=][= Black Library forum posting guidelines =][=

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Hello, fellow Frater!
 
A brief word of advice/warning for everybody active in this sub-forum: spoilers are going to appear, but they should be hidden by the "spoiler" BBCode.

[spoiler]Place spoilers inside the "spoiler" BBCode, like this. Members that want to read the spoilers can then click on the "Show" button, while members that don't want to read the spoilers don't have to click on the button. An example is below.[/spoiler]

Hide your spoilers.

This is both basic forum etiquette and a forum rule.

This applies regardless of the publication date of the story. The only exceptions to the spoiler tag requirements are those things that are covered in the rulebooks, but those must be kept to the level of detail that the rulebooks cover. For example, the fact that Alexis Polux of the VIIth Legion led a fleet that had been cut off by warp storms has been covered in the rules (a Forge World Horus Heresy rulebook), but the details of how he led that fleet and the subsequent engagement with enemy forces should not reach the level of detail that is covered in the story, but should remain at basic facts covered in the rulebook.

Topics intended to be free of spoilers should include "NO SPOILERS" in the topic title. This doesn't guarantee that replies won't include spoilers, but clearly conveys the intent that members shouldn't post spoilers.

Whether or not a topic is intended to be free of spoilers, if you see spoilers posted in the clear (i.e., without being hidden by the spoiler BBCode), remain calm and perform one or both of the following:

• Contact the member that posted the spoiler and politely ask them to edit the post so that the spoiler is hidden.
• Use the REPORT button (bottom left of a post) so that the moderators can edit the post so that the spoilers are hidden.

Accidents are going to happen, whether by accident or not, so don't make a mildly bad situation (spoilers posted in the clear) worse by being confrontational. After all, this is a forum whose purpose is the discussion of the official fiction. Accidents are going to happen, so the best way to handle them is to remain calm and courteous.
 
Apply common sense and follow Wheaton's Law.

Thank you for reading.
 
The B&C Moderating Team

Edited August 22, 2017 by Brother Tyler
Spoiler BBCode requirement clarified

[Soldier of Dorn]

Well, first of all:

 

 

But back on the topic at hand:

I don't post down here often, but both sides are reasonable, quite reasonable. On one hand it's basic Internet etiquette (if such a thing exists) not to post unmarked spoilers, because though I'm not personally bothered by spoilers, I know a lot of people who are in fact annoyed by them. So one should use spoilers, if they are able to, in my opinion. On the other, I think this decision recognizes the fact that not everyone will, for whatever reason: maybe they're typing out a quick reply on their phone and the interface is a bit naff for that sort of thing, maybe because they're in a hurry and they just don't have time, maybe they just don't care. Something one person might not consider a spoiler, another would, and it goes on. For whatever reason, things will sneak through the spoiler tags, and once one little mention gets through, the point of spoiler tags is rendered mute. Sure, the Moderati could go in and edit everything, but one must remember that this subforum is not one with its own dedicated mod team, and that they're all of them doing this in their free time, and they've usually got other things in their own subforums to handle plus whatever other stuff the mods regularly have to discuss about... modding? I dunno. I'm not a mod, never have been, so I don't know exactly what goes on behind the curtain. I have some vague idea, though, and I can tell you that it's not easy in the slightest. It's a hard job, moderating a community like this. Don't make it harder for the people who have given so much for this forum.

 

I don't see this decision as permission for rampant unmarked spoilers: we should, in my opinion, still use spoilers whenever we think is suitable, as a courtesy to others. However, we should come to terms with the fact that there is the chance that we will stumble upon unmarked spoilers. That's what this announcement is. It's not a rules change, not exactly - to my knowledge, neither the B&C nor this subforum have ever had an official stance regarding spoilers, at least not in the Rules of the B&C - but rather a clarification of policy, a warning as the first post says, a sign that says: Caution! Just letting you know what could happen, not necessarily what will happen.

 

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that while policy is one thing, etiquette is another, and both are equally valid. Don't be rude - use

[spoiler] and [/spoiler]

when appropriate, but if you accidentally see a spoiler, in the words of the mighty and venerable Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, DON'T PANIC!!! You should know there's always a chance, even with the strictest possible policies on spoilers, there's always a chance.

 

Anyways, that's my time. Make of it what you will

 

Note: Regarding what bluntblade and Petitioner's City suggest, I don't think that's possible on IP.Boards, though I could be wrong. It would be nice to be able to alter the text of a spoiler if it is... opens up some new possibilities for plogs. But I don't think you can.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Flint13
Keep it classy

[Brother Tyler]

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Some guidance since we had a little friction concerning spoilers recently.
 
Basic etiquette (okay, more than "etiquette," this is a forum rule):  If you post a spoiler, put it inside the spoiler BBCode. People that want to read the spoilers then have the option of clicking on the button, while those that don't want to read them don't have to click the button. And it's important to be very clear on what should be done because there are a lot of assumptions and ambiguous word choices. Using tags is worthless. Members need to use the BBCode:

[spoiler]Put your spoilers inside spoiler BBCode, like this.[/spoiler]

If you don't know how that works, click on the  "Show" button. You should see the text below appear in place of the spoiler button.
 

Put your spoilers inside spoiler BBCode, like this.

Yes, spoilers are going to appear in this forum, but they should be hidden appropriately. Just because we allow spoilers to be posted doesn't mean that we enable laziness of not hiding the spoilers appropriately (which is rude to other members). Posting here at the B&C isn't a race - you have plenty of time to include the appropriate BBCode (which is especially important in this instance).
 
Conversely, if you see something that is clearly a spoiler but which isn't hidden with the spoiler tags, you should:

• politely contact the member that posted the spoiler by PM and ask them to edit the post, and/or
• REPORT the post so that the moderators/administrators can edit the post

There's no need to create tension and friction - be calm and polite in requesting that the spoilers be hidden.
 
You can mark a topic as "NO SPOILERS" or "SPOILER FREE" if you want, but the reality is that people lose track and spoilers will be posted, regardless of the stated intent of not including spoilers in such a discussion.
 
So where the Black Library forum rules currently say "spoilers are going to appear" the rules are incomplete. What the rules should say (and will say as soon as I'm done posting this is "spoilers are going to appear, but they should be hidden by the "spoiler" BBCode" in order to be clear.
 
Ultimately, this comes down to Wheaton's Law on both counts:

• Hide your spoilers in the BBCode (not hiding your spoilers isn't not being a dick).
• Be calm and polite when someone posts spoilers in the clear (i.e., making an issue of it isn't not being a dick).

Some common sense needs to be applied. This forum is about discussion of Games Workshop's fiction. Regardless of the rules of this forum (i.e., hide your spoilers inside the appropriate BBCode), there are going to be times when members don't do that. No one should be surprised to see spoilers posted in the clear. That doesn't mean that spoilers should be posted in the clear, but is a basic reasonable fact - people get excited, or they're lazy, or they forget, or whatever and sometimes they won't hide spoilers appropriately. Getting confrontational about these incidences doesn't make things better - it only makes things worse. So if you realize that something in the clear is a spoiler and you don't want to read it, stop reading it and move on to the next part. If you find that a discussion has too many spoilers in the clear, stay out of the discussion (actually, you should REPORT it so that posts can be edited). This can easily be done in a calm and constructive manner rather than allowing the fur to fly. Mistakes are going to happen, but they're not the end of the world.
 

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