A warning about spoilers for everyone

[AntonyF]

Just a reminder of the spoiler policies of this forum, for newbies (who may not know) and for the people who may have forgotten.

What is a spoiler?
A spoiler is anything that spoils a story of TV, a film or a book. Basically, if it's more than you'd see in a trailer or TV guide synopsis, then you need to tread carefully.

What's the time limit?
Anything from within the current TV season, and the last season, is considered a spoiler. i.e. posts about 24 seasons 3 and 2 would be need to be clearly marked as having spoilers, if applicable. Season 1 would be fair game and no spoiler warning is necessary.

However, please note. The above time limit is to give some guidance so that, for example, you don't have to tread carefully about giving Star Trek: TNG spoilers, when it's been off the air for so long. But that doesn't mean you should just disengage brain. Take 24 for example, it may still be nice to give spoilers for season one for the critical bits. It's not a rule, but please just use your best judgement and think of others.

How to mark spoilers
If your topic starts with spoilers, state so in the subject line, plus what it's for if applicable. For example:

Star Wars Episode III - SPOILERS

Or

Enterprise (SPOILERS for US episode 2/25)

Putting "tonight's episode" is no good, as tonight's episode depends what country you're in.

If you are in a non-spoiler topic, but wish to state spoilers, just make it bold and obvious within your actual post. Like:

Spoilers for tonight's episode, 2/25

Or

S
P
O
I
L
E
R

Please note that this is something we take very seriously, and if you flout these rules you will be warned, or may even have an immediate ban. Spoiling the enjoyment of others, just because you've seen the episode quicker than somebody else (or have the ability to because it was shown first in your country) is unacceptable.

Here endeth the lesson.

Thank you.

 

[PillowRock]

if it's more than you'd see in a trailer or TV guide synopsis, then you need to tread carefully.

I would go further and say that even the stuff that is in the TV guide synopsis needs to carry warnings. I don't know about the TV listings in the UK, but in the US they have an obnoxious tendancy to give away significant plot points (especially for episodes of TV series with ongoing arc aspects). There are shows for which I purposely avoid listing descriptions and "Next week on ...." teasers, because of the spoiler issues.

This became an issue a couple times on the SciFi Farscape board when people used subject lines that included significant facts gleaned from TV guide descriptions.

 

[Bab5nutz]

Others times, teasers can be quite deceptive about what the show is going to be about. I can remember once seeing a teaser for the show "Special Victims Unit". The trailer seemed to suggest that the plot was going to be about the effect video games have on adolescents. The plot actually turned out to be about kids being abused and killed in foster care.