New Spoiler Policy

Top

twitter thread suggester
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Messages
10,792
Location
Denmark
As not everyone notices new announcements...

We've got a new spoiler policy:

RedCafe.net - Announcements in Forum : Entertainment Forum

Wibble said:
This is the spoiler policy which will be vigorously policed. If you are unsure or think the rules need modifying contact us before you post to avoid unhappiness when we infract you.

TV threads
- spoiler tags do not need to be used if the episode has been shows on television anywhere in the world. If you haven't watched the latest episode keep out of the thread. There are lots of places to check the broadcast dates of programs are e.g. TV.com and Wikipedia.
- any and all comment related to future developments must be placed in spoiler tags even if the information comes from an official interview or a "next week on ..." clip at the end of an episode.
- ALL spoilers must have a brief explanation of their source and content in bold. No exceptions.
- any and all information from the original source material e.g. book or graphic novel must be in a separate thread. This sort of material must never be posted in a thread about the TV version, even if spoilered, and failure to comply will result in an infraction.
- future developments are defined as anything that hasn't been shown in an episode on TV somewhere in the world.
- "Next week on ..." clips aren't considered to be part of an episode.


Books and films
- spoiler tags are not required if the thread is about a specific book or film. If you haven't watched or read the item in question don't go into the thread.
- spoiler tags must be used if any discussion of possible future plot occurs e.g. possible developments in sequels.
- spoiler tags must be used to even mention aspects of plot in all other threads e.g. movie review and book thread. Even long reviews can give away too much information so be courteous and use spoiler tags if in doubt.
- ALL spoilers must have a brief explanation of their source and content in bold. No exceptions.
- when a film or book being discussed has not been released yet it will inevitably contain speculation and discussion about future plot developments.
- pre-release threads should therefore be labeled as such e.g. PRE-RELEASE THREAD CONTAINING SPOILERS. When the film is released a new thread must be started and normal rules apply.
Click to expand...
 
Common sense prevails.

3gcgy.jpg
 
spoiler tags are not required if the thread is about a specific book or film. If you haven't watched or read the item in question don't go into the thread.

This was the only thing that I wasn't sure about. What if you just want to ask if the film is worth seeing?
 
All should stay out of the Movies I want to see thread as that is pure spoiler and speculation for all films.
 
Solius said:
spoiler tags are not required if the thread is about a specific book or film. If you haven't watched or read the item in question don't go into the thread.

This was the only thing that I wasn't sure about. What if you just want to ask if the film is worth seeing?
Click to expand...

Movie review thread?
 
Let me get this straight, say a TV series in shown in America before the UK, as soon as an episode has been shown over there, I can go in to the thread for the show and talk about what happened, without spoiler-ing? Even if people are waiting for the UK showing?
 
Sw33t said:
Let me get this straight, say a TV series in shown in America before the UK, as soon as an episode has been shown over there, I can go in to the thread for the show and talk about what happened, without spoiler-ing? Even if people are waiting for the UK showing?
Click to expand...

Yes
 
a_devil_inside said:
what does it mean by the brief explanation of it's source in bold? And before the spoiler tags or in the spoiler?
Click to expand...

"Next Week on The Walkng Dead" ep 43
Blah blah blah

Something like that. Or

Director interviewed at Cannes
Blah blah blah
 
Solius said:
spoiler tags are not required if the thread is about a specific book or film. If you haven't watched or read the item in question don't go into the thread.

This was the only thing that I wasn't sure about. What if you just want to ask if the film is worth seeing?
Click to expand...

Movie review thread probably. Or perhaps a new thread for this very purpose.
 
Hi guys, I don't know how to say this without seeming like a bit of a prat (maybe even a lot of a prat) but I don't really like these guidelines. Are these open for debate at all?

Just to prove I'm not throwing a spanner in the works for the sake of it, here are my two issues:

- As someone else noted, most TV shows are released in the US before the UK. I know that most of us, myself included, watch them the next day but this is a UK forum about football -- it's not US-based (and therefore counting on local release dates/times) nor tech-based (and therefore most users can't be expected to download tv shows upon availability online). Seems kinda harsh that someone can read actual plot spoilers without warning simply because they didn't see it as soon as is possible, no? I mean, it's not like being kids at school, where you miss something in the evening and you're going to have it ruined the next day; US TV actually gets released while most of us sleep!

- I think you're straying from the actual definition of "spoiler". What you want tagged are, in my eyes, either rumours/predictions or future plot spoilers. To me, a "spoiler" is something that can ruin the plot for someone. I know this is very difficult for you all to define, particularly in terms of how long something is considered a spoiler before becoming common knowledge, and I respect that but I don't think leaving everything else that's not future-based unspoiled is the way to go about it. If I discuss a story arc that's yet to be completed I'm in a grey area. To clarify this, I don't think I need a source to be spoiling a plot for someone else.

I'm not one to kick up a fuss without at least proposing some sort of situation so I think I have some fair suggestions, if they're not welcome then I appreciate that.

- I think there should be a period of grace in regards to spoilers. I don't think release should immediately mean it's fair game -- at the very least I think people deserve a chance to watch the episode. Personally I'd suggest that means end of the week for anything released from Sunday to Wednesday, end of the weekend for Thursday to Saturday and possibly midweek for Sunday? We're unlucky in that some of us will lap TV up as soon as it's released online whereas others will be waiting for a UK air date. I don't envy having to make that decision!

- Anything that reveals a plotline should be regarded as a spoiler, past, present or future.

- (This one might just make it simpler) Two threads should be made. One where you can discuss the plot, share spoilers and thoughts, etc. The other can be used to recommend something, talk about how much you enjoyed the latest episode, etc. I can see how the latter might be a fairly empty thread but at least it gives the people a chance to talk about the show without seeing loads of spoilers. For example, if I come back from holiday and I want to know if I missed two good episodes I just ask in the thread. If they're good, I'll watch them. If not, I'll just catch up via spoilers.

I imagine this post is very long and even more tedious. Apologies.
 
AVARiCE said:
Hi guys, I don't know how to say this without seeming like a bit of a prat (maybe even a lot of a prat) but I don't really like these guidelines. Are these open for debate at all?

Just to prove I'm not throwing a spanner in the works for the sake of it, here are my two issues:

- As someone else noted, most TV shows are released in the US before the UK. I know that most of us, myself included, watch them the next day but this is a UK forum about football -- it's not US-based (and therefore counting on local release dates/times) nor tech-based (and therefore most users can't be expected to download tv shows upon availability online). Seems kinda harsh that someone can read actual plot spoilers without warning simply because they didn't see it as soon as is possible, no? I mean, it's not like being kids at school, where you miss something in the evening and you're going to have it ruined the next day; US TV actually gets released while most of us sleep!
Click to expand...

Considering how this is a predominantly UK site with only a handful of Americans it would make sense to leave things in spoilers until UK release - we have in the last few years arrived at the point where many television programmes air the same week in the UK as the US but many still remain upto a year behind and the same applies with film.
 
Team Brian GB said:
Considering how this is a predominantly UK site with only a handful of Americans it would make sense to leave things in spoilers until UK release - we have in the last few years arrived at the point where many television programmes air the same week in the UK as the US but many still remain upto a year behind and the same applies with film.
Click to expand...

For those where there is a large gap between the US and UK release, can't there be two separate threads for episode discussion? One for US pace and one for UK pace or would that be too much? I've seen forums where they do that and it works pretty well, but those websites have forums specifically for different types of television programmes whereas on here books, television, games and music among other things are grouped in the one forum so more threads on the one programme may make it more difficult to find threads on other subjects but as there are quite a few shows with not much of a gap between US and UK air date I don't think having two separate threads for those with a large gap will be much of a problem.
 
I did find it amusing in a thread about the Sopranos someone was very annoyed because the ending wasn't put in spoilers a good couple of years after it aired.
 
Team Brian GB said:
I did find it amusing in a thread about the Sopranos someone was very annoyed because the ending wasn't put in spoilers a good couple of years after it aired.
Click to expand...

:lol: I've found it: https://www.redcafe.net/f27/sopranos-173105/index3.html#post8089330

Brilliant. If you're in the process of watching a particular programme months/years after it has happened/ended then common sense should tell you to not go into any thread which mentions that programme/series as something will be posted there that you won't yet know about.
 
R.Nilsson7 said:
Did someone spoiler something big recently?
Click to expand...

Shock horror, Damien had to live with the pain of finding out who shot Phil Mitchell.

To think that a Liverpool vs. Barcelona match was actually delayed so Eastenders could air that plotline, I wonder what RAWK would think now?
 
R.Nilsson7 said:
Did someone spoiler something big recently?
Click to expand...

From what I gather this has happened because in The Walking Dead thread there was a bit of discussion about the comic books when a lot in there won't have read them which spoils things for those who haven't read the comic books but want to as well as potentially revealing things that could happen in future Walking Dead episodes. There's probably more that has happened but I don't think it's any coincidence the timing of the release of the new spoiler policy has come just a few days after the latest argument in that thread.

Team Brian GB said:
Shock horror, Damien had to live with the pain of finding out who shot Phil Mitchell.
Click to expand...

:lol:
 
AVARiCE said:
Hi guys, I don't know how to say this without seeming like a bit of a prat (maybe even a lot of a prat) but I don't really like these guidelines. Are these open for debate at all?

Just to prove I'm not throwing a spanner in the works for the sake of it, here are my two issues:

- As someone else noted, most TV shows are released in the US before the UK. I know that most of us, myself included, watch them the next day but this is a UK forum about football -- it's not US-based (and therefore counting on local release dates/times) nor tech-based (and therefore most users can't be expected to download tv shows upon availability online). Seems kinda harsh that someone can read actual plot spoilers without warning simply because they didn't see it as soon as is possible, no? I mean, it's not like being kids at school, where you miss something in the evening and you're going to have it ruined the next day; US TV actually gets released while most of us sleep!
Click to expand...

I suspect that a significant proportion of people download episodes and watch them. However, the main issue is that we didn't want to specify a particular country because it would be very difficult to manage the policy if we did this.

I think you're straying from the actual definition of "spoiler". What you want tagged are, in my eyes, either rumours/predictions or future plot spoilers. To me, a "spoiler" is something that can ruin the plot for someone. I know this is very difficult for you all to define, particularly in terms of how long something is considered a spoiler before becoming common knowledge, and I respect that but I don't think leaving everything else that's not future-based unspoiled is the way to go about it. If I discuss a story arc that's yet to be completed I'm in a grey area. To clarify this, I don't think I need a source to be spoiling a plot for someone else.
Click to expand...

The rule is that anything future related must be in spoiler tags and labelled as to content. If the content is your own speculation based on nothing but your opinion then this must be the label, "Personal speculation" or something like that. As we have seen even simple wording about anything other than what has been seen can give people more information than they want. Actual spoilers are of course statements that give the plot that has already happened away to those who haven't seen the show. This type of spoiler still exists and is prohibited in all threads other than the specific show threads e.g. Movie review thread.

I'm not one to kick up a fuss without at least proposing some sort of situation so I think I have some fair suggestions, if they're not welcome then I appreciate that.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with suggestions especially when people normally don't provide suggestions when they don't like something, which is annoying.

- I think there should be a period of grace in regards to spoilers. I don't think release should immediately mean it's fair game -- at the very least I think people deserve a chance to watch the episode. Personally I'd suggest that means end of the week for anything released from Sunday to Wednesday, end of the weekend for Thursday to Saturday and possibly midweek for Sunday? We're unlucky in that some of us will lap TV up as soon as it's released online whereas others will be waiting for a UK air date. I don't envy having to make that decision!
Click to expand...

I think that would be too hard to police TBH but lets see what people thing and/or suggest.

- Anything that reveals a plotline should be regarded as a spoiler, past, present or future.
Click to expand...

This would be my preference but it has become apparent that few others feel the same and, even more importantly, it isn't a manageable policy.

- (This one might just make it simpler) Two threads should be made. One where you can discuss the plot, share spoilers and thoughts, etc. The other can be used to recommend something, talk about how much you enjoyed the latest episode, etc. I can see how the latter might be a fairly empty thread but at least it gives the people a chance to talk about the show without seeing loads of spoilers. For example, if I come back from holiday and I want to know if I missed two good episodes I just ask in the thread. If they're good, I'll watch them. If not, I'll just catch up via spoilers.
Click to expand...

I think we tried something like this before but it fragments discussion and one thread always dies and one survives with the usual issues.

I imagine this post is very long and even more tedious. Apologies.
Click to expand...

Not debate exactly but we are of course open to modifying the rules so suggestions are more than welcome. I wrote most of this policy with input from the modmins and it doesn't represent my personal views but rather my best guess as to how to make the issue manageable in a way that keeps the majority happy. So modification after debate is quite possible subject to modmins discussion.
 
Well I have been oblivious to any kind of problems on the current policy and I frequent a few threads that may have been affected. Were people taking issue? The new rules just seem a bit complicated for no good reason, but perhaps that is because the issue has flown over my head..
 
Just use common sense and spoiler things that people may not want to see if they haven't seen it yet. Shouldn't mean they aren't allowed to talk about the program/film at all.
 
Damien1990 said:
From what I gather this has happened because in The Walking Dead thread there was a bit of discussion about the comic books when a lot in there won't have read them which spoils things for those who haven't read the comic books but want to as well as potentially revealing things that could happen in future Walking Dead episodes. There's probably more that has happened but I don't think it's any coincidence the timing of the release of the new spoiler policy has come just a few days after the latest argument in that thread.



:lol:
Click to expand...

We have been working on the policy for a while and the issue of spoilers has been a bone of contention for years but it was the silliness in the Walking Dead that gave the matter some urgency.
 
Vidic_In_Moscow said:
Well I have been oblivious to any kind of problems on the current policy and I frequent a few threads that may have been affected. Were people taking issue? The new rules just seem a bit complicated for no good reason, but perhaps that is because the issue has flown over my head..
Click to expand...

The rules are really very simple when you get used to them. I hope.

It comes down to spoilering all future debate, not going into threads about films or books that you haven't read or about tv programs that you haven't watched yet. And discussing source material for tv shows and the like in separate threads.
 
VeevaVee said:
Just use common sense and spoiler things that people may not want to see if they haven't seen it yet. Shouldn't mean they aren't allowed to talk about the program/film at all.
Click to expand...

The problem is that people don't want to spoiler everything plot related in threads that were there to discuss the past plot of things they have seen or read. It is also hard to discuss something without giving the plot away. So we needed clear and easy to follow rules.
 
I think this policy is fine.
UK thing won't work because different shows air after a different number of days in UK. At times it could even be 2-4 weeks.

My suggestion would be to put the latest episode number in the title.. so that people know the new discussion will be about that. For example let's say episode 3.2 of TWD airs in US. A mod next day could but that in its title.
 
What about them?

I'd never read a thread about a game so I'm in the dark a bit. What are the issues?
 
If anything this new policy is actually far less complicated than the previous where people had no idea what to spoiler and what not to spoiler or when they should spoiler stuff.

And yes, this is a UK site. But I follow pretty much every show there is and their thread on the Caf and it is my clear understanding tat the majority of people who participate in the TV Show Threads download the shows the day after they have aired in the US, making this policy cater to the majority.

The spoiler debate has been ongoing in several threads for years, and this has seemed like the solution most of those participating in the debate wanted.
 
Wibble said:
What about them?

I'd never read a thread about a game so I'm in the dark a bit. What are the issues?
Click to expand...

People progress through games at different rates, so unlike a TV show that is an hour long and can be watched relatively soon discussion of a game can contain spoilers for a long time.
 
Big-Red said:
People progress through games at different rates, so unlike a TV show that is an hour long and can be watched relatively soon discussion of a game can contain spoilers for a long time.
Click to expand...

And while people can avoid TV discussion threads, some people go into game threads to ask questions about what the game is like before playing it, and any game help while playing it. Some games don't have a specific plot so there isn't much to be spoiled, but quite a few do as well.
 
I don't like these changes as on occassion I would read a thread to determine whether I'd be interested in watching that series and this could be done without anybody spoiling the story for me:

For example, the Dexter thread has a few people who've yet to watch the latest season but post their thoughts on how good season 4 is or merely ask whether they should watch a specific season. Under the new rules, the poster could read a major spoiler by accident when all they intended to do was post on the season they had seen or ask a simple question. Imo, this is more troublesome than the previous policy, which, as I understood it to be, was that if it sounds like a spoiler - put it in spoilers!

This new policy is unlikely to cause issue with shows like Game of Thrones, where the UK airdate is 1 day later but where there is a 2-3 week delay between the US date & UK date (like Boardwalk Empire) then it is harder to moderate and prevent people reading the spoilers they did not want to read. As a UK viewer I would go into the thread and post about the latest episode I just watched, but, under the new policy, the thread discussion/spoilers could be about the US episodes which have yet to air in the UK and I could read a major spoiler by accident.

To prevent the above situation, could it be possible to add to the rules that people must put in bold the episode they are referring to before posting their thoughts and/or 'spoilers'? E.g: 'Boardwalk episode 2'. This way I know whether the post is 'safe' for me to read.
 
I don't think there needs to be a UK/US split threads....simply put don't go into those threads if you've just started the series or something. Like I'll most certainly be watching Mad Men and Game of Thrones on Sky Atlantic rather than Downloading due to the better quality, so won't be touching those threads until I've seen them.

You can also get through a thread easily without actually taking in the posts to ask a question and probably the next post being your answer, I've done it numerous times without seeing spoilers.....unless they are bolded and made bigger by trolls -_-
 
ha_rooney said:
I don't like these changes as on occassion I would read a thread to determine whether I'd be interested in watching that series and this could be done without anybody spoiling the story for me:

For example, the Dexter thread has a few people who've yet to watch the latest season but post their thoughts on how good season 4 is or merely ask whether they should watch a specific season. Under the new rules, the poster could read a major spoiler by accident when all they intended to do was post on the season they had seen or ask a simple question. Imo, this is more troublesome than the previous policy, which, as I understood it to be, was that if it sounds like a spoiler - put it in spoilers!

This new policy is unlikely to cause issue with shows like Game of Thrones, where the UK airdate is 1 day later but where there is a 2-3 week delay between the US date & UK date (like Boardwalk Empire) then it is harder to moderate and prevent people reading the spoilers they did not want to read. As a UK viewer I would go into the thread and post about the latest episode I just watched, but, under the new policy, the thread discussion/spoilers could be about the US episodes which have yet to air in the UK and I could read a major spoiler by accident.

To prevent the above situation, could it be possible to add to the rules that people must put in bold the episode they are referring to before posting their thoughts and/or 'spoilers'? E.g: 'Boardwalk episode 2'. This way I know whether the post is 'safe' for me to read.
Click to expand...

We have posters all over the world with broadcast delays of hours, days, weeks or months and the rules don't just apply to UK based posters watching US series.

Your suggestion amounts to spoilering everything always and labeling every spoiler. It is unmanageable and isn't going to happen I'm afraid. If you want to know if something is worth watching you can always start a thread asking for opinions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.