Phorum

The Phorum was the name of the original Web forums on Bukanator's fan site at www.lonelygirl15.com. Phorum was the name of the software used to power the message boards. The term was used somewhat derisively, as the boards were poorly moderated.

During the month of August, fans began to register at the site and discuss the mystery surrounding lonelygirl15. The lonelygirl videos had gotten popular enough that it had become difficult for fans to discuss the videos amid the comments on YouTube. Toward the end of August, hundreds of fans had registered on the discussion boards. The lonelygirl saga had attracted a wide array of fans, from YouTubers and Bloggers, to journalists such as Virginia Heffernan and Richard Rushfield, people in the entertainment industry, marketers, occultists and others who had been sucked into the lonelygirl15 phenomenon.

Because lonelygirl15.com was known to have been registered before the videos started, most fans assumed that the site was being monitored. Many users at the site were concerned about sock-puppets who were supposedly posting false information to obscure the truth behind lonelygirl15. This led a group of users, who would come to be known as the Phorum 3 to talk outside the Phorum via instant messages and develop a plan to trace IP addresses.

As the number of users grew, the Phorum became increasingly unreadable, and flame wars became more common. Frustrated with Bukanator's lack of moderation, a group of fans set up a new forum, The Children of Anchor Cove, on Sept. 4. Most fans left the Phorum. The administrators of Lonelygirl15.com eventually took down the Phorum and replaced it with more sophisticated forum software.

Many members of The Children of Anchor Cove still refer to the forums at lonelygirl15.com as the Phorum.