Spoilers (no spoilers in thread!)

[Alfer]

I wonder how many folks who belong to TCF (new and old) even KNOW what any of the official rules are? I wonder how many have actually sat down and read them from beginning to end?

Oh and Miss Robin...sorry if I offended you, but it seems like in a number of threads I see you in you always seem to have a sort of snarky attitude when things get a bit heated etc....you're a tough one to read it seems..at least for me.

So here...have a smiley..on me...

[cherry ghost]

There should be a one click insert spoiler like the insert image and insert link

[David Platt]

Originally Posted by Robin

I think it's obnoxious to declare people who want the rules followed are the ones who are out of line.

Wow, I think we are sharing a brain today.

[Robin]

Originally Posted by Alfer

I wonder how many folks who belong to TCF (new and old) even KNOW what any of the official rules are? I wonder how many have actually sat down and read them from beginning to end?

I'm not saying anyone should commit every rule to memory, my problem is with people who get all bent out of shape when they're the one breaking it.

The scenario where someone posts a spoiler, someone else says "dude, knock it off!" and then the second person gets jumped on for being a spoiler nazi. It's that third exchange I have a problem with.

That said, if the "dude..." person is a jerk about letting the spoiler-poster know in the first place, that's not cool either.

Oh and Miss Robin...sorry if I offended you, but it seems like in a number of threads I see you in you always seem to have a sort of snarky attitude when things get a bit heated etc....you're a tough one to read it seems..at least for me.

FYI, "Miss Robin" is condescending and obnoxious. You may not intend it that way, but it definitely comes across that way. Feel free to poll the women here if you don't believe me.

That said, I tend towards snarky so you're not all wrong.

So here...have a smiley..on me... [/quote]

I'll see your and raise you a

[Robin]

Originally Posted by David Platt

Wow, I think we are sharing a brain today.

So...are we drinking anything good tonight? Something fun on TV?

[Peter000]

Originally Posted by Robin

Who pissed in your cheerios?

I stand by my eyeroll. I think it's obnoxious to declare people who want the rules followed are the ones who are out of line. As I've said, there are two ways to go about this: follow the rules and everyone can participate in the thread, or ignore the rules and exclude a third of the forum.

Or a third option: Stop having a bug up the ass about spoilers.

I haven't noticed, in the show forums I've been following (Lost, BSG, Psych, Dollhouse and a few others) an egregious flaunting of the rules. Sure there's the occasional mention of a preview but those are smacked down pretty quick.

Certainly nothing along the lines of "It's all a dream!" or "Darth is Luke's father" type stuff.

I agree with Alfer. If you want to avoid spoilers completely and utterly, stick your head in the sand.

You can't control what other people post. You can control your reaction to it.

[Einselen]

Originally Posted by Peter000

Or a third option: Stop having a bug up the ass about spoilers.

I haven't noticed, in the show forums I've been following (Lost, BSG, Psych, Dollhouse and a few others) an egregious flaunting of the rules. Sure there's the occasional mention of a preview but those are smacked down pretty quick.

Certainly nothing along the lines of "It's all a dream!" or "Darth is Luke's father" type stuff.

I agree with Alfer. If you want to avoid spoilers completely and utterly, stick your head in the sand.

You can't control what other people post. You can control your reaction to it.

There was a huge spoiler in last week's AI performance thread. That was kinda annoying.

[Anubys]

Originally Posted by Peter000

Or a third option: Stop having a bug up the ass about spoilers.

I really don't think that was called for...I don't see why someone asking for people to follow the rules -- rules that are more about common courtesy than anything, actually -- is "a bug up the ass" about it...

hell, I was in a BSG thread a few weeks ago where someone posted a huge spoiler about the show 24...just out of the blue to make a silly point...then proceeded to defend themselves by saying it had been a whole week since the ep aired!...

putting things in spoiler text isn't that hard...

[Peter000]

We have the rules. People sometimes don't follow them. Is that a reason to have TWO spoiler poll threads? The self-appointed spoiler police irritate me far more than the spoilers themselves.

[Anubys]

99% of the time, someone posts a spoiler, another poster will ask them to put it in spoiler tags, the person complies, and the issue is forgotten...

not a big deal...

there is that 1% of the time when the person who posted a spoiler is indignant and makes a federal case out of it...just because they refuse to admit that they are wrong...and then they accuse people of being spoiler police and other silly things to deflect away from their mistake...

[Robin]

Originally Posted by Peter000

We have the rules. People sometimes don't follow them. Is that a reason to have TWO spoiler poll threads? The self-appointed spoiler police irritate me far more than the spoilers themselves.

Great question. Ask the guy who posted the second one.

[dswallow]

Just like in real life, you might overhear someone talking about a show and become exposed to a spoiler without any sort of warning. It happens. Move on.

It's not always a case of a black & white rule-breaking spoiler post, either... especially when dealing with shows/programs that aired more than just a few days or weeks before.

Then there's those situations where some people consider ANY news about a show to be a spoiler, versus just plot details being considered a spoiler. For example, knowing a particular actor will appear as a guest star, or knowing a particular filming location used for a future episode, etc.

If you're super-spoiler-conscious, a great deal of warning comes in the thread title -- just stay away from anything mentioning your programs. If you're super-duper-spoiler-conscious, you probably should try to stay 3 or 4 months behind in reading postings.

But, for the most part, people try to be considerate, and when those few who aren't aware do accidentally post something, it's usually handled with grace; but there are times people, rightly or wrongly, get overly upset and start dumping on the poster(s) -- often the same people over and over again (the dumper, that is), and "spoiler Nazi" is probably as appropriate a term for them as any.

[TriBruin]

Originally Posted by dswallow

Just like in real life, you might overhear someone talking about a show and become exposed to a spoiler without any sort of warning. It happens. Move on.

I had this happen last week. I was in a restaurant and the person behind me spoke in a loud voice about a plot point of the previous night's 24. I had not watched it yet. I was spoiled.

However, that is different that talking about this week's episode of 24 in last week's thread. I should be able to actively participate in a thread about a show that I HAVE watched and not be spoiled about upcoming episodes or worse plot points of other shows.

It's not always a case of a black & white rule-breaking spoiler post, either... especially when dealing with shows/programs that aired more than just a few days or weeks before.

But it is not that difficult to follow the rules:

1) If the thread specifically states a show and air-date/title, spoilers should be expected UP TO that episode and not beyond. If a poster which to state information gleaned from outside the episode (i.e. Previews, Popcasts, news reports, etc.) it should be marked as a spoiler.

2) If a show only has an ongoing thread (full season, etc.) Spoilers should be expected up to the last aired episode. Beyond that, spoilers should be labeled as such.

3) For threads that are about show but are not episode specific, the title should indicate whether spoilers are included in the thread or not. However, I usually assume they are.

Then there's those situations where some people consider ANY news about a show to be a spoiler, versus just plot details being considered a spoiler. For example, knowing a particular actor will appear as a guest star, or knowing a particular filming location used for a future episode, etc.

Everyone has a different threshold for what a spoiler is and what they will accept. I consider the above spoilers, but it doesn't mean I won't read them. However, people should be able to avoid them WITHOUT having to not participate.

If you're super-spoiler-conscious, a great deal of warning comes in the thread title -- just stay away from anything mentioning your programs. If you're super-duper-spoiler-conscious, you probably should try to stay 3 or 4 months behind in reading postings.

So, if you enjoy the show and would prefer to learn the plot details by actually watching the show, you shouldn't be allowed to participate in its discussion?

The rules are setup to allow both spoiler-phobic and spoiler-OK posters to participate. If the spoiler-phobic quit posting, the quality of the threads will fall.

But, for the most part, people try to be considerate, and when those few who aren't aware do accidentally post something, it's usually handled with grace; but there are times people, rightly or wrongly, get overly upset and start dumping on the poster(s) -- often the same people over and over again (the dumper, that is), and "spoiler Nazi" is probably as appropriate a term for them as any.

But, unfortunately, many people apply the Spoiler-Nazi term to asking posters to obey the rules. I have seen many posts that I would consider a spoiler, but I refrain from saying anything for fear of being labeled a Spoiler-Nazi.

[dswallow]

Originally Posted by TriBruin

I had this happen last week. I was in a restaurant and the person behind me spoke in a loud voice about a plot point of the previous night's 24. I had not watched it yet. I was spoiled.

However, that is different that talking about this week's episode of 24 in last week's thread. I should be able to actively participate in a thread about a show that I HAVE watched and not be spoiled about upcoming episodes or worse plot points of other shows.

They might've been talking about last week's episode at first, then conversation moved into something from this week; using spoiler tags can be about as awkward as prefacing each statement verbally with a warning that you're about to say something about a specific episode.

Spoiler tags are nice and all, but they're unnatural to use, and I can fully understand why people slip occasionally.

What people should do is send a (polite) PM to the poster and ask they tag the specific comments. Posting in the thread just takes the thread off topic, and almost always results on someone's feathers getting ruffled, which, in public, almost always results in further off topic comments.

And if someone feels uncomfortable sending a PM, just report the post to a moderator and they'll take care of it. Moderators don't proactively read every thread and deal with such issues. They respond to reports of problems.

[TAsunder]

Does anyone have experience with PMs working? Most of the time, spoiler discussions relate to someone posting something from the previews and then saying they don't believe it is a spoiler and won't tag it. If people are more responsive via PMs it would surprise me.

[terpfan1980]

Originally Posted by TAsunder

Does anyone have experience with PMs working? Most of the time, spoiler discussions relate to someone posting something from the previews and then saying they don't believe it is a spoiler and won't tag it. If people are more responsive via PMs it would surprise me.

I would think it depends somewhat on how the request is made. SPOILER THAT! with a link to a post is likely going to get a frack off or WTF? type response while a note that says "The preview information you posted in thread {link} should be inside of spoiler tags, use [ spoiler ] and [ / spoiler ] to surround the text and keep it from being seen so that anyone that wishes to avoid that information won't see it..." would be met with a lot more understanding.

What hasn't worked and sets some people off is having threads sidetracked and seeing complaints and whining because a spoiler slipped through.

[Einselen]

But if I PM them how will I increase my post count?

[TAsunder]

Originally Posted by terpfan1980

I would think it depends somewhat on how the request is made.

I would think that too but it doesn't seem to make a difference in actual threads. That's why I asked about people's PM experience.

[allan]

I agree with the rules for spoilers. As for my own opinion about being spoiled, it depends on the spoiler. Most of the time, if I see a spoiler, I just say "meh" and move on. But once in awhile, I stumble on some info I really didn't want to know. In once recent case, I couldn't even legitimatly be mad at anyone, since I poked my nose on a site that SAID spoilers that said a bit more than I'd expected.

[JLucPicard]

The one that always gets me is the person who complains about a spoiler that is properly tagged, but doesn't get 'hidden' in the e-mail notifications of a subscribed thread.

I'm mildly sensitive to spoilers (meaning I don't go ballistic if I see one not tagged, but would prefer not to see them), but for those that complain that they were spoiled by a properly tagged spoiler in an e-mail notification - THEY are the ones who should be banned for a week!

[aindik]

I agree with the rule that things you know are going to air, but haven't yet aired, should be tagged. So should clues about same.

There's a grey area of things that may or may not be spoilery based on individual opinions. That an actor that hasn't appeared on the series for a while is going to appear in an episode - is that a spoiler? What about whether an actor is or isn't a credited cast member in a given season? Does that spoil information about whether the character is alive or not? What about the mere fact that this episode airing is the last of the season. In theory, the fact that the story will be wrapped up soon is itself a spoiler.

There can be a problem with over-spoilerizing, where you get so many stuff spoilerized that you need to read the tagged information to meaningfully participate in the thread. Which increases the likelihood that you'll also see the true everybody-knows-it's-a-spoiler spoilers that you're trying to avoid.

It would be better if spoiler tagged information was preceded by some non-spoiler description of what the information is, so that people with varying levels of spoilerphobia can better decide whether to read it or not. Something like "From the previews" or "from the official podcast" or "casting news" or "from a leaked future script."

On a technical note, the forum's mobile skin shows all spoiler tagged information right in the text without the need to highlight or click anything.

[Robin]

Originally Posted by JLucPicard

The one that always gets me is the person who complains about a spoiler that is properly tagged, but doesn't get 'hidden' in the e-mail notifications of a subscribed thread.

That's dumb.

I used to do that to myself (I don't do email subs any more, I just use the CP) and I kicked myself every time I accidentally got a spoiler in an email. But that's the key: I kicked myself because I was the one who'd signed up for the email.

[kmccbf]

Really, I don't have any strong feelings about spoilers and often seek them out. I neither like or dislike the rules. But they are there, so we should follow them. But I'm not going to complain loudly if someone doesn't follow them once in a while.

[madscientist]

Originally Posted by dswallow

But, for the most part, people try to be considerate, and when those few who aren't aware do accidentally post something, it's usually handled with grace; but there are times people, rightly or wrongly, get overly upset and start dumping on the poster(s) -- often the same people over and over again (the dumper, that is), and "spoiler Nazi" is probably as appropriate a term for them as any.

Do you really feel that's true? See, I've been reading the forums for a long time and I can't remember any particular instance where I felt someone was dumping on people or being "nazi-ish" about spoilers. Every time I've seen something about it it's been either a single comment or, maybe in a particularly egregious case, a few people post comments very quickly and smeek.

On the other hand I remember a lot of instances where people (and often it's not even the person who posted the spoiler) complained about the "spoiler nazis", then tried to justify the information as not being a spoiler, then basically said the rules are stupid and people should stop being so picky and get on with their lives and really who cares anyway? That is definitely guaranteed to get a response from anti-spoiler folks and can cause a thread to wander off into the weeds, to be sure.

So, I'm wondering if it's like politics and people notice things that reinforce their own worldview and tend to not notice things that don't.

[goblue97]

Originally Posted by stalemate

No one is asking for you not to spoil the episode that the thread is actually about. People just don't want to have future episodes spoiled in the current episode's thread. Or even episodes of unrelated shows.

And even shows that are related (if you want to call it that). I just read something in the Top Chef finale thread that spoiled the ending of another show that I watch. It's been there for over a day so I'm not even sure if it's worth the effort to point it out now.

[MickeS]

I voted!

[Adam1115]

Originally Posted by MickeS

I voted!

[MickeS]

Originally Posted by Adam1115

Well, it seemed better than "Bump".

[Cearbhaill]

Since you asked- I think that if you are so all fired concerned about reading a spoiler you should stay out of the show thread.
I don't mind following the rules - if I remember- but it is so outside the norm from other boards that I often forget.

Clearly it is a heated topic, but it's just a freaking TV show.
I wish people got this worked up over important things.

[dcheesi]

IMHO the reason for preview spoiler rule is for certain shows/networks that are particularly egregious in spoiling plot events. I watch the previews on most shows and have problem with discussing them. But occasionally there's a show where the previews step over line; they cease to be teasers and become outright spoilers.

The quintessential example (and IIRC the one that started the debate that led to the rule) was "24" --Fox had a habit of spoiling the entire next episode in the previews, up to and including major plot twists that changed the course of the entire show. Knowing what was in the preview completely ruined the suspense for the next episode, and for a show that was so entirely based on suspense, that was a really bad thing.