Posts made in the Off Topic folder are not counted toward your overall post count. This encourages people to do most of their posting in Stargate-related folders ... since this is a Stargate forum, after all. Off-topic posts are often chit-chat, and we'd rather not have members inflate their post count with hundreds or thousands of such posts.

A thread that you posted in may have been moved to the Off Topic folder, or deleted entirely. Posts in the Off Topic and Testing Ground folders are not counted toward your overall post count. This encourages people to do most of their posting in Stargate-related folders ... since this is a Stargate forum, after all. Off-topic posts are often chit-chat, and we'd rather not have members inflate their post count with hundreds of such posts.

Occasionally, maintenance and administration of the forum software will trigger a total recalculation of post counts for all users, which may cause you post count to drop if it has gradually become inaccurate over time.

GateWorld Forum's vBulletin software is very different from Delphi, which this forum used to call home. There are multiple ways to navigate between different topical folders:

1. Start on the forum home page, choose a folder, then pick a thread!

2. From any folder or thread page, use the "breadcrumbs" to navigate backward one or more levels. "Breadcrumbs" track the path you've taken from the home page, and look like this (for example):

GateWorld Forum > The Gate Room > Atlantis - Season One

3. From most pages within the forum, look for the "Forum Jump" menu at the bottom of the page to quickly change to another folder.

4. Use the "Search" option in the main forum toolbar at the top of each page to quickly search for a specific keyword or poster.

5. Use the "New Posts" option in the toolbar to find threads that have most recently been posted to.

Generally speaking, with vBulletin you reply to the thread -- not to a specific post. In "threaded mode" for reading threads, however, the reply architecture is visible -- so if you are replying to one post in particular rather than to the topic in general, use the "Quote" or "QR" button on that post.

"Quote" will automatically include the post in your editor, which you can edit to indicate which specific statements you are replying to!

Since our members are all watching different episodes on different stations in different parts of the world (from the U.S. to the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and more), we want to make sure that our fellow fans aren't spoiled about upcoming episode plot or character developments (unless they really want to be!). The goal is to give those who don't want to spoiled the chance to skip a post or thread without reading it.

The rule of thumb is this: If your post has spoilers it must include a spoiler warning, unless the thread (and thread title) already started with a warning for that episode.

We ask that you include a warning (including the specific episode title and season number) and use the [spoiler] tag to hide the relevant portions of text. Include [spoiler], in square brackets, before your spoiler text starts, and [/spoiler] after it ends, like this:

[spoiler] I can't believe Jack dies in this episode! [/spoiler]

This forces the reader to click a "Spoiler" button in order to read the enclosed text. Alternately, you may insert at least 10 lines of spoiler space after the warning, to force readers to scroll down to find the spoiler. But the [spoiler] tag method is strongly preferred.

Spoiler warnings are required for all episodes in the seasons airing in first-run on television in the U.S., and in production. (Visit GateWorld's episode guides if you aren't sure which season the episode is in.)

All new threads on a topic likely to include spoilers should be clearly marked in the first post, or the first post and the thread title, with the word "spoilers." Replies to properly-marked threads don't need spoiler space; but if you are replying with spoilers to a thread that has not been flagged at the start as containing spoilers, please do include a warning and spoiler space.

Starting with Stargate Atlantis Season Four, each episode has its own dedicated folder. Spoilers abound in these folders for that specific episode, and do not require spoiler warnings. Thread titles, however, must be kept relatively spoiler-free, since they appear in New Posts and search results for all members. When posting in an episode-specific folder, you must still include spoiler warnings for any episode that aired (or will air) later than that episode.

Do not include spoilery info in the thread title itself, as it may turn up under "New Posts" or in a search for someone who is trying to avoid spoilers.

Please also include a spoiler warning and space for the current and future seasons of other shows discussed, and for new-release films.

The [spoiler] tag hides marked off portions of text, forcing readers to highlight it with the mouse in order to read the spoilery details you've posted. Use of the spoiler tag (or other spoiler warnings) is required for all current and future seasons, and for upcoming and newly-released DVD movies (See complete rules).

Here's how to best use the [spoiler] tag:

I was watching the Season 15 premiere the other day, and
[spoiler] I can't believe Jack dies in this episode! [/spoiler]

Make sure that you let your reader know exactly which episode your spoiler is from -- otherwise, they won't know whether or not to risk reading it.

If quoting a spoiler from another member's post, leave the [spoiler] tag in place (or insert it if they forgot, so that their error isn't repeated and repeated in future replies).

Note that the [spoiler] tag is for the body of your post only; it will not work in a headline, where spoilers don't belong anyway.

There are three different versions of the tag available: [spoiler] , [spoilers] , and [spoil] ! Feel free to use whichever is easier for you to remember ... but the opening [spoiler] and closing [/spoiler] tags must match!

Post count is tied into your user level, of which there are currently three: "Basic Trainees," "Enlisted Personnel," and "Officer's Class." Higher user levels are intended to reward long-term members for their participation, and unlock things like new avatar categories, additional Private Message space, and other features.

None of the above make your actual posts any more or less interesting. As the saying goes, "Stop worrying about your post count and just make your posts count." Your fellow members (and moderators) won't take it kindly if it becomes obvious that you are posting fluff to deliberately inflate your post count.

In normal "linear mode" for reading threads, replies are not directed toward one person -- you're replying to the thread itself. (In "threaded mode," however, you can see the reply architecture.) Look for replies that quote your post and/or address you by name.

Just looked for the "Display Modes" option at the top of every thread! Linear Mode is the forum's default, and displays all posts chronologically on the same page. Click "Threaded Mode" to change your thread view. Threaded displays the architecture of which posts were made as replies to others (but only if the replier used the "Quote" or "QR" buttons), and shows you one post at a time.

For a quick and convenient list of all recent threads with new posts, use the "New Posts" option on the main forum toolbar at the top of every page! Threads with unread posts are [b]bold[/b], and have a small blue, square icon next to them that will take you right to the first unread message! After you've clicked a thread, its name will no longer be bold -- indicating that you've probably read the most recent post there.

On the forum home page, an active Stargate next to a folder indicates that there are threads with new posts since your last visit. (Look to the left for the most recent.)

One warning to keep in mind: vBulletin does its best to track which posts you have and have not read, but it's not perfect. It will only mark as unread those posts that have been made since your last visit; if you leave and come back without reading a bolded (unread) thread, it will probably be marked as unread the next time you visit. Also, if you are inactive for more than one hour, the forum will assume you've left and will no longer remember those unread threads.

If you don't make it through all your unread threads of interest, just visit each topical folder you are interested in. The threads with the most recent posts will always be at the top; compare the day and time of the most recent post to your last log-in time (in your "Welcome!" message near the top) to see what's new, if the thread titles aren't bold any more.

Use the "New Posts" option on the main forum toolbar at the top of every page to find threads with the most recent posts. Threads with unread posts are bold, and have a small blue, square icon next to them that will take you right to the first unread message.

vBulletin does its best to track which posts you have and have not read, but it's not perfect. It will only mark as unread those posts that have been made since your last visit; if you leave and come back without reading a bolded (unread) thread, it will probably be marked as unread the next time you visit. Also, if you are inactive for more than one hour, the forum will assume you've left and will no longer remember those unread threads.

Your Web browser must have cookies enabled (which is a default setting) to use the new post tracking feature.

If you don't make it through all your unread threads of interest, just visit each topical folder you are interested in. The threads with the most recent posts will always be at the top; compare the day and time of the most recent post to your last log-in time (in your "Welcome!" message near the top) to see what's new, if the thread titles aren't bold any more.