diff --git a/actions/favorited.php b/actions/favorited.php
index 231b978973..20a354674f 100644
--- a/actions/favorited.php
+++ b/actions/favorited.php
@@ -143,6 +143,25 @@ class FavoritedAction extends Action
         $this->elementStart('div', 'instructions');
         $this->raw($output);
         $this->elementEnd('div');
+
+        $favorite = new Fave;
+
+        if ($favorite->count()) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $message = _('Favorite notices appear on this page but noone has favorited one yet.') . ' ';
+
+        if (common_logged_in()) {
+            $message .= _('Be the first to add a notice to your favorites by clicking the fave button next to any notice you like.');
+        }
+        else {
+            $message .= _('Why not [register an account](%%action.register%%) and be the first to add a notice to your favorites!');
+        }
+
+        $this->elementStart('div', 'blankfiller');
+        $this->raw(common_markup_to_html($message));
+        $this->elementEnd('div');
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/actions/public.php b/actions/public.php
index fca90488fe..5a2720a9ad 100644
--- a/actions/public.php
+++ b/actions/public.php
@@ -168,14 +168,13 @@ class PublicAction extends Action
 
     function showPageNotice()
     {
-        $notice = Notice::publicStream(0, 1);
+        $notice = new Notice;
 
         if (!$notice) {
             $this->serverError(_('Could not retrieve public stream.'));
             return;
         }
 
-        // no notices in the public stream, let's get out of here
         if ($notice->count()) {
             return;
         }
diff --git a/actions/publictagcloud.php b/actions/publictagcloud.php
index 5322372b2a..5bc7e0cbff 100644
--- a/actions/publictagcloud.php
+++ b/actions/publictagcloud.php
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ class PublictagcloudAction extends Action
                        sprintf(_('These are most popular recent tags on %s '),
                                common_config('site', 'name')));
 
-        $tags = new Notice_tag();
+        $tags = new Notice_tag;
         if ($tags->count()) {
             return;
         }