[JeanneM]

Lately I've been noticing more and more big black bars covering text on threads.  I was wondering what this means?  Is it because of bad language?  Just curious as I have no clue what it is there for.

 

[Ryne Billings]

Lately I've been noticing more and more big black bars covering text on threads. I was wondering what this means? Is it because of bad language? Just curious as I have no clue what it is there for.

Those are spoilers. If you go to the buttont that says "SP" with the letter "P" in a black box, it will create spoiler tags. It's how the black bars are created. I've done it once.

 

[JRTomlin]

Well, it's supposed to be used for spoilers but I suppose people might use it to hide bad language. If you cursor over it, you can read the text.

Like this:

Spoiler

In GoT a PoV character is killed

where I tell a spoiler about Game of Thrones.

 

[JeanneM]

Oh...thank you.  So it is used if you are copying and pasting text from another site and don't want to spoil a story line for someone? 

 

[skyrunner]

Very cool

 

[Ryne Billings]

Oh...thank you. So it is used if you are copying and pasting text from another site and don't want to spoil a story line for someone?

Not necessarily copying and pasting, but essentially the answer is yes. Some people use spoiler tags if they are going to cuss also. It makes it where it is family appropriate.

 

[JeanneM]

Oh...I get it now. Sorry to be so dense. I just cursored over it and could see it! I didn't know that. How

Spoiler

neat!

 

[JRTomlin]

Oh...I get it now. Sorry to be so dense. I just cursored over it and could see it! I didn't know that. How

Spoiler

neat!

Don't feel dense. It took me months to figure out where the spoiler button was! LOL

 

[Mel Comley]

Thanks for asking Jeanne, I wondered that too! 

 

[Ryne Billings]

Don't feel dense. It took me months to figure out where the spoiler button was! LOL

I only found it after I manually typed the tags in.

 

[Anne Victory]

Spoiler tags are awesome   Sometimes they're used for cleaning up bad language, but the standard use is preventing someone from being unwillingly spoiled.  As a for instance, say there are two forums.  One is laid out with just one sub-forum to discuss a book, the other one has two sub-forums:  one for general discussion where no spoilers are permitted and the other where people who have finished the book or don't mind spoilers can talk about it.  Well, great - but what about the first forum?  Obviously, if you know you're bringing up a spoiler topic, you'd put spoiler in the subject line.  But what if the spoiler isn't introduced until page 5 of the thread?  Enter, the spoiler tag!  Whee

Probably much more wordy than you wanted or was needed, but hey - it's getting late and that means I'm getting gabby

 

[Atunah]

We use the spoiler in the American Idol thread after elimination show at least for a few hours. West Coast hasn't seen the results yet so in case someone wanders in.
Be ware though, smilies are not spoilered so they show up. I had to contain the smilies in the AI thread as I didn't make a secret who I liked and don't and smilies might make it obvious 

 

[JeanneM]

This is really a neat feature! Thanks everyone.  I thought the mods had blacked out certain language but I was seeing so much of it.  I figured, we can't all be swearing this much.  LOL  I've sure got a lot to learn. 

I get gabby too when I get tired.  And when I'm not tired. And um...all the times in between. 

 

[Guest]

When I was a movie reviewer I used to troll JoBlo's forums. My favorite spoiler was for THE PASSION.

Spoiler

He dies in the end. But it's all good. He comes back.

 

[JeanneM]

LOL...yes, that is most certainly the spoiler of all spoilers. 

 

[jimbronyaur]

Lately I've been noticing more and more big black bars covering text on threads. I was wondering what this means? Is it because of bad language? Just curious as I have no clue what it is there for.

I was thinking the same thing too!!! haha... now I know.

 

[Teresa Morgan]

I am now posting MC Frontalot's Spoiler Alert video, just for fun. Warning, includes spoilers for Moby Dick and the French Revolution.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

Jeanne. . . . . thanks for asking . . . I'm going to move this to the Not Quite Kindle forum as I expect there are a lot of people who wonder but are shy about asking.

We moderators do very occasionally put a spoiler block on a word or sentence . . . .but if it's something deemed not family friendly it is more likely to simply be deleted.  The TV show discussions and book discussions have a lot of spoiler block but mostly it's added by the posters.  Even so. . . .if it's a show/book you're interested in, but haven't watched/read yet, it's safer to steer clear.  And, apparently, the blocks don't necessarily show up on portable devices. . . .

 

[geoffthomas]

The spoiler block is also used when a thread is about something current like a tv show or a neat book.
And we want to discuss it but don't want to spoil the end or the punch-line for those who have not seen it or are not that far yet.
Some people tivo their favorite shows, so even though it has already been broadcast, they have not seen it.

It is a good thing.....


Just sayin.....

 

[Sandpiper]

I've used it when I want to emphasize the fact that something is the color

Spoiler

white

.