The Main Index

User Information
Recent Posts
Categories & Boards

On the left hand side of the screen the number of registered users is displayed. This may vary from day to day as more users register, and as inactive users are deleted from the database. (See the Rules and Policies for more info on deleting inactive users.)

Directly below the number of registered users, you'll see the number of active users — that is, the number of users who have made 10 or more posts and have logged in within the last 7 days. This number will often vary somewhat, due to its fluid nature.

The right hand side of the screen varies depending whether or not you are logged in. If you are not logged in, you will see "Welcome, guest! Please login or register. " If you are logged in, you will see a message telling you how many new Private Messages you have.

Next you'll find a few links to search out recent posts. Click on a time period (Past 12 Hours | Past 24 Hours | Past 2 Days | Past 3 Days) to view a list of posts posted within that amount of time.

The discussion forums are split into a number of boards and the boards are grouped by categories.

Category names are shown in a large typeface, and a list of boards within that category are shown below it.

Clicking a board name will take you into the board itself. Below each board name is a brief description of the purpose of the board to give you an idea of what sort of messages should be posted on the board. (See this page for further instructions.)

For each board, toward the right, you will see the number of threads (topics), the number of posts (all posts including all replies), and the time of the most recent post/the name of the most recent poster. If you're logged in, and a forum contains a new thread that you haven't seen yet, the number of threads will be followed by the number that are new to you (such as: (1 new)). Also if you're logged in, and a forum contains any new replies that you haven't seen yet, the number of posts will be followed by the number that are new to you (such as: (4 new)).

We have six different boards:

• The Watcher's Diary is for all general discussion -- of BtVS, of Angel, of spoilers, of the cast, of arses and asses, of bad movie etiquette... whatever. Anyone can read the posts here, but you must be registered and logged in to post.

• The Fanfic Forum is for registered members to post Buffy or Angel-related fanfic that they've written. Due to space constrictions, only actual fanfic can be posted here. The board is moderated, meaning that you'll make your post, and one of the moderators will check in a couple of times per day (or more) to approve waiting posts. If the post is fanfic, we'll approve it; if not, we won't. This means that feedback should be sent to the writer via email or Private Message. (Please see the complete Fanfic Forum Rules and Guidelines.)

• The WD Parties Forum will be shown only if you're a registered (and logged in) member. This is to facilitate the planning of parties being arranged for Watcher's Diary members.

• The Archives Forum contains a selection of some of the "best" or most interesting/active/memorable/useful posts from the Watcher's Diary. Posts in the Watcher's Diary that have been "kept" for archiving will be moved to this forum after six months of inactivity. Details on suggesting threads for archiving can be found here.

• The Buffyverse FAQ contains a collection of Frequently Asked Questions, and their answers, about the shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (often referred to as the Buffyverse, i.e. the world of Buffy). This is provided as a resource for fans to easily find answers to their questions. If you have a question about the show(s), check here first. A full read-through is recommended, especially if you're new to the forums. If you have a question that's NOT answered there, please post it in the Watcher's Diary. For full details about this forum, and for details about how to submit or suggest a Q&A, please read this.

• The Site & Forum Help Forum is just that. If you have a question about how something works, if you have a technical problem, if you have a suggestion to make, report it here. If you post such things in The Watcher's Diary, we may not notice it. The Help forums only have a handful of posts per day (at most), so we can easily read them all, and we check them specifically because we know there may be an important issue in there. You can also PM or email Jamie Marie ( ). You do not need to be registered or logged in to post here.

• The Profile Request Forum is available if you wish to request a User Title, need help getting a picture in your profile, or wish to change your username. Please post in this forum with your request, and one of the moderators or administrators will take care of your request as soon as possible. You must be registered and logged in to post here.

• The Testing Forum is there specifically for you to test and play with. We highly recommend that you go in there and explore. Click on every link and every button, see what everything does and how it does it (don't worry, you can't break it). Try out some markup tags, see if you're doing the spoiler tags right, test out your signature, whatever. You don't have to delete the posts, but you should perhaps delete one just to see how the delete function works. You must be registered and logged in to post here.

  Note that some members do use the Testing Forum for purposes other than strictly testing, such as for making frivolous posts that are not appropriate on the WD (Watcher's Diary). However, the Testing Forum should not be used as a substitute for the WD, and thus you may find that a moderator has moved your post to the WD if it is more appropriate there. This may be done at the moderators' (or administrator's) discretion.