A system and methodology for visually representing user activity associated with an information resource is described. Online and offline activities of users are associated with symbolic representations of those users. In an embodiment, the symbolic representation of a user has the appearance of a dust particle. The dust particle can provide a universal and unobtrusive visual representation of the online or offline activity of the represented user. Further, the dust particle can exist for the represented user to communicate with other users with privacy and anonymity. To visually convey selected aspects of an online or offline activity, the activity is mapped to visual attributes that alter the dust particle behavior and/or appearance. The result is a dynamic and universal representation of online and offline user activities associated with an information resource such as a web page, database, or document that can help other online users efficiently discern the relevancy and popularity of the information resource.