Abstract: An external module mountable to a user device such as a computer monitor displays the status of received messages from a number of message receiving systems without requiring integration of the message receiving systems. Three or more indicators are provided in a substantially continuous strip and a state of the indicators indicates a status of incoming messages received corresponding to each of the message receiving systems. An interface software module may be used to check the creation of new files in directories for incoming messages used by each of the message receiving means to obtain the data concerning receipt of incoming messages. A dongle may be used to connect the display to a computer without taking up an output port.