diff --git a/client/dcwebui.js b/client/dcwebui.js
index f4751de..2aa4ce7 100644
--- a/client/dcwebui.js
+++ b/client/dcwebui.js
@@ -489,16 +489,25 @@ var tab_addHandlers = function() {
 
 /* */
 
-var writerFor = function(username) {
-	var tabid = "";
+var maybeWriterFor = function(username) {
 	if (! username in pm_tabs || ! pm_tabs[username]) {
-		tabid = tab_new(next_tabid++, username);
-		pm_tabs[username] = tabid;
-	} else {
-		tabid = pm_tabs[username];
+		return null;
 	}
 	
-	return write(tabid);
+	return write(pm_tabs[username]);
+};
+
+var writerFor = function(username) {
+	var ret = maybeWriterFor(username);
+	
+	if (ret === null) {
+		// create new
+		tabid = tab_new(next_tabid++, username);
+		pm_tabs[username] = tabid;
+		return write(tabid);
+	}
+	
+	return ret;
 };
 
 /* */
@@ -924,6 +933,12 @@ window.onload = function() {
 		if (show_joins) {
 			write("tab-main").system("*** Parts: "+u.user); // sanitised
 		}
+		
+		var targetTab = maybeWriterFor(u.user);
+		if (targetTab !== null) {
+			targetTab.system("*** Parts: "+u.user);
+		}
+		
 		updateTitle();
 	});
 	sock.on('join', function(u) {
@@ -931,6 +946,12 @@ window.onload = function() {
 		if (show_joins) {
 			write("tab-main").system("*** Joins: "+u.user);
 		}
+		
+		var targetTab = maybeWriterFor(u.user);
+		if (targetTab !== null) {
+			targetTab.system("*** Joins: "+u.user);
+		}
+		
 		updateTitle();
 	});
 	sock.on('info', function(u) {