# Sticky  Rules for Posting to the TV Talk Area



## justapixel

Because this section of the forum is dedicated to TV watchers who own TiVo DVR, we must have certain rules about how to post and discuss our favorite television programs. TiVo owners do not watch television the way people in the past have done, and specific rules must be established so their television viewing experience is not spoiled.

Rules:

* Official Episode Threads:*
When starting a discussion about a specific show episode, please put the air date and name of the program (and title if you know it) in the subject line. (ie: _ Lost, "Man of Science, Man of Faith," 11/16._)

This will be the "official" thread for that week, and anything within that thread may contain spoilers for that show. It is also okay to mention a plot point from any previous episode. If you are not caught up on this show, and do not wish to read spoilers, do not open this thread.

*Previews of Next Week and other spoilers:* 
Anything shown on the "previews of next week" is considered a spoiler on this forum, and must be tagged as such, using spoiler tags. (See below for instructions.) Any spoiler information from other sources, such as articles, websites, webisodes, personal friendships with producers, etc., must also be tagged. Spoilers from other shows are to also be tagged.

_Tip:_ It is very helpful to label why you are spoiling something. For example, many people on this forum will watch and read spoilers of "previews of next week" since they are aired. But, they do not want to know anything from spoiler sites or people "in the know." So that these users can make the best choice, please be clear on why something is a spoiler.

Example:

On a spoiler site, I saw:


Spoiler



nothing happened



* Timing of official threads: *
Do not start the official show thread more than one hour before the Eastern time zone airing. _The new thread should be about the new show. _Discussion of shows that have aired in the UK but not in the US are to be discussed in the UK Chit Chat area.

There is no prize in being the first to start the thread, and beginning it too early leads to pages of guesses about what might happen and discussions of what happened last week - all of which should should be contained in last week's official thread. The official thread should be about the entire show and/or specific plot points that everyone can understand when they enter the thread. Posts such as "here we go" and "that outfit is odd" or "why is that gray?" are meaningless for those who timeshift, and will result in deletion and a possible rule change. It's best not to post until you've seen the show.

Please note: For those who like to watch shows Live and who like to chat during a show - we have a live chat function on this forum. Feel free to start a thread inviting people to watch the show and chat about it, using that function.

*Posting other content/discussions:*
If you are posting a published article or just a general discussion about a show/actor/director, and it contains spoilers for anything that has happened in the current season, please put the word "spoilers" in the subject line.

Example: If you post a discussion or article entitled "ER has really gone downhill "and it refers to current helicopter crashes or new romances, please put "spoilers" in the title. eg: _ER has really gone downhill - Spoilers_

If you post an article or discussion about an actor/director/show that does not give away any plot points, then you do not need to post the word "spoiler."

Example: Let's say you start a thread entitled,_ "Josh Holloway is hot."_ All members who contribute to that thread must not give away anything that happens on the show he is in. You may discuss the show in generalities. "We need more Josh in Hawaii with his shirt off!" Anything specific about the current season must be posted elsewhere.

*Subject Lines:*
Be careful when using subject lines. Titles such as _"The Steelers Won the SuperBowl!"_ have caused many problems. A better title would be _"Superbowl XXX - spoilers"_

*When in doubt, use spoiler tags.*

*Don't "thread crap." * 
Thread crapping means posting negative comments in threads created by fans of a show, simply to anger them. This does not mean you cannot be critical of a show, but it must be constructive criticism.

Examples: Posting, "Lost sucks, and anybody who watches it has lost their mind" is considered thread-crapping. Posting, "I am finding Lost frustrating because they are stretching out the story line, and I don't enjoy the backstories" is legitimate.

*All rules and guidelines of the entire forum apply here.* If you have not read the forum rules, please read them here.

*How to post in spoiler tags. *
Any text you wish to spoilerize must be laid out like this: (spoiler)spoiler tag example(/spoiler)except you will replace the parenthesis with brackets. [] To read spoilerized text, just highlight it.

*Requests to Moderators*

Believe it or not, we moderators watch TV too. We don't like spoilers either!

Please don't send a request to a moderator via PM with spoilers in it. As an example, somebody asked me to add a poll to a thread. The poll choices this user wanted gave away the ending to a show - before it aired in my market. When I read the PM, with an innocuous subject line, "can you add a poll to my thread" and then honored the request, it spoiled the show.

Please use the "report to moderator button" instead of PM'ing us in the TV TALK section. That way, all of the mods can see it and the one who has seen the show or doesn't care can respond.

Thank you for your cooperation, and for making this section of the forum entertaining and enjoyable for all.


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