New Spoiler Policy!

[Chris Ingersoll]

If anybody wants to put spoilers in their posts (NOT in the subject -- NEVER put spoiles in your subject!), they are welcome to do so providing they follow these two simple rules:

1) Surround the spoilers with [color=black][/color] tags. This will make the text black and cause it to be invisible on the now all-black backgrounds. Anyone who wants to read the spoiler can then highlight the text (click and drag mouse) in order to do so.

2) Indicate "Spoilers" in the subject if the spoilers will be the main topic of conversation.

This will allow spoilers to be inserted as you feel necessary without ruining the outcome of future events/releases/broadcasts/whatever. Be aware that you will be able to see the spoilers if you quote a post that contains them.

The mods and I will allow a grace period so everyone can get used to this procedure (it would be easier if I could just add "

SPOILER: Click to show

" tags, but that's not in my power). Posting "unmasked" spoilers won't be a heavy offense unless it is done repeatedly.

Thanks for your coooperation.

[swarm]

Not that this is a bad idea or anything...but the rules for a *spoiler* are very vague.

In wrestling, there is speculation all the time. Smackdown results, pay-per-view announcements or posters, and new official signings I can understand...

but are these spoilers?

Brock Lesner meets with McMahon...

Dusty Rhodes meets with McMahon and may or may not have been hired...

ECW is replacing Heat (ok, bad example...)

CM Punk signs an OVW developmental deal...

So and so will be at Wrestle-Reunion...

Tommy Z once said he tapes RAW and simply avoids the WWE section until he watches...sounds like this works for him...

Don't ya think adding *SPOILER* to the head-line would be enough?

Most other sites let the body govern itself...I just think this might cause a lot of confusion for people posting spoilers not to mention people responding to them.

Just my thoughts

swarm

[Chris Ingersoll]

Speculation is fine, but reporting results of events that aren't common knowledge --especially if those events have yet to be broadcast -- is spoiling.

Also, this applies to more than just the WWE folder: storyline results in the latest CotG releases (especially in the stretch between Galacticon and the set's general release), plot twists in new books/movies, whatever. The self-policing on your part comes in where you have to decide on your own whether or not something is recent -- or important -- enough to warrant protection.

For example: most GWF fans have Rvolution 2096. Discussion of plot points contained in that edition generally don't need to be masked. However, if the thread in question is clearly made (or sometimes even contains posts) by a new fan who is only in the first Sudden Death years, you might want to protect the results and let them decide whether or not they want to know in advance.

As a more general example, everyone and their grandmother knows that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father; while discussing that would technically be spoiling The Empire Strikes Back for the three people left on the planet (and possibly very young children) who haven't seen the film, it isn't really "classified" information any more. Ditto for the fate of Aeris in Final Fantasy 7 or the gender of Samus in the original Metroid.

Use your judgement, based on elapsed time and relative importantce of the information. It would be best to err on the side of caution, as in most things, but only privilaged information (taping results and such) is an absolute must-conceal.

[dennish]

I like the blackout codes for the Spoilers. Just seeing if these codes are correct... It works well.

[thefamoustommyz]

For me, a spoiler warning in the headline is enough.

Now, if you didn't *start* the topic, and thus can't control the subject, and feel you need to discuss spoilery material as part of the discussion, then the spoiler tags should definitely come into play.

[Minotaur]

and here I thought i would have to start putting spoiler tags on all my own cotg shows.....good thing i read all of this

[Chris Ingersoll]

mythicalmino said:

and here I thought i would have to start putting spoiler tags on all my own cotg shows.....good thing i read all of this

Heh. Yeah, when we make announcements we can either put them in all forums or just in one. Since this applied to more than just the WWE section, I sorta had to spam the entire board with it.

[Magog1]

Blah, looks like i'm not doing spiolers anymore...why couldn't it just have stayed simple?

[JED-SE]

Just a quick thought. Maybe it will work, maybe not. But why not create a spoiler post, not under WWE, but under Real world wrestling? For example:

Real World Wrestling
______"WWE"
______ "TNA"
______ "Indies"
______ "WWE Spoliers"

Just a thought... Might be less complicated.

[Chris Ingersoll]

admin said:

Also, this applies to more than just the WWE folder: storyline results in the latest CotG releases (especially in the stretch between Galacticon and the set's general release), plot twists in new books/movies, whatever.

That's why not.

[Murdok Must Die]

This is just stupid. That's all I have to say.

[traviz]

Murdok said:

This is just stupid. That's all I have to say.

I think so too, but whatever...

[swarm]

I think if we all just make sure to put spoilers in our head-lines this will phase this (I won't say stupid, because I respect and understand Chris' position of this board) not so cool new idea.

I for one will not be blacking-out any of my fed results, discussions about new sets, or responses to any blacked-out post...if someone is dumb enough to skip the original post and read my response then too bad.

No one is forcing anyone to read these threads.

[thefamoustommyz]

swarm said:

I think if we all just make sure to put spoilers in our head-lines this will phase this (I won't say stupid, because I respect and understand Chris' position of this board) not so cool new idea.

I for one will not be blacking-out any of my fed results, discussions about new sets, or responses to any blacked-out post...if someone is dumb enough to skip the original post and read my response then too bad.

No one is forcing anyone to read these threads.

I am pretty much in agreement with you...

My primary concern is spoilers in subjects...or subject lines that are misleading and lead to spoiler-ish content.

Heck, even a few lines of spoiler space and a warning at the top that you're spoiling something is fine.

I don't scroll down fast enough that I'm going to miss that and get something spoiled for me that I don't want spoiled.

Heck, when new sets come out, I tend to not come to the boards until I get the sets myself anyway, because spoilers, inadvertant or purposeful, are all over the place anyway.

[swarm]

exactly. I'm sure no one ever held a gun to your head and forced you to go to this site and read anything you didn't want too.

[Chris Ingersoll]

thefamoustommyz said:

Heck, even a few lines of spoiler space and a warning at the top that you're spoiling something is fine.

I don't scroll down fast enough that I'm going to miss that and get something spoiled for me that I don't want spoiled.

Normally, I'm a big fan of "spoiler space" as a basic courtesy, but it really only works with self-contained messages like a newsgroup. The reason it doesn't work here is because all the messages are chained together; if you're only posting a small spoiler, then that might be enough, but when you post the entire results of Tuesday's taping (like Graymar did in his post before I opted for the new policy), then there's no way to skip by it.

I have no idea why mature, rational adults are having problems with this application of basic (n)etiquette (and in some cases, common sense). You don't even need to type out the tags manually -- just highlight the text and select "black" from the pull-down menu in the "add tags" section of the reply (of course, this isn't an option if you use the quick-reply box). It's not rocket surgery -- it's two mroe mouse-cllicks than you would normally use. Oh, the horror.

[swarm]

Chris, every time someone does something, or says something you don't agree with you have got to stop refering to these people "grown" or "rational adults" or whatever who need to "be treated like children" etc...

Some people think this is stupid. You don't. That is not thier problem. It's yours This site is full of "personalities"...mine isn't based on my birthdays...I guess when I'm 50 I should start wearing my pants up to my tits and move to Florida too?

C'mon...give people a break. This is life. People complain. People fight. It happens. And age has NOTHING to do with it.

[Chris Ingersoll]

Some people think this is stupid. You don't. That is not thier problem. It's yours.

C'mon...give people a break. This is life. People complain. People fight. It happens. And age has NOTHING to do with it.

I never meant anything about age (in retrospect, "adults" should have been "people"; my bad on that). What I commented on was maturity. While the word does have age-related connotations, I was using it in the "able to work things out in the mind" sense (hence the word "rational" following it), as in "capable of a mature discussion". There are some very phyiscally immature people who are capable of carrying out intellectually mature conversations.

Instead, what I've received is "this is stupid" (with no explanation or back-up argument) and one person complaining about "why couldn't this have stayed simple" when all I'm asking is for two extra mouse clicks for the consideration of others in the community. It's the people who apparently don't care whether or not they spoil someone else's enjoyment that I consider "immature".

I understand your "nobody's forcing them to read these threads" argument, as well as Tommy being fine with just proper warning in the subject (which, I'll remind you, was the other rule I officially put forth). In fact, he bascially sums up my specific, personal opinion on the matter in this post:

thefamoustommyz said:

For me, a spoiler warning in the headline is enough.

Now, if you didn't *start* the topic, and thus can't control the subject, and feel you need to discuss spoilery material as part of the discussion, then the spoiler tags should definitely come into play.

However, the reason I'd prefer that you black out spoilers even if you flagged the subject is because 1) I'd like people to get in the habit for when they feel the need to add spoilers to an ongoing thread, and 2) we've asked for the subject-labels before and people still forget/neglect to add them.

Am I gonna bust your butt about it if you flagged the subject? No; I might edit the post "just to be safe", but that'd be it.

I'm not trying to enforce iron-fisted draconian martial law here. I'm just trying to find a balance between making the community respectful of others while not diminishing your ability to post what you want (more or less).

[swarm]

Ok. That it explains it. I have to agree. PEOPLE: If you don't like something, please explain why. Chris makes a good point.

Like my SMACKDOWN SUCKS thread...it didn't just say SMACKDOWN SUCKS.

swarm

[Chris Ingersoll]

swarm said:

Ok. That it explains it. I have to agree. PEOPLE: If you don't like something, please explain why. Chris makes a good point.

Like my SMACKDOWN SUCKS thread...it didn't just say SMACKDOWN SUCKS.

swarm

Ironically, that's the thread that inspired the new policy, too, as Graymar posted the entire SD taping spoiler. He had adequate "warning" space, but continued his discussion after the spoilers, making the space irrelevant and the thread difficult to follow. I saw how the spoilers were germain to the subject (you had referred to them in your post but didn't go into details) and decided it was time we had a coherent policy regarding spoilers, making that post the first "demonstration". (I've already told Graymar that he did nothing wrong, but wanted to mention it in public since I'm using the example.)