RE: Spoiler Space, PLEASE!

["Rosie" <rosie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

[Hi, everyone. This message required my editing in some Spoiler Space, and while I was doing it, I thought I'd reply to Rosie's points. My thoughts are the ones in brackets, like these. Also, I've signed them, like so ?Dan]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: danspector@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:danspector@xxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Monday, November 04, 2002 1:03 AM
> To: buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: ::BuffyWantsWillow:: Spoiler Space, PLEASE!
>
>
> >Dan, I hope you don't mind someone else pleading for this.
>
> Well, it does take away some of my "lone voice howling against the wind
> and teetering precariously on the edge of sanity" cache, but I guess
> I'll manage <g>
>
> Seriously, I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem, but at
> least now I know my crusading isn't against a merely theoretical
> difficulty. So let me close with some nagging. (I know we all enjoy
> this, right? **sigh**)
>
> Everybody, please use the Spoiler Space. Spoiler warnings in the
> subject line are a good thing, but are not enough by themselves. And
> fill those preview panes, too, please.

The thing is what constitutes a spoiler some things I don't happen to
consider "Spoilers" are things you're going to find out from reading the TV
guild or watching a TV channel like E! 

[Ahh, but plenty of people don't read TV Guide, and some even make a point not to read it because they don't want to be spoiled. Just because something is available to be seen, we can't treat it like "oh, everybody knows it". Heck, **all** spoilers are already "out there", somewhere or other?Dan]

Stuff like oh here comes one 

[Spoiler

Space

edited in here

since 

the whole point

of using the 

Spoiler Space is so people

don't have to stop short when they

read something like "oh here comes one"

which, since people's eyes have a 

natural tendency to scan the page

is 

almost

impossible

to

do

?Dan]



The
character of Faith is going to be back this season for several episodes of
Buffy and Eliza is going to play her. Now If posted a wild feed transcript
that's a spoiler that's an actual plotline if it's not the actual just that
someone will or not be in a show isn't a spoiler as such at least in my
opinion. 

[No. Casting information IS a spoiler. Contract status IS a spoiler. Anything to do with anything that hasn't been aired yet is a spoiler. These aren't just my rules, or this list's rules?they're in general play at boards and lists everywhere.

"Next week on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' promos are not Spoilers (since they've been on the air), but some people want to avoid them, so generally give a little heads up if you can ?Dan]

If you're totally paranoid about getting no spoilers what so ever.
I [say] don't even be on mailing lists at all 

[I'm sure some people avoid mailing lists for just this reason. We don't want them to avoid ours, that's why we have a strict spoiler policy. Between making people type Spoiler Space and losing the spoiler-free members of our readership, I'll take making people type the Spoiler Space, thank you. And, if forced to, I'd take the "banning all Spoiler posts" option rather than making people leave because of rampant Spoilers.

[If you want to discuss spoilers without using spacing, there are plenty of lists and boards where you can do just that. Hopefully, members can get their spoiler ya-yas out elsewhere and still remember to guard against spoiling the unspoiled while having discussions here ?Dan]

people not can but will and do talk
things that someone might consider a spoiler 

[But there's no reason they can't obey the rules while doing so ?Dan]

like the aforementioned return
of Faith I'm using that as example I know it's going to but I have no idea
at all what's going to happen and want to see those episodes very badly...

[Me too, but we can't just assume that everyone has our particular preference (wanting to know that Faith's back, but not wanting to know what happens) on this issue. Some might want to know everything, some might not want to know anything. The safest policy is to require the spacing so that the spoiler-free can stay that way, and ask for non-spoilery labelling so that those who want to dip their toes into the spoiler waters can do so without getting too much information.

[For example, news that Faith is coming back should be labelled "SPOILERS?Casting information" or similar. News about any episode she might be in?let's hypothetically say she was in "Selfless", just so I don't give the ep number of which eps she actually is in?that should be listed as "SPOILERS for ep 7.05" or similarly.

[Thanks for raising these points and I hope I've answered your questions ?Dan]