facebook kerfluffles

[TinyVulgarUnicorn]

You post spoilers, you get blocked/unfriended. Does that mean I don’t want to be your friend in real life? No. Am I going to throw a tantrum? No. But I don’t want to read what you’re posting. In the age of Netflix and OnDemand, not to mention VCR’s, etc. probably more people watch things after they’ve aired than when they’re actually on. It’s not that hard to post “Walking Dead” and then put the spoiler in comments. Of course, that’s on my own stuff. What goes on on Gish’s FB/social media is really not anything I concern myself with.

I have a friend from the UK who was posting Downton Abbey season 4 spoilers on her Facebook page when she knows that it hasn't even aired in America.  Even after we asked her to put 'Spoiler' or something to let us know that she was going to reveal something she still left no spoiler notes or anything.  Am I going to stop using Facebook because she can't control herself?  No, I just blocked her posts, but it would have been nice if she had put a 'Spoiler' or something along those lines so that I didn't have to block her posts.

I don't think it's on "everyone to solve my problems" nor am I going to throw a temper tantrum, but a little common courtesy goes a long way. 

[perpetua]

You post spoilers, you get blocked/unfriended. Does that mean I don’t want to be your friend in real life? No. Am I going to throw a tantrum? No. But I don’t want to read what you’re posting. In the age of Netflix and OnDemand, not to mention VCR’s, etc. probably more people watch things after they’ve aired than when they’re actually on. It’s not that hard to post “Walking Dead” and then put the spoiler in comments. Of course, that’s on my own stuff. What goes on on Gish’s FB/social media is really not anything I concern myself with.

I have a friend from the UK who was posting Downton Abbey season 4 spoilers on her Facebook page when she knows that it hasn't even aired in America.  Even after we asked her to put 'Spoiler' or something to let us know that she was going to reveal something she still left no spoiler notes or anything.  Am I going to stop using Facebook because she can't control herself?  No, I just blocked her posts, but it would have been nice if she had put a 'Spoiler' or something along those lines so that I didn't have to block her posts.

I don't think it's on "everyone to solve my problems" nor am I going to throw a temper tantrum, but a little common courtesy goes a long way.

I think you did the right thing in blocking her posts, ie, taking your own responsibility for what you do and don't want to see, but I really think that expecting someone to moderate what they say and implying she 'can't control herself' because something hasn't been shown in a different *country* yet is bordering on snowflakey.

[hobish]

You post spoilers, you get blocked/unfriended. Does that mean I don’t want to be your friend in real life? No. Am I going to throw a tantrum? No. But I don’t want to read what you’re posting. In the age of Netflix and OnDemand, not to mention VCR’s, etc. probably more people watch things after they’ve aired than when they’re actually on. It’s not that hard to post “Walking Dead” and then put the spoiler in comments. Of course, that’s on my own stuff. What goes on on Gish’s FB/social media is really not anything I concern myself with.

I have a friend from the UK who was posting Downton Abbey season 4 spoilers on her Facebook page when she knows that it hasn't even aired in America.  Even after we asked her to put 'Spoiler' or something to let us know that she was going to reveal something she still left no spoiler notes or anything.  Am I going to stop using Facebook because she can't control herself?  No, I just blocked her posts, but it would have been nice if she had put a 'Spoiler' or something along those lines so that I didn't have to block her posts.

I don't think it's on "everyone to solve my problems" nor am I going to throw a temper tantrum, but a little common courtesy goes a long way.

I think you did the right thing in blocking her posts, ie, taking your own responsibility for what you do and don't want to see, but I really think that expecting someone to moderate what they say and implying she 'can't control herself' because something hasn't been shown in a different *country* yet is bordering on snowflakey.

You can think that all you like. I think putting the world on blast because you just have to talk about some TV show is snowflakey. To each their own.

[bansidhe]

This is sort of an aside, but related: I read this thread out of curiosity the other day, all the while thinking that I never have and probably never will run into this sort of situation, as I don't watch TV and very, very rarely watch movies.

Then I went home and while perusing Facebook, saw that the fellow who runs one of the Lovecraft pages I follow posted a quote from the end of Lovecraft's Shadow Over Innsmouth. And then...some guy complained about him posting a spoiler. I laughed and laughed. Apparently waiting 80 years after the thing was published wasn't long enough for him.

[RingTailedLemur]

I once inadvertently told someone a spoiler, and I felt awful about it.

In my defence, the episode had aired 28 years before... but I did feel horrible 

[Peppergirl]

There was an episode of Mad Men (set in the early-mid 1960's) where the lead character takes his son to see 'Planet of the Apes'.  In the scene, we (the audience) get to see the ending of the movie, and then the main character of Mad Men has a brief discussion with his son about the ending (of POTA).

There were a couple of blogs that were griping about 'spoiling' the movie. From 50 years ago. 

[perpetua]

You post spoilers, you get blocked/unfriended. Does that mean I don’t want to be your friend in real life? No. Am I going to throw a tantrum? No. But I don’t want to read what you’re posting. In the age of Netflix and OnDemand, not to mention VCR’s, etc. probably more people watch things after they’ve aired than when they’re actually on. It’s not that hard to post “Walking Dead” and then put the spoiler in comments. Of course, that’s on my own stuff. What goes on on Gish’s FB/social media is really not anything I concern myself with.

I have a friend from the UK who was posting Downton Abbey season 4 spoilers on her Facebook page when she knows that it hasn't even aired in America.  Even after we asked her to put 'Spoiler' or something to let us know that she was going to reveal something she still left no spoiler notes or anything.  Am I going to stop using Facebook because she can't control herself?  No, I just blocked her posts, but it would have been nice if she had put a 'Spoiler' or something along those lines so that I didn't have to block her posts.

I don't think it's on "everyone to solve my problems" nor am I going to throw a temper tantrum, but a little common courtesy goes a long way.

I think you did the right thing in blocking her posts, ie, taking your own responsibility for what you do and don't want to see, but I really think that expecting someone to moderate what they say and implying she 'can't control herself' because something hasn't been shown in a different *country* yet is bordering on snowflakey.

You can think that all you like. I think putting the world on blast because you just have to talk about some TV show is snowflakey. To each their own.

Really? (Genuine question, not a sarcastic 'really?!') I'm not understanding how that train of thought is arrived at. The programme in question (Downtown) is a UK programme aired on UK television and you (you general) expect people in the UK not to discuss it afterwards just in case someone in America hasn't seen it yet? If not snowflakey, I do think that's very unrealistic, not least because it could be months before it airs over there. I think that's just one of the perils of following a series that's made for a different audience - you get it when you get it and the onus is on you (again, you general) to avoid sources of spoilers.

Of course on forums you can put a spoiler tag in the thread title, but on FB and Twitter that's pretty much impossible. So the only option is for people not to discuss it on those platforms and that just isn't going to happen. It's really common for people to watch big shows while on Twitter and share discussion about it while it's happening and I'm not going to *not* do that just in case someone from America (or any other country the programme is sold on to) might come across or be following my twitter feed.

We get a lot of TV over here from across the pond, and it's often a long while before it gets here. I wouldn't expect someone in America not to discuss their shows just because we haven't seen it yet. Them's the breaks.

[padua]

You post spoilers, you get blocked/unfriended. Does that mean I don’t want to be your friend in real life? No. Am I going to throw a tantrum? No. But I don’t want to read what you’re posting. In the age of Netflix and OnDemand, not to mention VCR’s, etc. probably more people watch things after they’ve aired than when they’re actually on. It’s not that hard to post “Walking Dead” and then put the spoiler in comments. Of course, that’s on my own stuff. What goes on on Gish’s FB/social media is really not anything I concern myself with.

I have a friend from the UK who was posting Downton Abbey season 4 spoilers on her Facebook page when she knows that it hasn't even aired in America.  Even after we asked her to put 'Spoiler' or something to let us know that she was going to reveal something she still left no spoiler notes or anything.  Am I going to stop using Facebook because she can't control herself?  No, I just blocked her posts, but it would have been nice if she had put a 'Spoiler' or something along those lines so that I didn't have to block her posts.

I don't think it's on "everyone to solve my problems" nor am I going to throw a temper tantrum, but a little common courtesy goes a long way.

I think you did the right thing in blocking her posts, ie, taking your own responsibility for what you do and don't want to see, but I really think that expecting someone to moderate what they say and implying she 'can't control herself' because something hasn't been shown in a different *country* yet is bordering on snowflakey.

You can think that all you like. I think putting the world on blast because you just have to talk about some TV show is snowflakey. To each their own.

Really? (Genuine question, not a sarcastic 'really?!') I'm not understanding how that train of thought is arrived at. The programme in question (Downtown) is a UK programme aired on UK television and you (you general) expect people in the UK not to discuss it afterwards just in case someone in America hasn't seen it yet? If not snowflakey, I do think that's very unrealistic, not least because it could be months before it airs over there. I think that's just one of the perils of following a series that's made for a different audience - you get it when you get it and the onus is on you (again, you general) to avoid sources of spoilers.

Of course on forums you can put a spoiler tag in the thread title, but on FB and Twitter that's pretty much impossible. So the only option is for people not to discuss it on those platforms and that just isn't going to happen. It's really common for people to watch big shows while on Twitter and share discussion about it while it's happening and I'm not going to *not* do that just in case someone from America (or any other country the programme is sold on to) might come across or be following my twitter feed.

We get a lot of TV over here from across the pond, and it's often a long while before it gets here. I wouldn't expect someone in America not to discuss their shows just because we haven't seen it yet. Them's the breaks.

i agree with perpetua here. i have several friends from zimbabwe on my facebook and some of their shows are years behind mine. meaning they're being played on television as if it was a first time viewing (which it is for their country). i don't plan to be that sensitive and i wouldn't expect someone from a country where they get first viewing to be sensitive to me (e.g., i watch a lot of korean dramas- i wouldn't expect friends from korea to not post spoilers just because they won't make it here for another year or so).

[perpetua]

I think the best reverse scenario I can come up with here is the Superbowl. If I recall correctly (I may be wrong because I don't watch it) it's transmitted either really late or overnight here. I certainly wouldn't expect Americans not to tweet/post on FB about it because a lot of UK folk might have to wait till the next day to see it.

[TinyVulgarUnicorn]

You post spoilers, you get blocked/unfriended. Does that mean I don’t want to be your friend in real life? No. Am I going to throw a tantrum? No. But I don’t want to read what you’re posting. In the age of Netflix and OnDemand, not to mention VCR’s, etc. probably more people watch things after they’ve aired than when they’re actually on. It’s not that hard to post “Walking Dead” and then put the spoiler in comments. Of course, that’s on my own stuff. What goes on on Gish’s FB/social media is really not anything I concern myself with.

I have a friend from the UK who was posting Downton Abbey season 4 spoilers on her Facebook page when she knows that it hasn't even aired in America.  Even after we asked her to put 'Spoiler' or something to let us know that she was going to reveal something she still left no spoiler notes or anything.  Am I going to stop using Facebook because she can't control herself?  No, I just blocked her posts, but it would have been nice if she had put a 'Spoiler' or something along those lines so that I didn't have to block her posts.

I don't think it's on "everyone to solve my problems" nor am I going to throw a temper tantrum, but a little common courtesy goes a long way.

I think you did the right thing in blocking her posts, ie, taking your own responsibility for what you do and don't want to see, but I really think that expecting someone to moderate what they say and implying she 'can't control herself' because something hasn't been shown in a different *country* yet is bordering on snowflakey.

You can think that all you like. I think putting the world on blast because you just have to talk about some TV show is snowflakey. To each their own.

Really? (Genuine question, not a sarcastic 'really?!') I'm not understanding how that train of thought is arrived at. The programme in question (Downtown) is a UK programme aired on UK television and you (you general) expect people in the UK not to discuss it afterwards just in case someone in America hasn't seen it yet? If not snowflakey, I do think that's very unrealistic, not least because it could be months before it airs over there. I think that's just one of the perils of following a series that's made for a different audience - you get it when you get it and the onus is on you (again, you general) to avoid sources of spoilers.

Of course on forums you can put a spoiler tag in the thread title, but on FB and Twitter that's pretty much impossible. So the only option is for people not to discuss it on those platforms and that just isn't going to happen. It's really common for people to watch big shows while on Twitter and share discussion about it while it's happening and I'm not going to *not* do that just in case someone from America (or any other country the programme is sold on to) might come across or be following my twitter feed.

We get a lot of TV over here from across the pond, and it's often a long while before it gets here. I wouldn't expect someone in America not to discuss their shows just because we haven't seen it yet. Them's the breaks.

I didn't expect her to hold off on talking about Downton Abbey, but what I and a few other American friends did ask her was to put 'Spoiler' in the title or something letting people know she was going to be talking about a show which she knows hasn't been aired in the US yet.  It wasn't just me...about four other people including some of her UK friends were asking her to do this as a courtesy, but she refused and as a result a few people started blocking her posts or defriending her (which she complained about).

I don't think asking for a 'spoiler' in the title is being a special snowflake.

[perpetua]

There aren't any 'thread titles' on Facebook, though. I don't even know how she could have done that.

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

There aren't any 'thread titles' on Facebook, though. I don't even know how she could have done that.

I've seen people do it in their status updates. For example: "Spoiler Alert! Did everyone see last night on Blossom how Six..." and then what happened on Blossom (or a more current show). If you don't read the first two words well...it's your bad.

I don't really care about spoilers. Seeing the show played out is what does it for me. Even if I know the end I still like to see how the whole show goes. I knew the entire story line of Rent, start to finish, before seeing the play. Heck I had the soundtrack mesmerized (I can still sing the whole thing start to finish). I was still beyond thrilled to see the play, I was still excited to see the story play out before me. So even if I know in the end Ross and Rachel end up together, or that Roseanne didn't win the lottery and Dan really did die, I want to see the story play out. Spoilers don't really...spoil it for me I guess.

[MrsVandy]

I don't like it when people spoiler movies, since I rarely have time to view them in theaters. But I'll just skip those post. I had to avoid Facebook and some other websites for days when I wasn't able to see Day of the Doctor on the day it aired, but I chose to avoid those sites because I knew people would post spoilers.