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Spoiler Guidelines Thread
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Posted by: Bryanmc

Here's a thread intended to implement some requests as to how spoilers are handled. There's one thing that really bugs me and I'm sure others have some thoughts too.

If you put something in spoiler tags, PLEASE give some indication as to what you are spoiling. For example, what just burned me was a spoiler in the Smallville thread. It was in tags without any introduction about an episode later in the season.

For something like that please intro it with:

Spoiler from a future episode:

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
Then put your spoiler in.

Otherwise we've got no idea if we should look at it or not!

So, Rule 1: Please give an intro to you spoiler.

Who's got Rule 2?

Posted by: Graymalkin

Here's Rule #2:

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
Rule #1 is all you need.

Posted by: grecorj

Rule 2: If you don't want a show to be spoiled for yourself, don't read a SPOILERS! thread at all. :D

I mean, HFC! Now we have to embed spoiler tags within spoiler tags??? Where does it end?

I say, if the thread has (SPOILERS) as part of the title, that's enough.

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by grecorj
I say, if the thread has (SPOILERS) as part of the title, that's enough.

We're talking about if the thread doesn't have "spoilers" in the title.

If it's in the title then no tags are necessary anyway.

Posted by: dthmj

I don't have a rule, just a confusion...

If a show has aired, is discussing the episode a spoiler? I would think not. For example - I didn't watch Ed until today, so I just avoided that thread - (I'm not sure if it had spoilers in the title or not) - but regardless, if I haven't seen the current episode, it's my responsiblity to not spoil it for myself.

Second, many people will tag a speculation as a spoiler - spoilers should be something that is confirmed will happen, not just your opinion of what should happen, or what you think will happen.

Posted by: jradosh

quote:
Originally posted by dthmj
If a show has aired, is discussing the episode a spoiler?

In the world of TiVo, YES (unless the entire thread is marked as containing spoilers).

BTW, allow me to add Rule 3... don't put spoilers in thread subjects
J :)

Posted by: Cathy/Vik

I've never been able to figure out how to do that "spoiler white text on white background" thing.... *blush*

If I'm speculating something, in case I'm right, I always try to give a little warning that I'm about to speculate... But I don't confuse that term w/spoiler.

Posted by: loopey

Okay I have never figured out how to do spoiler tags (yes I DO have a college education). When I post (not the quick reply) I don't see the buttons or anything for creating them. Are there any, or am I just blind? Do you have to manually type them?

Posted by: Cathy/Vik

Ok, I did a "quote" thingy on Brianmc's post, and now I get it... Cool function!!!

(But you have to manually type it each time, right?)

Posted by: murgatroyd

quote:
Originally posted by dthmj
Second, many people will tag a speculation as a spoiler - spoilers should be something that is confirmed will happen, not just your opinion of what should happen, or what you think will happen.

I disagree. What if I post about something I think may happen, and it turns out I'm right? Is it that much difference from my having insider information? I've still spoiled it for everybody else.

Jan

Posted by: loopey

You didn't post it because you KNEW it was going to happen. If you posted "hey that speculation turned out to be true" that would be a spoiler. I think speculation is okay.

Posted by: Cathy/Vik

Some people hate speculation. I try to avoid it, cuz it might make me start thinking along a certain line & figure out what happens. (I try to remain spoiler-free.)

Posted by: bareyb

RULE #4. Talking about events in the show AFTER it has aired in the PACIFIC TIME ZONE is okay.

At least it is in my TiVo world. After that, whatever happened on the show is fair game. If you want to discuss the show in a thread then you best watch it first. Otherwise we would have to post spoiler tags every time we discuss ANYTHING that has happened on ANY episode.

I'm not going to do that and I think it's unreasonable to ask the entire community to do that just because you want to save a show for two weeks before you watch it. If I haven't seen the latest episode of a show I stay out of the thread. Actually I stay out of threads the entire day of it's original airing once it has aired in the East coast because people can't even remember to post spoiler tags to allow for other time zones....

Posted by: TiVaholic

Spoiler Tag Code:

This spoiler is from a.) a future episode b.) an episode that recently aired, but you feel it should be in spoilers, ect.

[ spoiler]
You put the words in here, but don't put a space up after the [ before the word spoiler.
[/Spoiler]

Continue your non-spoiling post here.

Posted by: TiVoLance

I agree with Bareyb. If I wait till the next night to talk about episodes I will most likely forget what I wanted to chat about <blush>. People who haven't watched the show for that week/night can avoid the threads until they do. That will leave the spoiler tags for real spoilers (ie episodes further in the season, scripts, cast changes, etc).

All IMHO

Posted by: Doh

I think it should be up to whoever starts the thread, because there are times when you want to discuss something generally about a show (such as whether Buffy is a good show and why) but you haven't gotten around to watching that week's episode yet (which probably doesn't happen too often with Buffy, so that may be a bad example, but you get the idea).

I think the answer is that the thread starter should just add to the thread title something like "post-airing spoilers ok" or "no spoilers" or "spoilers ok" (and I'm sure the board will get those down to initialisms in no time!).

Posted by: zaknafein

quote:
Originally posted by dthmj
I don't have a rule, just a confusion...

If a show has aired, is discussing the episode a spoiler? I would think not. For example - I didn't watch Ed until today, so I just avoided that thread - (I'm not sure if it had spoilers in the title or not) - but regardless, if I haven't seen the current episode, it's my responsiblity to not spoil it for myself.

Second, many people will tag a speculation as a spoiler - spoilers should be something that is confirmed will happen, not just your opinion of what should happen, or what you think will happen.

I agree. I like how people are labeling their threads now "Buffy 7x01" or similar. Easy, if I haven't seen that ep, I don't read, and no tedious [ spoiler][/spoiler] tags necessary.

Posted by: TheSimpsons

quote:
Originally posted by jradosh
BTW, allow me to add Rule 3... don't put spoilers in thread subjects
J :)

You don't have to tell me twice.
Holy Crap! Richard Hatch wins Survivor!
Rachel from Friends is Pregnant!
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire" gets their first millionaire!

By the way, if spoiler tags were an option to choose from in the vB Code, I would suspect more people would do it. Right now the biggest problem seems like people just don't know how to.

-The Simpsons :) :D :cool: :eek: :p

Posted by: loopey

Aha you do have to manually type them. I was annoyed that I couldn't find the vb button so I just type *spoilers* and hit enter a few times. :)

Posted by: Pan Chun

Sorry to disappoint...a modicum of actual KNOWLEDGE is involved.

Posted by: Cathy/Vik

But for people new to this board, there's no where I found to *attain* that knowledge, Pan...

loopey, what you described is what other boards seem to do a lot. WAY better tahn nothin imo! :)

Posted by: TheSimpsons

quote:
Ok, I don't have TiVo, but I LOVE TV!!

For God's sake, that's not something to be proud of! :D

-The Simpsons :) :D :cool: :eek: :p

Posted by: Cathy/Vik

Which part? Not having TiVo or loving TV? ;)

Posted by: DaveLessnau

I find a modicum of knowledge is most efficacious. But, in this case, there doesn't appear to be anyplace to gain that knowledge. As far as I can see, "spoiler" is an undocumented design feature.

Posted by: jradosh

quote:
Originally posted by DaveLessnau
I find a modicum of knowledge is most efficacious. But, in this case, there doesn't appear to be anyplace to gain that knowledge. As far as I can see, "spoiler" is an undocumented design feature.

You have to find the little "vBcode" link at the far bottom of the page on the left. That links to a page that describes all the tags available to you when you write your post.

Then find Waldo and you're done ;)

J

Posted by: loopey

Oh my gosh, I totally missed that little tiny link that says "vbcode", thanks jradosh! :D

I rarely go below "forum jump".

Posted by: DanT

When I was trying to figure out how to do spoiler tags, I just took a guess and made a test post over in the Post Testing Area and got it to work.

The other possibility is to quote someone who used a spoiler, and then look at the code there. (Which is what Tivaholic and zaknafein will have to do to this post to see how I did this next bit.)

The third way is for someone to tell you. Tivaholic did a good job, but it still required him to explain about the extra space he had to add, etc. Here's how to do it:

[spoiler]
Put your spoiler text here.
[/spoiler]

Posted by: justapixel

Those of us with Opera cannot highlight and see spoilers anyway.

To recap, these seem to be the rules you want:

1. Subject lines with the name and episode of the show may contain spoilers. Enter only after you've seen that show.

2. Subject lines with name of the show and the word "spoiler" definitely contain spoilers. Don't read until you've caught up on all the shows.

3. If you are in a thread that has a generic subject line (ie: what's your favorite show ) and the conversation changes to what happened in any one show, use spoiler tags to protect the innocent.

4. Do not give away anything in the subject line.

Seems fair to me.

Posted by: JayAndSilentBob

5. One fight at a time
6. No shirts, no shoes
7. Fights will go on as long as they have to
8. If this is your first night at Fight Club, you have to fight

:D

Posted by: TreborPugly

quote:
Originally posted by justapixel
[B]Those of us with Opera cannot highlight and see spoilers anyway.

/B]

Ann, you can hit the toggle between User mode and Author mode. This will make all text the same, so you can see spoilers. No highlighting needed!

Treb.

Posted by: cello

What about information about future episodes? I can imagine 2 kinds of spoilers for a show like Survivor: Spoilers about an episode that just aired (info about the show that you might not want to read if you haven't watched yet) and info gained from outside sources about what will happen in shows that haven't aired yet. While the first type of information can safely be typed in regular text in a "spoiler" thread, I think that the second type of spoiler should always be in a spoiler tag, and well labeled. Unless, of course, someone starts a thread called something like "I know who will win survivor, click here if you want to know too."

I guess this stuff doesn't happen often. But whenever I see a "spoiler" thread, I'm unsure of whether spoiler means info about aired episodes or info about future episodes, cast members leaving, etc. Distinguishing between those is a very nice thing.

Posted by: zaknafein

quote:
Originally posted by DanT
When I was trying to figure out how to do spoiler tags, I just took a guess and made a test post over in the Post Testing Area and got it to work.

The other possibility is to quote someone who used a spoiler, and then look at the code there. (Which is what Tivaholic and zaknafein will have to do to this post to see how I did this next bit.)

The third way is for someone to tell you. Tivaholic did a good job, but it still required him to explain about the extra space he had to add, etc. Here's how to do it:

[spoiler]
Put your spoiler text here.
[/spoiler]

You and your fancy ASCII codes. Now, the question is, did you know 091, or did you have to look it up?

Posted by: loopey

quote:
Originally posted by cello
What about information about future episodes? I can imagine 2 kinds of spoilers for a show like Survivor: Spoilers about an episode that just aired (info about the show that you might not want to read if you haven't watched yet) and info gained from outside sources about what will happen in shows that haven't aired yet. While the first type of information can safely be typed in regular text in a "spoiler" thread, I think that the second type of spoiler should always be in a spoiler tag, and well labeled. Unless, of course, someone starts a thread called something like "I know who will win survivor, click here if you want to know too."

I guess this stuff doesn't happen often. But whenever I see a "spoiler" thread, I'm unsure of whether spoiler means info about aired episodes or info about future episodes, cast members leaving, etc. Distinguishing between those is a very nice thing.

I beleive we do have two threads for survivor.

I think the future speculation should be decided by the thread originator, as I did in my Practice thread.

I always take "spoiler" to mean spoilers about the show are allowed. Speculation isn't a spoiler because who knows if it's going to happen.

Posted by: smak

A lot of these threads are going to last while during the season, so I think the best bet is to wait until you see the episode before even going into the thread.

For example, I just saw the Thursday Survivor last night. There was no point in even looking at the thread until after I watch the show.

unless you find yourself multiple episodes behind, why even bother going into the thread in the first place?

-smak-

Posted by: DanT

quote:
Originally posted by zaknafein

You and your fancy ASCII codes. Now, the question is, did you know 091, or did you have to look it up?

A couple months ago, I posted similar to you and Tivaholic, using spaces, to tell someone else how to do spoiler tags. Then someone (Clutchbrake? kazymyr? someone else?) said "or you could just do this" and when I quoted their post to ask how they did that, I noticed the code and wrote it down. :) So I essentially followed my own #2 above, but for a different goal.

Posted by: Turtleboy

Is there a certain amount of time we have to wait before we can type spoilers outside of the code?

For example, if I were to talk about Citizen Kane, do I have to put --Warning MAJOR SPOILER

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
Rosebud is the Sled!!!

in spoiler code, or can I assume that by this point everyone knows or should have reason to know?

Posted by: justapixel

quote:
Originally posted by TreborPugly

Ann, you can hit the toggle between User mode and Author mode. This will make all text the same, so you can see spoilers. No highlighting needed!

Treb.

Thank you!!! Awesome! I was using the quote button to see it, and that is annoying. This is much better, thank you.

Posted by: zaknafein

Did you forget Ann?

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-v...&threadid=66392

Posted by: Robin

What I'd like to see are spoiler tags when a show other than the one referenced in the subject is discussed.

Case in point: I'm all caught up on Buffy, but have only seen Angel through ep 2x16. I've had numerous instances of reading a buffy thread and stumbling across an Angel tidbit that I'm half a season away from. If I were reading an Angel thread it would serve me right, but it would be nice to have some warning.

I know I could just not read the Buffy threads, but there's so much to be discussed!

Posted by: Pan Chun

quote:
Originally posted by Turtleboy
Is there a certain amount of time we have to wait before we can type spoilers outside of the code?

For example, if I were to talk about Citizen Kane, do I have to put --Warning MAJOR SPOILER
Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
Rosebud is the Sled!!!
in spoiler code, or can I assume that by this point everyone knows or should have reason to know?

Heh...Comedy Central recently reran an old SNL (it MUST be old...Phil Hartman was on it playing Charlton Heston) and John Goodman was hosting. They had a segment about Soylent Green that gave away the "surprise ending" a bunch of times in it...even making jokes about sequels like "Soylent White" and "Soylent Teal" and, ultimately, "Soylent Green II"...Hartman did his Heston line (the one big important one) about a dozen times in that sketch...so I guess yeah, there IS a certain point when a spoiler like the one you cite above is no longer required to be tagged. ;) (Note, however, that I didn't reveal the Soylent Green spoiler anywhere in this post!) :)