Your Personal Guide to the Blackwonder Website
Alright, so since I made the suggestion for the Guide Section, I feel the need to post the first guide (And not the rules that seems to have sneaked in here). That being said, this is a guide to the wondrous and not-so-complex-but-somewhat-mildly-overwhelming forums of Blackwonder! We'll be exploring all of the features of the forums including all the threads, your profile, the points system and a a ton of other stuff. So let's get started!
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The Main Pages
The Main Pages™ (Yet to find an official name for them so this one is mine) are the pages you can see at the very top of the forums underneath the Blackwonder Heading and next to your profile picture. Sometimes you'll see this goofy heavy or some stupid looking medic behind it. The Main Pages™ are, as the name would suggest, the main pages of the website. Here you can navigate yourself to the pages shown below:
Forums: The best part of the website where all the community comes together for whatever the hell they want. I'll go into more detail on this part further down.
Staff: This page contains a list of all the staff members of Blackwonder, people who have been given magical powers and use them to moderate the website and servers.
Streams: On the streams page you'll find a list of live streams by the people of the Blackwonder community.
Members: Much like the staff page, here you'll see a list of the notable members accounts on the forums. The notable members are sorted into five categories: Most Messages, Most Positive Ratings, Most Negative Ratings, Most Points and Staff Members. Each category shows the top 20 members in their respective category. You might even be up there yourself one day, though I'd try to avoid the Most Negative Ratings category if I were you.
What's New?: The "What's New?" page shows the newest replies on the posts of the forums. You can use this page to find the hot topics of the forum and get in on some saucy drama.
Bans: The bans section is the place to get all the info on the servers and any bans recently placed on members; you do not want your name on here. At the top you can navigate through the dashboard, the server list, the list of bans, and the list of communication bans.
Servers: The servers section may seem somewhat redundant due to the more detailed list of servers in the bans section, but it's easier to access and more tidy. Everyone loves things that are neat on the eyes.
Storebot: Storebot is what it says on the tin; a bot that is a store. You'll be taken to a trade offer window where you can offer items for in-game perks on the Blackwonder servers.
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THE SHOUTBOX!
One of the first thing you'll notice is the box full of idiots saying idiotic stuff (myself included). This is where all the classic bantah happens on the forums. Anyone can enter a message here which will be shown for everyone on the forums. Perfect place for when you need to ask a question and want a quick reply, or just to mess around with the other members.
But wait! There's more! You'll see in the top right a message saying "Join our TeamSpeak: ts.blackwonder.tf or Discord: https://discord.gg/vnXQgED" These are the two applications Blackwonder uses for get-togethers. Anyone can join the TeamSpeak and Discord servers, where you'll find a few members who are ready and willing to talk to you and play with you (unless, of course, they're preoccupied)
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The Threads
Here is the bread and butter of the forums; the threads! This is where all of the good stuff happens on Blackwonder. There is a place for all types of debate, from off topic madness to suggestions and questions. We'll be going through them one by one with a short description of just what each one is.
FAQ: This is a list of frequently asked questions and their appropriate answers. Please look here if you have a question to check whether it has been answered before making a thread about it or asking someone.
Server Rules: This is one of the unique parts of the forums where the rules for each different type of server are listed. Keep this page in mind if you don't want to get punished for being an idiot on the servers.
Server Updates: The places where Benedevil lists all (most) of the changes he is currently planning on or actually making to the server.
CS:GO Updates: This is the place where our lord and savior Gaben lists the newest updates for the game, CS:GO. News on CS:GO is also posted here, such as championship announcements.
TF2 Updates: Much like the CS:GO Updates, this is the same section except for Team Fortress 2. You'll find updates and information here matching the kind of news you would see in the CS:GO section.
Suggestions: As the name suggests (eyy) this is where members can post their ideas on what kind of features a member would like to see. The ideas will be looked over by staff and discussed by the community until a final verdict on the idea is reached.
Feedback: Similarly to the suggestions page, the feedback section is where you can submit your feedback about almost anything to do with the community. It doesn't have to be a request for change; you can just give praise if you're really kind
Reports: This is the section where all of the reports made using the report form are kept. This is where they'll be viewed by admins and a verdict will be reached on how to act on the reports.
Ban Appeals: This section of the forums is where all the ban appeals are kept on the forums. Don't make a ban appeal through this part of the forum though; there is an easier way and we'll get to it later.
Questions: Got any questions you need to ask? Too complex to just put a message in the shoutbox and wait for an answer? The questions section is where all of these types of questions go; if you're ever unsure, make a post there and one of the helpful staff or even the members will do their best to help you find an answer.
Problems: The problems page is how you report any bugs or errors you encounter with anything related to Blackwonder. Staff will look into the problem and do what they can to fix it, should it need fixed.
Admin Applications: As you may have already guessed, this is where all the admin applications are stored. Active applications will be reviewed and judged by staff, and members may comment their opinion. The application will ultimately be accepted or denied depending on the amount of support for the applying person.
Games: I'm not going to go over each section here, but all sections under the Games banner are places where discussions, achievements, or funny moments go on their respective games.
Guides: If this isn't self explanatory, I don't know what is. You're reading one right now. But for those of you who aren't yet aware, this is where all the guides will be. Any member of the forums can post a guide on any topic they see fit that is relevant to Blackwonder. For example, some people might need a guide on how to navigate the website. (Wow, what a good idea.)
Game deals: Our might Lord Gaben, praised be thy name shall post here on all the latest deals on Steam games. If you're looking for a bargain, Father Gaben shall be there to guide you in the right direction.
Off-topic : This is where all the fun, stupid, nonsensical stuff goes down. You can make a thread on pretty much anything you want here, as long as it isn't too immature or out-of-bounds. If you ever feel the need to relax and play around, sift through this area of the forums.
Introduction: So you're a new member? Cool! Welcome to Blackwonder! Of course, I'm not the only one who wants to welcome you here, so why not introduce yourself to everyone? You can tell us a bit about yourself and you'll be greeted with open arms.
Marketplace: The Marketplace is the forum's trading area. Any items you want to sell or buy can be advertised here, but be wary; as Timo's sticky'd thread says, we won't take responsibility for your items in the event of sharking or scamming.
Dumpster: This is where we move all the useless threads that serve little to no purpose. You can also post threads in here that serve little to no purpose. I'd avoid posting in there, but if you want to, then sure, go knock yourself out.
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Application Forms and Donations
Off to the side of the shoutbox, you'll see where you can submit three different types of forms; Applications for becoming an administrator, ban appeals and report forms. The application for becoming an admin is quite obvious; you fill in the required details and other people review it to see if you're worthy. If you can't see this option, it's because you're a new member and you are not permitted to apply. The ban appeals are forms where you can plead to have a ban revoked that you may have received. The report form is a form that allows you to report a player for malicious activity; just remember to support your claims with proof! You'll also notice the donations box. This is where you can see all of the donations made by the members of the forums, as well as make a donation yourself. If you wanna get on this list, you'll have to be really dedicated to helping out Blackwonder and it's owner, Benedevil.
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The Side Stuff™ (Yet another unofficial name)
Off to the side of the threads and underneath the donations is where you'll find the side stuff. There are tidbits of information here that may or may not be of use to you. Let's go over them.
These are the new profile posts, where you can write a status and look at other people's recent statuses. (Buster uses 9gag what a nerd)
These are the current members that are online on the forums. You can also view which staff are currently online by clicking the "Staff Online Now" text.
This is a list of Birthdays where any member who's birthday is today will be displayed here. Give them a happy birthday wish if you feel like it, but remember that many people may not be online or active.
Finally, we have the new posts/new threads. If you ever want to find what's hot on the forums at the moment, this is the place to do it. You can find the latest replied and latest threads here and maybe be one of the first to reply!
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The Profile Area
This little section is where you'll find a lot to do with your profile, which we'll be moving onto in a minute. This section is just to the right of the Main Pages™ and above the application/report forms. From left to right, we'll look at what each symbol is.
First is your profile picture. Hover your cursor over this and you'll see multiple options on how to operate your account as well as look at your profile. We'll look over this in more detail in a minute.
Second is your conversations, where any recent private messages you have received will be shown here for you to quickly read.
Third is your alerts. Any replies to a thread you have posted in, any replies to your thread or any ratings you may receive are listed here for you to view. Click on the alert to get sent to the thread/post in question.
Fourth is your little Points Panel™ (Yes, at this point I'm making the forums mine) where you can find some info on how much you've contributed to the forums. In order, you'll see the amount of posts you've made, the amount of likes you have received and your trophy points. Trophy points are earned through achievements on the forums. You can click on each icon to go to your profile.
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Your Account
When you hover over your profile picture, you'll see two sections. Your profile (which includes your profile picture, name and rank) and your account options. We're going to be looking over the account options first, however I will not be showing the separate account options page as I would probably do something stupid like screenshot something personal. Here's what each part of the account options allows you to do:
Change Username: Allows you to change your username.
Personal Details: This page covers your personal details such as status, avatar, gender, date of birth and so on. You can change them as you please.
Signature: Allows you to change your signature, which shows underneath all your posts.
Contact Details: This is where you will find your email, email options, and other ways of communication such as Skype, Facebook and Twitter.
Privacy: Lets you edit your privacy settings such as who can see your date of birth and who can view your details.
Preferences: A tab where you can edit some options to enhance your forum experience as well as change your time zone.
Alert Preferences: This page allows you to edit what you'll receive alerts for.
Avatar: A tab which allows you to change your avatar to a custom image.
Your News Feed: A page that shows news on all the people you have followed. You can follow members by clicking on their profile picture then clicking the "Follow" button.
Conversations: A page which more fully shows your current conversations.
Alerts: Same as the above, but for your alerts.
Ratings Received/Ratings Given: Shows the total amount of ratings your posts have received and the total amount of ratings you have given out respectively.
Your Content: A list of all threads you have posted in as well as your own threads.
People You Follow: A list of people you follow. You can also type in the names of people you want to follow here.
People You Ignore: Same as the above, but less for the people you like, and more for the people you're sick of seeing.
Two-Step Verification: Allows you to enable verification steps that you will need to go through to log in.
Profile Cover: A page that allows you to choose a profile cover that will appear above your profile when people view it.
Log out: Take a wild guess, buddy.
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Your Profile
Okay, there is a LOT of stuff to cover here so we're gonna burst through this page as quickly as possible.
First is your cover, which is changeable in the dropdown menu on the right.
Next there's your basic information. You'll see you can report the user you're viewing. Try not to do this to yourself unless you feel like confessing to something.
Then you have these 4 tabs. You can view your statuses, recent activity, all your posts and your information.
On the top left is your stats. You can see all the information in the image above.
Beneath that is your ratings. This shows how much people like you and how much you like people. Try to give as much as you get, unlike stupid me. (cos I always forget to like stuff I like)
Then there's the people you follow. You can click their profile pictures to view their profiles from here.
And finally, we have some of your personal details. You can view your location on Google maps, if you're into that sort of thing.
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And that's all! (At least I think) This has been an in-depth guide to the sexy Blackwonder forums! Now you're ready to go where you want to go on the forums and you can be well prepared to show off all the stuff you know! And while I'm here, a small note: If you had to use this guide to find out how to apply to be an administrator, then you may not be suitable to be an administrator. But I won't judge. After all, the fact the option doesn't exist for a while may confuse some of you.
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