# Increase visual difference between private messages and posts
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/increase-visual-difference-between-private-messages-and-posts/106821
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [January 17, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/increase-visual-difference-between-private-messages-and-posts/106821 "2019-01-17T15:46:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jtbayly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jtbayly)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/increase-visual-difference-between-private-messages-and-posts/106821/1 "2019-01-17T15:46:15Z")
Is it possible to add greater visual distinction between normal posts and private messages?
It’s very easy to assume you are writing a PM and actually be working on a post, or vice-versa. Especially new users don’t get a lot of hints that they are doing something other than writing a normal post. We’ve had users not realize they were responding to a PM and then think moderators had deleted their post when they couldn’t find it again.
I suspect it would only take changing the background color of PMs to give people a clear indication that something was different.
Could this be added to the default themes?
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/increase-visual-difference-between-private-messages-and-posts/106821/2 "2019-01-17T18:04:49Z")
No, we used to have it this way and it quickly becomes overbearing. If you want special styling, modify your CSS.
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### Author:  [@jtbayly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jtbayly)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/increase-visual-difference-between-private-messages-and-posts/106821/3 "2019-01-17T18:06:11Z")
Ok, can anybody point me to an example that would indicate how to do this?
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### Author:  [@awesomerobot](https://meta.discourse.org/u/awesomerobot)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/increase-visual-difference-between-private-messages-and-posts/106821/4 "2019-01-17T18:08:28Z")
We add a class to the body tag, so it’s really simple
```CSS
.archetype-private_message {
background: salmon; // add a more reasonable color here
}
```
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### Author:  [@jtbayly](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jtbayly)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/increase-visual-difference-between-private-messages-and-posts/106821/5 "2019-01-17T18:09:16Z")
> [@awesomerobot](#):
>
> add a more reasonable color here
Lol. As you wish.
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/increase-visual-difference-between-private-messages-and-posts/106821/6 "2019-02-16T18:09:19Z")
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