To Spoiler Tag or Not to Spoiler Tag?

[Droo]

FlashForward Spoiler: So Charlie from lost is the bad guy. That is a major shock.

Please use spoiler tags, this is exactly the kind of thing they're there for since here in the UK, we're only three episodes in.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Actually the forum rule is after a TV episode has aired on the east coast of the US spoiler tags are not required.

[Droo]

Is it, indeed? It's a fairly idiotic rule. By the same measure, surely films which, by and large, are released first in the US should be subjected to a similar rule yet they are not. I see no harm or difficulty in using spoiler tags. Hell, if I was discussing a film like the Blair Witch Project, for example, which is now years old I would still use spoiler tags in order to avoid spoiling someone's first viewing experience. It's just practical and polite.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I'm not saying you can't use spoiler tags for whatever you wish. Just that it isn't a rule and something a poster can be punished for (as if we'd punish someone for it).

The rule of thumb for movies is different.

The old announcement that was run twice regarding this policy (last posted for summer 2007):

As we are getting into the Summer Movie season, a repost of a previous announcement:

Spoiler tags are a great invention and they've come in useful on many occasions. However, our movie and TV show discussions are looking more and more like declassified CIA documents, and less like conversations! A clarification of the rules regarding spoiler tags was in order, and here it is:

Movies
Spoiler tags are required for the first two weeks after a movie comes out (if the release date is later in the UK, spoiler tags should be used until two weeks after the release date in the UK). After that it is fair game. Spoilers are required for any and all information regarding upcoming and unreleased movies. Speculation on sequels are not required to be tagged (unless it is not speculation and has been confirmed by at least one other source other than the poster's imagination).

TV Shows
Spoiler tags are required for information regarding upcoming seasons or episodes. Spoiler tags are not required after the show has aired, Eastern Standard Time. Poster speculations on upcoming episodes do not need to be tagged.

From now on, follow these rules and you'll be a-ok. If you tag something that doesn't need a spoiler tag, a moderator will remove the tag for you - if you want to err on the side of caution that is perfectly fine. Conversely if you accidentally forget to tag something that needs to be, we will let you know. :)

If you have any questions feel free to ask any staff member.

[Droo]

Look at that rule regarding films released at a later date in the UK. Why the exception for films? I came into this thread hoping to involve myself in a discussion with others who, like me, are interested in the show and because of the forum rules, I cannot for fear of having the story ruined for me.

One option that is available to me is to start my own thread so I can discuss TV show related topics with posters from the UK, but statistically, the online community available to me here for interaction is then reduced down to a national minority. And surely, the point isn't to segregate members of this community based on where they live in the world? I've no doubt it wasn't the intention of moderators, admins, or even posters here, but this rule is highly biased towards Americans and consequently, alienates people like me who may want to discuss a programme with others.

I understand this is now completely off-topic but I dare say it warrants its own thread. I will admit, I joined this thread ignorant of the rule in place regarding spoilers for TV shows but that doesn't mean the rule in question isn't extremely ill-conceived. Why we can't just use spoiler tags until the end of each season, then clearly mark the thread, "henceforth spoilers are no longer required", or words to that effect is beyond me. It takes next to no effort whatsoever to use spoiler tags or read what's behind them.

[Dasquian Belargic]

In the defense of non-US posters, I don't personally have time to keep track of when an episode of something has aired in the US (to determine whether or not I'm going to get potentially spoiled by a post here). Quite often, an entire season will show in the US before it begins in the UK, and that makes avoiding spoilers a little easier - but if the shows are running at the same time, it can be tricky.

For reference, FlashForward seems to have premiered on Sept 24th in the US, whilst the first episode was shown in the UK on Sept 28th. That's not a lot of delay, compared to certain series, but it's still enough that (like Droo said) some major spoiling could occur unintentionally. I pretty much avoid TV discussion threads because of this, unless I know I am watching at exactly the same time as US viewers... or coming to the show so late that all the existing episodes have already aired.

It would be nice if people would spoiler stuff, because even US viewers might not get to see an episode at its original airing time. As Droo rightly points out, it doesn't take a lot of effort to spoiler discussions or to read text that has been covered by the spoiler filter. In our spoiler-free BSG thread, this worked well by having posters identify which episodes they were talking about at the beginning of their posts. Couldn't the same be done for other TV shows?

[Miranda Tarkin]

I honestly don't see the issue in this request. We have a lot of international posters and spoiler tagging stuff until a season is over isn't too much to ask for.

[Darth Turbogeek]

I honestly don't see the issue in this request. We have a lot of international posters and spoiler tagging stuff until a season is over isn't too much to ask for.

It really isnt that big an impost and the spoilers I walked into for BSG really rankled. Some consideration for non US people would be nice - I'll read TV threads now and then to see if they are worth watching or the general reaction and I really dont think we should have to wade through spoilers to get the gist.

[Rutabaga]

In the past, I haven't spoilerized things because of the policy that's been posted here in this thread. That said, though, I agree that things SHOULD be spoilerized for the reasons that have already been stated here by others. It takes only a few extra key strokes to do it, and that's nothing worth complaining about.

When in doubt, spoilerize!

[Tear]

I agree regardless of what media format it takes or where you're from stumbling on a spoiler is a nasty treat no one wants to taste.

[Mu Satach]

I wouldn't mind the use of spoiler tags during the season and making it less US east coast centric. Times are changing. The shows I sometimes watch that are broadcast over the air I tend t watch online now, and damned if I know when they originally aired, or care to know. (Hell half the time I don't even know what network makes 'em anymore.)

For example - if I missed this weeks Castle and planed on watching it another night this week or this weekend online, would totally get bummed to stumble in a thread and read that the killer was so an so.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

But the killer was so-and-so!

If everyone wants to change the policy then I don't see why we don't. :p

[Dasquian Belargic]

Excellent. I guess I'll make an announce about this later if no one as beaten me to it by the time I get home from work!