PLEASE READ: Posting Spoilers

[Millie]

(Give or take a few sentences, this post is identical to the one that appears in the Movie and TV forums)

The following are some forum guidelines about spoiler etiquette:

1) DO NOT post spoilers in non-spoiler threads. Period. If a thread's title contains "No Spoilers," or anything similar, do not post spoilers.

2) Do not post spoilers in threads which, by nature, are spoiler free. This includes most general discussions about movies, where the spoiler-free nature of the thread can be assumed by just about any reasonable viewer. The MI3 thread was a good example of an implicitly spoiler-free thread, whose sanctity should not have been violated.

3) It's ok to post spoilers in your own thread, provided you label your thread as such. If you're going to create a thread dedicated to spoiling a movie, you must indicate "Spoilers" or "Spoiler Thread" in your thread's title.

4) If you're unclear about the nature of a thread, and whether it's spoiler-free, then give users some warning space before your spoiler. "SPOILER WARNING..." followed by about 10-20 lines of blank space before the spoiler usually suffices, and seems to be standard across movie message boards on the Internet. You don't have to hide spoilers in this exact fashion, so long as you find a way to hide them well. Use this general rule of thumb: if a reasonable individual can't stumble across your spoiler accidentally, then it's sufficiently well hidden.

Failure to comply with these principles, and/or to use your best judgment when posting spoilers in all instances, will be penalized. Your first violation will result in removal of your post and a temporary ban -- the length of which will be determined by my assessment of how flagrant your violation was, and if I feel you should have known better. Your second violation will result in a much more severe punishment, which may include a permanent ban.

I am going to assume, from here on out, that everyone has read and understood this post. Ignorance of the law will be no excuse. If you violate the spoiler rules and claim you didn't know better, that will be your problem and not mine.