diff --git a/webclient/app.css b/webclient/app.css
index 83b0c9c65a..a63b5db4d6 100644
--- a/webclient/app.css
+++ b/webclient/app.css
@@ -245,6 +245,10 @@ h1 {
     background-color: #fff ! important;    
 }
 
+.mine .membership {
+    background-color: #fff ! important;
+}
+
 .mine .text .bubble {
     text-align: left ! important;
 }
diff --git a/webclient/components/matrix/event-handler-service.js b/webclient/components/matrix/event-handler-service.js
index b8529895fe..6a01b3fb55 100644
--- a/webclient/components/matrix/event-handler-service.js
+++ b/webclient/components/matrix/event-handler-service.js
@@ -69,6 +69,17 @@ angular.module('eventHandlerService', [])
     
     var handleRoomMember = function(event, isLiveEvent) {
         initRoom(event.room_id);
+        
+        // add membership changes as if they were a room message if something interesting changed
+        if (event.content.prev !== event.content.membership) {
+            if (isLiveEvent) {
+                $rootScope.events.rooms[event.room_id].messages.push(event);
+            }
+            else {
+                $rootScope.events.rooms[event.room_id].messages.unshift(event);
+            }
+        }
+        
         $rootScope.events.rooms[event.room_id].members[event.user_id] = event;
         $rootScope.$broadcast(MEMBER_EVENT, event, isLiveEvent);
     };
diff --git a/webclient/room/room.html b/webclient/room/room.html
index cb9cf1d1f3..4a07dfdaaf 100644
--- a/webclient/room/room.html
+++ b/webclient/room/room.html
@@ -26,19 +26,25 @@
     </div>
     
     <div id="messageTableWrapper" keep-scroll>
+        <!-- FIXME: need to have better timestamp semantics than the (msg.content.hsob_ts || msg.ts) hack below -->
         <table id="messageTable" infinite-scroll="paginateMore()">
             <tr ng-repeat="msg in events.rooms[room_id].messages"
                 ng-class="(events.rooms[room_id].messages[$index - 1].user_id !== msg.user_id ? 'differentUser' : '') + (msg.user_id === state.user_id ? ' mine' : '')" scroll-item>
                 <td class="leftBlock">
                     <div class="sender" ng-hide="events.rooms[room_id].messages[$index - 1].user_id === msg.user_id">{{ members[msg.user_id].displayname || msg.user_id }}</div>
-                    <div class="timestamp">{{ msg.content.hsob_ts | date:'MMM d HH:mm:ss' }}</div>
+                    <div class="timestamp">{{ (msg.content.hsob_ts || msg.ts) | date:'MMM d HH:mm:ss' }}</div>
                 </td>
                 <td class="avatar">
                     <img class="avatarImage" ng-src="{{ members[msg.user_id].avatar_url || 'img/default-profile.jpg' }}" width="32" height="32"
                          ng-hide="events.rooms[room_id].messages[$index - 1].user_id === msg.user_id || msg.user_id === state.user_id"/>
                 </td>
-                <td ng-class="!msg.content.membership_target ? (msg.content.msgtype === 'm.emote' ? 'emote text' : 'text') : 'membership text'">
+                <td ng-class="!msg.content.membership ? (msg.content.msgtype === 'm.emote' ? 'emote text' : 'text') : 'membership text'">
                     <div class="bubble">
+                        <span ng-hide='msg.type !== "m.room.member"'>
+                            {{ members[msg.user_id].displayname || msg.user_id }}
+                            {{ {"join": "joined", "leave": "left", "invite": "invited"}[msg.content.membership] }}
+                            {{ msg.content.target_id || '' }}
+                        </span>
                         <span ng-hide='msg.content.msgtype !== "m.emote"' ng-bind-html="'* ' + (members[msg.user_id].displayname || msg.user_id) + ' ' + msg.content.body | linky:'_blank'"/>
                         <span ng-hide='msg.content.msgtype !== "m.text"' ng-bind-html="((msg.content.msgtype === 'm.text') ? msg.content.body : '') | linky:'_blank'"/>
                         <div ng-show='msg.content.msgtype === "m.image"'>