I'll clear it up. By "time thing" they mean "new post indicators". If you log into the forums under your name, you get all those down arrows (
) next to the new posts since your last visit. And also if you use the search for new posts, it shows up only those posts since your last visit.
The problem with logging onto the forums [for people that are concerned about such] when you don't have time to go through them properly, is that the next time you log in, your post indicators will be reset again. So you might miss some topics that you haven't previously viewed.
I have a similar problem at another forum I super moderate at. The site has portal integration, which means that when you go to the main site and not the forums, it recognises you as being logged in. Which means I lose my post indicators if I don't wish to continue onto the forums and do my moderating duties. So as a result, I avoid the main site unless I know I have time to visit/post/moderate at the forums.
Abe Babe...