Board Rules
The purpose of Buffy-Boards has always been to create a safe environment for fans to talk about Buffy and Angel. The board rules have been developed and grown over the past 18+ years, in response to the challenges we've faced in that aim. We are not trying to restrict your opinions or ideas, but rather are trying to ensure that everyone feels comfortable posting theirs.
Fans who are genuinely interested in having friendly and civil discussions about the Whedonverse are welcome! Trolls who sign up to cause trouble and start fights, are not. We try our best to resolve any problems with members peaceably, but in some cases repeated breaking of the board rules will result in removal of privileges or banning from the board. We're not trying to "get" you and we understand honest mistakes - punishments are a last resort for repeat rule-breakers.
Board membership is a privilege and not a right: bad behavior will cause you to lose that privilege. Gossip, bullying, and aggressive and attacking behavior has no place here.
We have added each rule for a reason: if you have any questions about these rules or the reason for a certain one, please post in the Help forum, the Confidential Member Concerns forum, or contact an admin calmly and politely and we will try to answer your question to the best of our ability.
1. No personal attacks!
Please be respectful of all members of the posting community and treat others as you would want to be treated. Abuse of this rule will not be tolerated by the site staff. Disagreements are fine, but they should be conducted in a civilized manner - we have faith in your ability to discuss issues without resorting to personal attacks. Remember to be open-minded about opinions that differ from your own and do not comment just to provoke - taking an argument about any topic to a personal level will not be tolerated. This includes using derogatory terms towards another member such as "idiot, moron, stupid" etc. Please remember that it's about the argument, not the person. If you see a personal attack on the board, please use the report post button and do not retaliate. Retaliation just inflames the situation and makes it more difficult for the staff to punish the real offender.
If you have a problem with another member, please contact an admin or head mod and we will try to help you work it out.
2. No bullying!
Everyone on this board should feel they can post their opinions without being being bashed or bullied. Bullies on this board will not be tolerated, and bullying will summarily result in banning from the board. If you feel that anyone is bullying you on the board (or about the board using messengers, the chat, emails or private messages), please let an admin know and it will be dealt with anonymously.
3. No gossiping!
Gossiping is discussing someone with the sole intention of creating negative feelings about that person. Please do not gossip about other members, staff, or the board itself, either publicly or privately. It causes fights between people, and is just plain hurtful!
We have seen a disturbing increase in gossip lately on the boards, where rumors are being spread around that are simply not true! Please, if you hear gossip from another member, call them on it! The only way to really rid the board of gossip is if everyone stands up against it. If you need help dealing with gossip, please don't hesitate to contact a member of staff.
Regarding gossip about the staff or board: If you hear gossip about the staff or the board, or any of our actions on the boards, we would encourage you to contact an admin about it, or post in the help forum or Member Concerns forum. It is unfortunate but it is often the case where the gossip or rumor-starter is just plain not telling the truth. We would rather that you ask for the truth than spread lies about the board, which are very hurtful to the person that is the target of those lies.
4. Misuse of Board Private Conversations and Emails
Board private conversations (pcs) and emails are for members' private use in chatting with other members. Abuse of these features - especially using them to spam - is not tolerated and will result in banning from the boards. This includes spamming members with the link to your site. Including obscene, sexually graphic or pornographic material in private messages is also not allowed.
5. Board Families and other Cliques
Board "families" are not allowed. Any creation of groups or clubs on this site MUST be cleared first with the staff. Any material in your signature promoting unapproved clubs or member groups is not allowed, and will be removed by staff.
6. Passwords and Board Security
The site staff will NEVER ask you for your password. Please do not give it out, and we recommend making it something no one could guess and changing it regularly. Anyone who attempts to access another person's account will be banned immediately.
Do NOT give out your password to other members. Members who do so may be banned. Remember, this is not a good way to show "trust" between you and a board friend and is a tool that could be used by those who wish to do you harm.
7. Advertising / Selling items
We do not allow posts selling items on the boards - that is not what they're for.
8. Suicide Notes/Self Harm
Please do not post suicide notes, or posts that others would see as suicide notes, on the board. This is not because we don't care about you! These posts are harmful to other members who are left in the position of not being able to help you in such a situation. What if they say the wrong thing? It's not fair to other members to put that on their shoulders. In addition, seeing others post about committing suicide can lead others who are having suicidal thoughts to act on them.
If you DO experience suicidal thoughts, please please please speak to a therapist, counsellor, support helpline, or trusted adult.
Likewise, please do not post about self harm on the board, including posting pictures or video, or making threats to self harm for the same reasons. This is extremely triggering for others dealing with the same issue.
We will remove such posts from the board, as the staff are not trained therapists, and unfortunately can't give you the help that you need. We will happily assist you in finding someone qualified to help you. You can find many helplines listed here.
9. Drugs and Alcohol
Please do not post on the board while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Not only will it probably cause you embarassment when you return and see what you posted, but it also can be very disturbing for other members. The boards are meant to be a safe place where people are free of the effects of drugs or alcohol.
Also please do not post about illegal drug use. We are a family friendly board, and also it raises major legal issues for us.
10. Member Photos
Threads for members to post pictures of themselves are not allowed on the board. This is to protect member safety. Please always be careful about sharing photos of yourself with others on the internet. We do allow pictures to be posted of yourself with Whedonverse folks such as at cons, or while in Whedonverse cosplay, but please do so with discretion and at your own risk.
11. Leaving the Board
Posts/Threads stating a member is leaving the board will be closed or deleted. (If they are leaving, they won't be back to see replies, so the thread serves no purpose.) Those who decide to post messages designed to disturb the harmony of the board as they leave are not permitted to return without permission of the site staff.
Fans who are genuinely interested in having friendly and civil discussions about the Whedonverse are welcome! Trolls who sign up to cause trouble and start fights, are not. We try our best to resolve any problems with members peaceably, but in some cases repeated breaking of the board rules will result in removal of privileges or banning from the board. We're not trying to "get" you and we understand honest mistakes - punishments are a last resort for repeat rule-breakers.
Board membership is a privilege and not a right: bad behavior will cause you to lose that privilege. Gossip, bullying, and aggressive and attacking behavior has no place here.
We have added each rule for a reason: if you have any questions about these rules or the reason for a certain one, please post in the Help forum, the Confidential Member Concerns forum, or contact an admin calmly and politely and we will try to answer your question to the best of our ability.
1. No personal attacks!
Please be respectful of all members of the posting community and treat others as you would want to be treated. Abuse of this rule will not be tolerated by the site staff. Disagreements are fine, but they should be conducted in a civilized manner - we have faith in your ability to discuss issues without resorting to personal attacks. Remember to be open-minded about opinions that differ from your own and do not comment just to provoke - taking an argument about any topic to a personal level will not be tolerated. This includes using derogatory terms towards another member such as "idiot, moron, stupid" etc. Please remember that it's about the argument, not the person. If you see a personal attack on the board, please use the report post button and do not retaliate. Retaliation just inflames the situation and makes it more difficult for the staff to punish the real offender.
If you have a problem with another member, please contact an admin or head mod and we will try to help you work it out.
2. No bullying!
Everyone on this board should feel they can post their opinions without being being bashed or bullied. Bullies on this board will not be tolerated, and bullying will summarily result in banning from the board. If you feel that anyone is bullying you on the board (or about the board using messengers, the chat, emails or private messages), please let an admin know and it will be dealt with anonymously.
3. No gossiping!
Gossiping is discussing someone with the sole intention of creating negative feelings about that person. Please do not gossip about other members, staff, or the board itself, either publicly or privately. It causes fights between people, and is just plain hurtful!
We have seen a disturbing increase in gossip lately on the boards, where rumors are being spread around that are simply not true! Please, if you hear gossip from another member, call them on it! The only way to really rid the board of gossip is if everyone stands up against it. If you need help dealing with gossip, please don't hesitate to contact a member of staff.
Regarding gossip about the staff or board: If you hear gossip about the staff or the board, or any of our actions on the boards, we would encourage you to contact an admin about it, or post in the help forum or Member Concerns forum. It is unfortunate but it is often the case where the gossip or rumor-starter is just plain not telling the truth. We would rather that you ask for the truth than spread lies about the board, which are very hurtful to the person that is the target of those lies.
4. Misuse of Board Private Conversations and Emails
Board private conversations (pcs) and emails are for members' private use in chatting with other members. Abuse of these features - especially using them to spam - is not tolerated and will result in banning from the boards. This includes spamming members with the link to your site. Including obscene, sexually graphic or pornographic material in private messages is also not allowed.
5. Board Families and other Cliques
Board "families" are not allowed. Any creation of groups or clubs on this site MUST be cleared first with the staff. Any material in your signature promoting unapproved clubs or member groups is not allowed, and will be removed by staff.
6. Passwords and Board Security
The site staff will NEVER ask you for your password. Please do not give it out, and we recommend making it something no one could guess and changing it regularly. Anyone who attempts to access another person's account will be banned immediately.
Do NOT give out your password to other members. Members who do so may be banned. Remember, this is not a good way to show "trust" between you and a board friend and is a tool that could be used by those who wish to do you harm.
7. Advertising / Selling items
We do not allow posts selling items on the boards - that is not what they're for.
8. Suicide Notes/Self Harm
Please do not post suicide notes, or posts that others would see as suicide notes, on the board. This is not because we don't care about you! These posts are harmful to other members who are left in the position of not being able to help you in such a situation. What if they say the wrong thing? It's not fair to other members to put that on their shoulders. In addition, seeing others post about committing suicide can lead others who are having suicidal thoughts to act on them.
If you DO experience suicidal thoughts, please please please speak to a therapist, counsellor, support helpline, or trusted adult.
Likewise, please do not post about self harm on the board, including posting pictures or video, or making threats to self harm for the same reasons. This is extremely triggering for others dealing with the same issue.
We will remove such posts from the board, as the staff are not trained therapists, and unfortunately can't give you the help that you need. We will happily assist you in finding someone qualified to help you. You can find many helplines listed here.
9. Drugs and Alcohol
Please do not post on the board while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Not only will it probably cause you embarassment when you return and see what you posted, but it also can be very disturbing for other members. The boards are meant to be a safe place where people are free of the effects of drugs or alcohol.
Also please do not post about illegal drug use. We are a family friendly board, and also it raises major legal issues for us.
10. Member Photos
Threads for members to post pictures of themselves are not allowed on the board. This is to protect member safety. Please always be careful about sharing photos of yourself with others on the internet. We do allow pictures to be posted of yourself with Whedonverse folks such as at cons, or while in Whedonverse cosplay, but please do so with discretion and at your own risk.
11. Leaving the Board
Posts/Threads stating a member is leaving the board will be closed or deleted. (If they are leaving, they won't be back to see replies, so the thread serves no purpose.) Those who decide to post messages designed to disturb the harmony of the board as they leave are not permitted to return without permission of the site staff.