when you look at a member's profile there's an option to add to your buddy list. What does that do. All I can tell is in the section where it tells guests / members online the word buddy pops up when someone you've identified as a buddy is online.
you know... we had this as a mod back on EGA... but it became a normal feature. I never really used it.
According to the SMF site:
QuoteA Buddy List displays all of the members on the forum whom you have added as a "buddy". This list will also show their online status and contact information if available. If your administrator has enabled the buddy list, you can work with your buddy list from your profile.