I want to note first that I removed the tangent from the other thread.
The long and short answer is that our definition of a spoiler is different than what some people think.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Spoiler Policy
Anything outside the scope of a topic is considered a spoiler. Check the thread's title and forum to determine what is allowed. For example, in an anime thread (e.g. threads in the Current Series forum), information from the manga, novels, or games would be considered a spoiler. In a thread about a specific episode of a show (in series-specific forums like the Naruto forum), information about future episodes would be considered a spoiler. In a thread about one show, information about a different show would be considered a spoiler (e.g. revealing Kanon's plot in a Clannad thread is a spoiler). So pay attention to the topic and forum. Restrict your discussion to the subject in question since anything else is a spoiler!
Exceptions:
Spoilers are permitted in limited circumstances, provided that they are posted under clearly marked spoiler tags. These exceptions include: - Posting and discussing content found on official sites or blogs.
- Answering specific questions about past or current events using knowledge of the source material, so long as these questions will not be answered by the adaptation itself in the future. (We strongly encourage posters to discuss any spoilers via PM, rather than in the work's discussion thread.)
- Comparing events in an adaptation to the way they were presented in the source material or other adaptations. (Discussions about the source material itself, or extended comparisons should be directed to the appropriate manga/novel/game thread.)
- Comparing one story to another, when such comparisons are useful or informative. (These spoiler tags must always be labeled with the name of the other work whose spoilers it contains.)
Regardless of these exceptions, any comment that discloses an event, character, plot or other information before it is revealed within the specific work being discussed is expressly forbidden whether or not it is behind spoiler tags.
|
This means, among other things, that you can only reference content found on official sites or blogs (or similar sources) behind spoiler tags. If it didn't happen in the anime, it has to be tagged. If it hasn't happened in the anime
yet, then it can't be posted at all.
The main reason for all this is that it's a simple distinction that you can apply globally without having to figure out on a case-by-case basis "Is this information the viewer is supposed to know coming into the show?" Everyone would draw a different line about how much research they think is reasonable for others to be told about, and it would be impossible for the moderators to make a decision unless they too are intimately familiar with the source material. So, instead, we made the rule as explained above, which revolves entirely around the "on-topic" principle. Anything that didn't happen in the anime is off-topic, but certain exceptions are made as long as they're tagged, which gives people the choice if they want to read the supplemental information or not.
So, although you may not think the information is a spoiler in this case, we still require that it be placed behind properly-labelled spoiler tags. The label should explain the purpose and context of the spoiler so that people can make an informed decision if they want this information or not. You could say for example:
...and then people would see that and maybe they'll think "oh, if it's found on the official site, then I want to read it".
But if you compare to a different show, like:
...someone might say "oh, I haven't watched that movie yet, so I don't want to open the tag right now".
So that's basically the principle of our tagging system. It allows people to make informed decisions about what out-of-anime information they want to read, and what they want to skip over.
(And obviously this does not trump the fact that anything that hasn't happened yet is forbidden no matter what, whether or not you use tags. This is because a) it's better-suited to the source thread (where the source is on-topic), and b) it prevents people from going on page-after-page of extended tangents about the source material in anime threads. If people want to talk about the source, they should go to the source thread.)