman]

I finally found the legend for those symbols recently. It's at the very bottom left of the Who's Online page:

+ User is on your buddy list

 

[Evo]

What does the buddy list do?

 

[robphy]

Is the buddy relation symmetric?
If not, can you tell who has added you to their buddy lists?

 

[G01]

Hmmmm. Apparently I have a buddy list...

 

[Moonbear]

You cannot tell who has added you to their buddy lists. The pluses mean you've added them to yours.

How did you manage to add people to your buddy list without knowing you had one? Oh, y'know what...the button to add people to your buddy list is just below the one to view other posts by that user, so it's possible you've added them accidentally while having bad aim with the mouse to view someone's posts.

 

[G01]

You cannot tell who has added you to their buddy lists. The pluses mean you've added them to yours.

How did you manage to add people to your buddy list without knowing you had one? Oh, y'know what...the button to add people to your buddy list is just below the one to view other posts by that user, so it's possible you've added them accidentally while having bad aim with the mouse to view someone's posts.

Yeah.

That is very possible. I have been known to be inaccurate with my mouse clicks.

Anyway, I'll have to set up an actual buddy list now that I know I have one!

 

[Evo]

I tested the buddy list, it doesn't appear to do anything.

 

[Moonbear]

I tested the buddy list, it doesn't appear to do anything.

The only things I have ever found I could do with the buddy list were the ability to send a PM to everyone on it at once (not sure how useful that is, but if you open the buddy list using the quick links menu, you can do it), and to quickly spot which of your buddies is online (again, considering you could just scan the list of people online on the forum's main index page, still not sure how useful that is).

 

[Danger]

I find it a bit easier to find out if there's a buddy on-line without having to actually read all of the names at the bottom. I just scan for +'s, then back up to read who they're for.

 

[Reshma]

Ummm..I was looking real hard for those + signs but then I realized there isn't anyone on my buddy list.