Guests: 2
Members:

• How do I take control of my account?
• I did that, but it didn't work. What now?
• You have wrongly credited my vids/I want to change my username
• You changed my name, I used to be Buffy Summers, now I'm BuffySummers!
• My vids used to be in the database, but aren't now. Why?
• You have wrongly credited my vids/I want to change my username
• Help! I lost my password!
• What are your submission rules?
• How do I post new vids?
• I have a co-vidder, how do I deal with that?
• My vid has an alternate title, what do I do?
• What are the new categories all about?
• Where is Angelus?
• What's with that "complete" tickbox and all the fic references?
• I did something wrong! What now?
• What if I want a certain character/pairing in my video to be a surprise?
• What if my pairing or character isn't on the Posting Interface?
• What if I need something changed in my database entry?

Posting/Account FAQ

How do I take control of my account?
Hit the "Lost Password" link on the left. Input your email address and you should go to a confirmation screen that says a new password has been emailed out to you. You can now login using that. You can change your password to something a little easier to remember by logging in, clicking the Account Info link on the left and hitting "Edit Bio"

I did that, but it didn't work. What now?
Sorry. Basically we had a ton of email addresses for everyone, and we tried to use the most recent email address. Every so often we were able to check the email address on a webpage, but not everyone had that. Obviously in this case, we've got the wrong email address for you. Now you have to email the admins, and ask them to change the email address we have in the database for you.

In theory, clicking the email link below should format your email for you, but if it doesn't, please put in the following text in the body and use the subject line of "Buffy.fanvids.co.uk - Login Problems":

I am emailing via The BMVD. I cannot access my account.
My username is: __________
My current email address is: _________
Additionally I would like you to change my username to ___________. (the last line is optional)

Email Sarah and Laura about Login Problems

Once that is done, we will reply to you, and you should be able to use the lost password function.

You have wrongly credited my vids/I want to change my username
Our apologies. We have tried to get these things right, by marrying up vidders by their email addresses and urls and reading the content of the website when it appears confusing. However, sometimes, things do go wrong and get muddled. Especially when you're working with 4,000+ vids. If you contact us, then we can set things right. There were several people in the database who had submitted the same information several times under different usernames. We simply chose the name with the most vids attached to it as the one to keep; when all entries were identical, we chose the most unusual name (to avoid duplicate names, like Becca1, Becca2, etc).

You should also email us using this format if your vids have been listed under two or more usernames and you would like to consolidate the information.

As before, clicking the email link should generate the body text, but if it doesn't, please give us the following information and use the subject line of "Buffy.fanvids.co.uk - Wrong Credit":

I am emailing via The BMVD. My details are wrong and I would like to change them.
My username in the database is: __________
My preferred username is: _____________
My current email address is: _________
My vids are as follows: (if your vids have been split up and are listed under two or more usernames, please put the username next to each vid in brackets)

Email Sarah and Laura about wrongly credited vids

You changed my name, I used to be Buffy Summers, now I'm BuffySummers!
Sorry about that. Unfortunately, the script tends to throw up errors if there are spaces in the name. We have removed all non-alphanumeric characters from names. Some names will work with an underscore or hyphen, but sometimes that does throw up errors too. The easiest way to deal with names was to just make them one word. We haven't changed any spellings, and if you are credited differently than your preference, email us, using the form email link in the above question.

My vids used to be in the database, but aren't now. Why?
The database recently went through a massive purge, and records with dead links were removed. If you feel your listing was removed in error, we apologise for that. If your vid is still online but has moved to a different address, please create a new listing. Also, if you require the original listing information, we do have back-ups, but the entry was removed because at the time of checking we ran into a dead link. It may be that we checked your site at exactly the wrong time, and encountered an error. If that is the case, we apologise.

How do I register?
Before we cover this in detail, if your vids are already listed in the database, then you do not need to register, read the above questions on how to take control of your account.

To register for the first time, hit the "Login" link and chose "Register". You will be taken to our Terms of Service, which we suggest you read, it's only short and reflects the most important rules of the BMVD. At the bottom, you will have a small form to fill in.

Your penname (also referred to as a "username"), email and password are the only necessary things on the form. You do not have to fill in any of the other parts. Please don't tick the "Beta" box unless you are really serious about vidding, and willing to give con-crit and honest feedback.

When filling in the LiveJournal or YouTube boxes, all you need to do is give your username, the script will do the rest.

Help! I lost my password!
Very simple fix, just input your email in the box on the Lost Password page, and a new one will be sent to you.

What are your submission rules?
They are as follows:

1. Do not add information about videos that use source material and/or edits lifted from other videos unless the original vidder has explicitly given you permission to use her video for source material.
2. Do not add information about videos representing shows that use actors from the Buffy/Angel series, but are not specifically from the Buffy/Angel shows or the original Buffy movie. For example, Elisa Dushku (Faith) appears in the movie Bring It On, but a Bring It On video would not be considered appropriate to post to this database and will be deleted. Seth Green as "Scott Evil" is not acceptable; Seth Green as "Daniel Osbourne/Oz" is acceptable. You could, however, add information for a video crossover slashing Scott Evil and Oz, or Scott Evil and Faith (this is just in theory, now, don't get any ideas).
3. The four other major things this database does not accept links to are: a) videos involving real people (actors or otherwise), otherwise known as RPV, b) videos with depictions of underage sex, c) pornography, and d) episodes in their entirety, or episode clips, available for download. (Note: Because Buffy the Vampire Slayer has portrayed sex with people under 18 years of age, the definition here of "underage sex" will be any depictions of sex involving characters under the legal age in place of residence. In most places in the United States, 16 is the age of consent. When Dawn and Connor turn Sweet 16, they're legally allowed to participate in such... activities. Maybe even with each other. But not until then!)
4. Any links to this content will be removed at the database managers' discretion. If you have questions regarding the acceptability of your video, please email Sarah and Laura before you post it.

How do I post new vids?
It's quite simple, and rather like the old way, if you were familiar with that. Once you've signed up for an account, or taken control of your account, click on Account Info (on the left menu), then Add New Vid. Fill in the song title, the artist (not the vidder), the summary and so forth. Ctrl-click to select more than one character, pairing, format, etc. However, if you feel awash in a sea of confusion, the below information should help!

Video Information fields:

• Title: Enter the full title of the song your video is set to. It's OK to add multiple songs if you've done a medley, just separate them using a comma.
• Vid Title: You will notice we have removed the option to give your vid an alternative title. This is because Sarah has found it hard to incorporate a separate text field into the search function. Instead, put your alternative title in with the summary. An advanced search will turn this up, so if people remember that you called your vid "Wake Me Up" instead of "Bring Me To Life", they can search for it that way. Do not put the alternate title in the song title box!
• Vid URL: Please enter the DIRECT URL to the web page on which your video is linked. Do NOT enter the top-level page (entry page) of your site, or the direct link to the vid file itself (in other words, http://www.myvids.com/vid1.html is allowed, but http://www.myvids.com/vid1.WMV is NOT allowed). Entries which do not follow the proper format will be deleted. Also, do not forget the http://, typing www.url.com might work in a browser, but when it's coded into the site, the http:// tells the coding that the site is outside of the current domain. If you enter www.url.com the script will tell the browser to go to http://www.buffy.fanvids.co.uk/www.url.com which is just not helpful.
• Artist: The name of the person or group that performs the song. If you do not know how to spell it, then google it. If you like the song enough to vid it, then check the spelling of the artist.
• Summary: Enter a brief (2-3 line) description of your video. Do NOT use a < symbol or a > symbol in the text, or it will not show up. Summaries may help visitors decide if they want to watch your video, or someone else's. We strongly encourage you to include a warning in the summary if the song or source material contains offensive language, violence, nudity, sexual themes, or character death. (See the glossary for an explanation of ratings.) The database is open to the general public, and people of all ages may be viewing these videos. If your video's content may be inappropriate for teens or younger children, please say so. For example, there are scenes in the Buffy episodes "Dead Things" and "Seeing Red" which some viewers might find disturbing, and would appreciate being warned about before downloading your video. You might also want to include spoiler warnings, such as "This video includes scenes of BtVS from season four through season six." You can email Sarah and Laura if you have questions about a particular video.
• Category: You must select a category. Select all categories that apply. Windows users: To select multiple categories, hold down the control key and click on all the categories that apply. Mac users: To select multiple categories, hold down the command key (apple key).
• Characters: Select all the main characters in your video. This usually means the characters with the most screen time. "Ensemble" describes a video in which most or all of the cast is used. This field will allow users to search for specific main characters in videos, so it's up to you to decide how relevant a character is in your production. You don't have to select a character if they are only on screen for a second and not integral to the video. Windows users: To select multiple categories, hold down the control-key and click on all the categories that apply. Mac users: To select multiple categories, hold down the command-key (apple key).
• Format: Please select all of the player formats in which your video is available for viewing.
• Pairing: Select all pairings that apply. Windows users: To select multiple categories, hold down the control-key and click on all the categories that apply. Mac users: To select multiple categories, hold down the command-key (apple key). If yours is not a pairing vid, choose "None".
• Rating: Optional, the default is G; it is up to you what you rate your vid, but bear in mind that the database is open to the general public, and people of all ages may be viewing these videos. If your video's content may be inappropriate for teens or younger children, or the song contains explicit lyrics, it might be worth erring on the side of caution when choosing your rating. For example, there are scenes in the Buffy episodes "Dead Things" and "Seeing Red" which some viewers might find disturbing, and would appreciate being warned about before downloading your video. You might also want to include spoiler warnings, such as "This video includes scenes of BtVS from season four through season six." You can email Sarah and Laura if you have questions about a particular video.
• If you feel that more categories, pairings, ratings or anything along those lines should be added to the database, then email Sarah and Laura

I have a co-vidder, how do I deal with that?
Please, do not create a new account for co-vidding, unless you specifically want to separate your own work from your co-vidded work. There is an option to add a co-vidder to a project which the admins have access to. If you add the vid to either your own account or your co-vidder's, then email us, Laura and Sarah will add your co-vidder to the project. The vid will now be listed on both your profile and your co-vidder's.

As usual, clicking the email link should generate the correct text, but if not, please send us something like this:

I am emailing via FAQ at The BMVD. I have co-vidded!
My username is _____.
My co-vidder is ________.
Our vid is to [Title] by [Artist].
The vid is currently listed on under [either your or your co-vidder's username].

Email Sarah and Laura to add a co-vidder

My vid has an alternate title, what do I do?
Any alternate titles will have to be listed in the summary section. Don't worry, it will be picked up by the search function.

What are the new categories all about?
Laura and I had a chat and we decided that the F/F, M/M and M/F options could be streamlined. Now you can specify if a vid is slash or het in the categories, using "Romance: Slash" and "Romance: Het".

Laura and Sarah define slash as any homosexual pairing, whether shown on the show or not. Both Xander/Spike and Willow/Tara are considered slash by our reckoning.

Het is the same thing for heterosexual pairings. Whether it's a cannon couple or not, that's what we classify het as.

To cover all bases, we have also added a "Romance: Unconventional" option. This covers all non-cannon couples. While Buffy/Faith is quite a mainstream ship, it is not "conventional", based on the fact that Buffy and Faith did not get together on the show. To further cover it, if the couple did not have a relationship, then it is considered unconventional. For example, Anya/Giles is unconventional, yes, they kissed once, but they were under the influence of a spell, and did not have a relationship. I hope this leaves no grey area, since Laura and Sarah spent some time working out exactly what the ground rules of "unconventional" should be defined as.

Where is Angelus?
We have removed Angelus from the pairing list, having decided that separating the evil Angel from the regular seemed superfluous, when the likes of Spike and Darla do not have such distinctions. Angelus is still listed as a character, and vids containing him can be searched that way.

What's with that "complete" tickbox and all the fic references?
Sarah's response: Basically, I hacked a script called eFiction, which is a fanfic archive script. I'm not actually a php genius, just someone with a passable knowledge, and a stubborn determination to make things work. Because of this, the script works, but there are references to it still being a fanfic archive. I have changed all the instances of "author" and "story" to "vidder" and "vid" that I can find, but I may have missed some. Additionally, there are a few things that I refused to remove just in case it broke the script – the "complete" option being one of them, since it works with the search function. Just leave it ticked. It won't end the world if you don't, but it might miss out your vid in an advanced search. It might not, because I have tried to disable it as best I can without removing it.

If you find any references to "story" and "author" or anything like that, please let me (Sarah) know so I can edit them. Sometimes you stare at things for so long that you cease to see them.

I did something wrong! What now?
Don't panic! Unlike the old script, you can edit it immediately, by clicking on Account Info (in the left menu), and then Manage Vids.

What if I want a certain character/pairing in my video to be a surprise?
If selecting a character or pairing may ruin plot twists or surprises in your video, you are free to select "None" anywhere it's offered as an option, and omit this information from the Summary. Please note that doing so will greatly reduce the search options for your video, and people who come looking for that character or pairing will not find yours in a search if you don't tell them it's there.

What if my pairing or character isn't on the Posting Interface?
If your main character or pairing is not listed in the Posting Interface, please send an email to Sarah and Laura. We will the either add your suggestion, or instruct you to select "Other" depending on how often this character or pairing is likely to be listed.

What if I need something changed in my database entry?
If you notice an error of some kind in the video data listed at BMVD or wish to replace the data with a newer version, you can edit it yourself, by clicking on Account Info (in the left menu), and then Manage Vids.

Anything other questions?
Check the other FAQs and if they don't help, Email Sarah and Laura

 

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are the property of UPN and the WB networks, respectively, and of 20th C. Fox and Mutant Enemy. Any content on this site relating to these shows is for personal enjoyment, not for profit. No copyright infringement is intended.