Pinned thread [TUTORIAL] User Beginner's Guide

PhilipB

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Welcome to the
SpongeBuddy Mania Forums
User Beginner's Guide!

(VERSION 3.1, Updated 1/26/24)

If you are new to the forums, you may be wondering what each of the sections of the forums entail. With the inclusion of new episode and season specific forums, SBM Forums have been expanded and discussion is on a wider scale.

The guide will be split in sections and sub-sections to mirror each of the board's categories and forums, as well as sub-forums.

Key:-

Categories

Forums
  • Sub-forums or sub-categories
Okay ready? Let's start at the top.

SpongeBuddy Mania
This category contains forums that are mainly about news and information regarding the site and forums, and when they're important, news about SpongeBob the show itself. These include:

The Bottom Feeder - Formerly known as, for many years, 'News'. This is where all show, site and forum news is posted. Most SpongeBob news is posted into the SpongeBob forum, but when it is important enough a thread will either be posted by a staff member into the News forum, or moved from the SpongeBob forum into the News forum by a staff member. Therefore, this forum can only have new threads (also known as topics) started by staff members.

Boating School - Formerly known as, for many years, 'Introductions'. This is the forum where new members (like yourself!) can post their first thread as part of the community. This allows you to introduce yourself, and for other forum members to introduce themselves to you so you can get to know other forum members before you start posting elsewhere. Also includes a big all-in-one topic for help, comments, questions, concerns, any ideas about improving the site or forums.

Culture Shock - This is the place for all things SBM, whether it's mentions, shout outs from members about our forum, events, activities, or anything else about this wonderful site/forum.
  • Notices - This is another forum where only staff are allowed to start new threads. The Notices forum is where new rules are announced, or warnings are posted about certain styles of posting that may have recently started trending that the staff want to discourage. Threads are only posted here periodically.
  • Awards - **NOTE: THIS HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED IN APRIL 2018.** Every so often, usually twice a year, the staff will hold nominations and then awards for different categories giving awards out to members. Therefore, this is another forum where only staff can post new topics, and it is only active during award seasons. You will know when a new award season on as a thread will be posted announcing it. You will be able to make nominations for other people under different threads, and then there will be a second wave of threads where you can vote for people to win each award. Obviously, you cannot nominate or vote for yourself. Posting here does not increase your post count.
Bikini Bottom
This category contains forums where you can discuss all aspects of the show.

SpongeBob SquarePants - Formerly known as "SpongeBob" and "Bikini Bottom" for many years. Again, self explanatory. Talk about anything and everything about SpongeBob. There are already well established 'pinned' threads that always appear at the top of the forum, so look for these before starting a new topic. The forums have been going for a long time, you know!
  • The Reef (Movies) - Originally created as temporary subforum for the then-upcoming second movie, this is now an established place to discuss both the first and second movie - and of course, includes all the previous threads from the run up to the second so you can go back to the last page and see what people thought at the time. This subforum also now includes the legendary, eleven year old original thread for the first movie (which shows how much the forums have grown - we only needed a thread for the first movie, for the second we needed a whole subforum!).
  • Episode Discussion - This is a sub-category of the SpongeBob forum. In it there are forums for each season of the show, which have been set up so that when you view them, they will display threads for each episode of that particular season in chronological order. So for example, the Help Wanted thread will always appear at the top of the Season 1 forum because it is the first episode. Some forums already have threads for each episode of their particular season - these forums are closed to new threads. If you can't find a thread for an episode you want to discuss, make it! The episode titles are in production order.
    • Season 1
    • Season 2
    • Season 3
    • Season 4
    • Season 5
    • Season 6
    • Season 7
    • Season 8
    • Season 9
    • Season 10
    • Season 11
    • Season 12
    • Season 13
    • Season 14
    • Shorts
  • Fan Favorites - This forum is for list threads, where members count down their favorite, or least favorite, episodes of SpongeBob, amongst other things, such as season specific rankings. Please read the pinned 'READ FIRST' thread before making a new thread in this forum.
Kamp Koral - In March 2021, a SpongeBob spin-off series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, was released on Paramount+. The series follows young SpongeBob and friends as they go on adventures in Kamp Koral. Got anything to discuss with the show? Post it here!
  • Episode Discussion - Want to share some information or start some discussions on specific episodes? Post it on the corresponding episode thread here!
    • Season 1
    • Season 2
The Patrick Star Show - In July 2021, our favorite starfish, Patrick Star, got its own spin-off show! The Patrick Star Show showcases Patrick and his wacky family dealing with everything from wars on staircases to haunted sea-star houses. Discuss about the show here!
  • Episode Discussion - Want to share some information or start some discussions on specific episodes? Post it on the corresponding episode thread here!
    • Season 1
    • Season 2
Fry Cook Games - This forum is where simple text based games related to SpongeBob are played. Most of them are never-ending and so have been played for a long time. One example would be the Last Letter SpongeBob Game, which is where a poster has to name something SpongeBob related using the last letter of the last poster's answer. So for example - Patrick, Krusty Krab, Barnacle Boy, and so on. Posting here does not increase your post count.

Squidward's School For Grown-Ups - Formerly known as 'Fan Creations'. This is the forum where anyone, including YOU, can post fan created works related to SpongeBob. This includes fan fiction stories, drawings, computer rendered art, anything goes as long as it's SpongeBob fan work!
  • Artist Unknown - All art relating to SpongeBob goes in this forum. Members could share their art of SpongeBob characters and spark some discussions!
  • The Ugly Barnacle - Share your SpongeBob fan fiction, stories, or shorts here!
  • Idea Sting - Got any episode ideas for the show? Post them in this forum and see what other members think!
  • Fan Videos - Have you created any SpongeBob fan videos like episode parodies or your own SpongeBob videos (for example, Lego SpongeBob)? Post your videos here!
Goo Lagoon
Formerly known as, until 2017, as 'Loquaciousness'. This is the area for general chit-chat. These are the off-topic forums, for discussion about anything that doesn't have to do with SpongeBob. And as with other forums, they are just as popular as the SpongeBob forums.

Nautical Nonsense - The one-size-fits-all general discussion forum to talk about anything that doesn't fit in the other categories or forums. This is the main off-topic forum. If you can't find another forum that suits the topic you want to talk about, put it here.
  • Krabby Land - Formerly known as, for many years, 'Games'. This forum is just like the Fry Cook Games forum, except the games are not SpongeBob related. Posting here does not increase your post count.
  • The Salty Spitoon - This is for serious discussions and debates only. Maintain a good fellowship. Make sure to read the rules thread before you begin posting.
  • Sportz - A forum to discuss sporting activities and events, as well as sports in general.
Plankton's Laboratory - Formerly known as, for many years, the 'Science and Tech Corner'. Discuss science and technology matters here, including computers, operating systems, iPods, iPads, tablets, phones, and video games.
  • Karen's Database - Formerly known as 'SpongeSites' until 2015. Previously a subforum dedicated to topics about SpongeBob fansites, you can now post about any kind of website so long as you follow the guidelines. And also, it's good to remember that if you post a thread for your site very early on after you join it will look spammy. You should also try building up your site or forum before releasing it so it does not look bare and that other people will feel like they want to return.
Arts and Entertainment - This is the general chat forum for discussion on TV, movies, as well as music and books.
  • Idiot Box - This is the forum for specific discussion on threads related to and for shows that air on the Nickelodeon channels, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network as well as any other kids channels. Formerly known as 'Kids Networks', and before that, 'Nickelodeon / Disney / Cartoon Network'.
International Discussion - In a public online forum like SBM, there can be visitors and posters from around the globe. The web is world wide after all! Therefore in this forum you can chat to other users from the same country as yourself, or post a new thread about the country you live in, about cultures and events specific to different countries. This forum is where you can also discuss languages and talk about (and maybe even talk in) the different languages you know or can speak.

The Dump - This is it. If you have searched throughout the whole forum and not found a specific forum for your thread to go in, this is the place to put it. Basically, this is the place to post spammy, random threads that can have no meaning at all. If you want to test something out in a post, you can do it here. And finally, if you want to tease ssj4gogita4 (one of the admins of SBM and the forums), you can do it here. Trust me, it's fun! :) Posting here does not increase your post count.
  • Weenie Hut Juniors - This is a specific forum for the popular member Q&A threads. Yes, members start threads in which you can ask them a question and they, hopefully, will answer back. A fun way to spend your time if you want to get to know someone better (or you're just bored or, more likely, procrastinating!).
And that's it. That's all the forums. Hopefully this guide better explains how to use each forum and how to discuss things. If you still don't know where to put your thread, just put it in 'Nautical Nonsense' and a staff member will probably move it somewhere else.

Happy posting! :)

-PhilipB
(and MattTheSpongeFanatic)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

abney317

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Great guide

There are some "FAQ" posts MDPP and TTS had made a while back.. maybe you can search those up and add any extra stuff you don't have here.. and I'll pin this :)
 

PhilipB

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Great guide

There are some "FAQ" posts MDPP and TTS had made a while back.. maybe you can search those up and add any extra stuff you don't have here.. and I'll pin this :)
Yeah that's where I got my inspiration from, their FAQ posts. I just got this sudden burst of creativity to make this for some reason lol!
 

PhilipB

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Updated it to mention the way episodes are displayed on the new skin in the 'Episode Discussion' forum, and that 'Nickelodeon / Disney / Cartoon Network' is now 'Kids Networks'.
 

SpongeRoadie UK

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Fry Cook Games - This forum is where simple text based games related to SpongeBob are played. Most of them are never-ending and so have been played for a long time. One example would be the Last Letter SpongeBob Game, which is where a poster has to name something SpongeBob related using the last letter of the last poster's answer. So for example - Patrick, Krusty Krab, Barnacleboy, and so on. Posting here does not increase your post count.
No wonder . . . :p
 

PhilipB

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After almost two years, and with thanks to ssj for reminding me this thread exists, finally an update to SBM's most popular (I'm assuming) user beginner's guide thread.

Changes in revision 3

New forums added:
  • The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (under the SpongeBob forum, in the SpongeBob SquarePants category)
  • Fan Favorites (under the SpongeBob forum, in the SpongeBob SquarePants category)
  • Weenie Hut Juniors (under the The Dump forum, in the Miscellaneous category)
Forums modified:
  • In the SpongeBuddy Mania category, Notices is now a sub-forum of The Bottom Feeder instead of being a separate forum
  • Barg'N-Mart has moved from being a sub-forum of The Dump in the Miscellaneous category, to being a sub-forum of Fan Creations in the SpongeBob SquarePants category
  • Kids Networks, a sub-forum of Arts & Entertainment in the Loquaciousness category, has been renamed Idiot Box.
Forums removed:
  • Video Games, previously a sub-forum of Plankton's Laboratory in the Loquaciousness category. Video games discussion now comes under the main tech forum.

Also, apparently support for multiple indentation of bullet points has been removed in IP Board, so I had to remove the sub-sub-forums (the Episode Discussion sub-forums for each season).
 

PhilipB

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Weasel said:
Not to be rude, but shoukd'nt this be updated? (Ex:SOOW forum doesn't exist anymore)
Actually, that's the only thing that needed to be updated. Anyway, I now have and we're now on revision 4.
 

PhilipB

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The Appetizer said:
Phillip-
SpongeSites is now Karen's Database.
Aaaaand updated after two months haha. We're now on revision 5.

Also just fixed a glaring typo in the very first sentence after three and a half years!! ("new to forums")
 
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