after i put my rocker arms on just now, I noticed they have arrows/triangles on them, that dont all point the same direction. this got me wondering if it matter which studs the arms go on

 

There is no prescribed order that rockers go on, except when you remove used ones. They should be placed in order that they came off, so they could be put back where they were. If they were not put back in order, it is not a catasrophe. It is just better to put them back so they would match up to the wear patterns that were established.

 

Ah, those 'triangles' were not intended, by gm, to be used as 'arrows'. The 'symbols', that appear to look like triangles, are/were used by gm, as a form of identification. Have been used by gm, for a few decades.