We seem to be having a heated argument in the What(anime) are you watching thread from around here (I received a moderation report);
(WARNING: potential spoiler alert!)
http://thefanfictionforum.net/showthread.php?pid=1296531#pid1296531
The issue is about spoilers. Some members insist that spoiler tags must be used and that it's against the rules not to use them. Others say there's no such rule.
On a technical matter - we do NOT have any rules about spoiler usage. We do however, have etiquette about them.
But that's not something I want to enforce or bring into the rulebook. At the very least, it will involve defining what exactly is a spoiler - a VERY complicated topic. For example, one site/forum I hang out on defines spoilers as anything not mentioned in episode 1 of a show. If that's the case, how can we have a reasonable discussion about certain shows? For a long running series like Naruto/One Piece, it would mean that you aren't allowed to even mention notable characters who appear much later, but are vital to the show. Are we supposed to make exceptions for long running shows? What about a franchise like Batman? Which universe should we define as use-spoilers-beyond-this-point? The original episode 1 that was published years ago?
-sigh-
Sorry for the rant - it's a complicated subject. Short version, as a mod, I don't want to enforce folks to use spoilers - it's something that should be self-imposed. We can ASK others to edit their posts (or us mods can do that on a case-by-case basis), and that's about it.
My official reply on the thread is this;
http://thefanfictionforum.net/showthread.php?tid=69&pid=1296649#pid1296649
If any more spoiler discussions come up in the thread over the next few days, I'll probably jump in and edit it out as a matter of being too off-topic. On the issue of enforceability of spoilers, I'm keeping the door open to anyone interested to make a dedicated thread about it - but I'm not initiating it.
-chronodekar