For some strange reason, YouTube's announcing system
of new messages sometimes reverts back to the previous
time when people checked their messages.
Have you noticed that the quantity which YouTube claims
are your new messages is the same as the last time that
you "opened" your previous new messages?
Sometimes the exact same thing also happens to people
who receive notices about the number of new subscribers
they supposedly have. This glitch seems to happen every
couple months or so.
One thing you can do is clear your "cookies", history and
"temporary internet files". If you do that, not only will your
computer come across as "fresh" in the eyes of YouTube,
their display of new messages will usually reset itself and
be more accurate.
After doing one of the sequences below, shutdown/reboot:
Internet Explorer 6:
→ Tools → Internet Options
→ Delete Cookies → OK
→ Delete Files → OK
→ Clear History → Yes
→ OK
Internet Explorer 7:
→ Tools → Internet Options → Delete...
→ Delete files → Yes
→ Delete cookies → OK
→ Delete history → OK
→ Close (browsing history window)
→ OK
Internet Explorer 8
→ Tools → Delete Browsing History
[. ] Preserve Favorites (leave blank)
[x] Temporary Internet files
[x] Cookies
[x] History
→ Delete
Mozilla Firefox 3:
→ Tools → Clear Private Data
[x] Browsing History
[x] Download History
[x] Saved Form and Search History
[x] Cache
[x] Cookies
→ Clear Private Data Now
Apple Safari 3:
→ Edit → Preferences
→ Security (tab) → Show Cookies
→ Remove All → Done
after that:
→ Safari → Empty Cache → Empty
after that:
→ History → Clear History
Google Chrome:
→ Tools (wrench) → Clear browsing data...
[x] Clear browsing history
[x] Clear download history
[x] Empty the cache
[x] Delete cookies
Clear data from this period: → Everything
→ Clear Browsing Data
The other thing that you may try is opening that message
several times back-and-forth. The last time that this glitch
occured, some people on Yahoo wrote that this made the
messages "unbold". After doing that, click the envelope a
few times. (Why? I have no idea.) You may also try going
to your "video responses" or "friends invites", and then go
back to your "inbox".