What are your thoughts regarding spoilers?

1. Do you dislike them, not mind them or like them? Why?

Spoilers never bothered me. The biggest reason is that I'd rather know ahead of time if I'll enjoy something or will I'll be wasting my time. It's entertainment to me and I rather not waste time on something I won't enjoy.

2. Have you encountered many spoilers in the comment section which aren't properly concealed?

Yes, but I go in aware that there likely there somewhere. Most are small spoilers, but occasionally there's something big that may get revealed.

3. Do you read reviews with spoilers on them? Have you read a review that claims there are no spoilers only for you to find many?

I go in believing reviews are going to reveal something, inadvertently or not. I read reviews purpousely with the believe that they will reveal something to me, which is why I read them when I choose to.

4. Which do you think are the most common types of spoilers people give?

People progress through things at different speeds, and many people don't immediately think of that.  It's why I think many spoilers are accidental. You have people discussing something, and someone else comes along that's not as far along as they are.

5. What are your thoughts regarding adding spoiler-like tags to a show? Such as: tragic-ending, amnesia, childhood connection, etc. (thanks @Zardua_ for this point).

I think it's a good idea. Keep the tag but allow the individual the choice whether to reveal it or not.

6. Anything else you can think of regarding the topic is welcome!

While I understand why people don't want to be spoiled, I've seem too many over react to being spoiled. With that said, there is a middle ground and I would like to see more people use the spoiler tag to hide details. Also, there does need to be a reasonable expectation of time of when something is a spoiler and when you can freely talk about something.

1. Do you dislike them, not mind them or like them? Why? 

I've always liked spoilers, it doesn't bother me or take away any enjoyment for me to know what's going to happen. And I do like longer dramas, so going into a drama that has 100+ episodes, I'd rather know if I'm going to hate it or not. I usually just stick to 'is it a happy ending?' and 'who are the main leads?( for some longer dramas they can not meet til episode 20 so it can be hard to tell)'

2. Have you encountered many spoilers in the comment section which aren't properly concealed?

Not many. I think this happens while a drama is currently airing. People will just go into the comment section and say 'OMG CAN YOU BELIEVE BLAH BLAH BLAH' probably thinking everyone is watching them as they are airing like they are not realizing they're spoiling anyone. I don't watch dramas until they're done airing so those comments tend to be either further down the page or finally put behind a spoiler. But since I don't mind spoilers I will say I don't remember seeing them doesn't mean they aren't there, because it doesn't personally bother me I might not notice them like someone who is really bothered by them might. Also sometimes people are so sensitive to spoilers they may say something's a spoiler when it really isn't, it has nothing to do with the plot of the show or the tone or anything, like if someone were to say in the comments 'did you guys see the creepy clown painting in X's house?' It's not a spoiler because it's not integral to the plot, it's just about the set dressing. Unless there's a safe behind there, or the characters look up to it and start talking about grandpa and his love of clowns, that is when it would be a spoiler.

3. Do you read reviews with spoilers on them? Have you read a review that claims there are no spoilers only for you to find many?

I read most reviews whether there are spoilers or not, because the reviewer might have a different insight to the drama that isn't being discussed in the comments and isn't in the synopsis. I think that all of the reviews that I have read that say they are spoiler free are spoiler free, but again I'm not bothered by it so I might not notice it.  

4. Which do you think are the most common types of spoilers people give?

The ones I generally see are: 'X is Y's dad,' 'revenge starts on episode XX,' 'Wedding is episode XX,' 'I can't believe X died'

What are your thoughts regarding adding spoiler-like tags to a show? Such as: tragic-ending, amnesia, childhood connection, etc. (thanks @Zardua_ for this point).

As long as people can opt into seeing them or not seeing them so people who don't want to get spoiled don't have to get spoiled by the top of the page I'd like it.

1. the only time i personally get upset about spoilers is when it spoils a big plot twist  when it's kind of the whole point of the show, like Circle or the 6th sense. however there are a lot of people who don't like them at all so i think posting any kind of spoiler in a community like this w/out properly hiding or tagging it is rude. 

2. Have you encountered many spoilers in the comment section which aren't properly concealed?

comment section is usually ok, but i see spoilers on the feeds a few times a week. 

3.Do you read reviews with spoilers on them? Have you read a review that claims there are no spoilers only for you to find many? i only read reviews when i am thinking of dropping a show and in that case i am often looking specifically for reviews/comments with spoilers

4. Which do you think are the most common types of spoilers people give?i'm not on the forums much but over on the feeds it is screen caps. 

5. i think it depends on the show. there are some shows where "incest" could be the plot twist and in that case not cool. but then in if someone were to tag certain dramas with Amnesia i don't think it's a big deal. 

6. this community is about sharing our enjoyment of Asian TV and movies.  Spoilers can ruin that enjoyment for some of our fellow MDLers. IMO anything that is not in the synopsis or couldn't be guessed from the synopsis (including the timing of certain events) is a spoiler. it's not hard to  hide or mark them so it's just good manners to do it.  

heres a screen cap of the spoiler tag interface  (so basically you would check the spoiler box) This is for the Title "Bandage"

1. Do you dislike them, not mind them or like them? Why?

For me, the purpose for watching a drama or a movie is to be entertained, thrilled, surprised!

So spoilers,  especially in the summary or screen shot spoilers, are a big no - they ruin the pleasure and the anticipation.

2. Have you encountered many spoilers in the comment section which aren't properly concealed?

Yes, quite a few major and minor, mostly for hyped currently airing dramas, but in most cases they are properly covered after a while -and some angry posts requiring it...

3. Do you read reviews with spoilers on them? Have you read a review that claims there are no spoilers only for you to find many?

I refrain myself from reading reviews before finishing a drama and certainly not the ones with spoilers. Usually, I read reviews for older dramas and only from 'trustworthy' MDLers who put real effort on writing them and/or with whom we have similar tastes.

4. Which do you think are the most common types of spoilers people give?

Plot twists, villains, type of endings (happy-sad-open), expected or unexpected love lines and their details

5. What are your thoughts regarding adding spoiler-like tags to a show? Such as: tragic-ending, amnesia, childhood connection, etc. (thanks @Zardua_ for this point).

If the tags reveal a major plot twist, a concealer should definitely be added. But, in any case, I do believe that lately the number of tags has been significantly increased, sometimes without serving a clear purpose. For example, in "anone" the tags are the following! 

Tags:   Reason For Being,   Orphan,   Stigma,   Disease,   Discrimination

See what I mean? :D

Thank you for sharing your views on the subject, @cityhunter, @Poia, @Minarii, @Penel & @DramaLover!

 cityhunter:

i see spoilers on the feeds a few times a week

This has been mentioned here before and it's a great point to include in the article since I don't check the feed all that much and, as such, haven't experienced this myself. What would you say would be a good solution or middle ground for this? Would adding the screenshots without the dialogue suffice? Or would it be best to hide them with a spoiler tag if it relates to "big moments" or "romantic gestures" within the series?

 cityhunter:

i only read reviews when i am thinking of dropping a show

This is interesting. I hadn't considered people would read reviews to check whether to drop a show or continue watching! 

 cityhunter:

there are some shows where "incest" could be the plot twist and in that case not cool. but then in if someone were to tag certain dramas with Amnesia i don't think it's a big deal.

So would you say a good "rule of thumb" would be to tag openly anything that's "generic" but tag as a spoiler something that's more unique? Or does it depend on how big or small a role each "tag" has? Like, say, in a show like Devilish Joy amnesia is a given since it's a big part of the synopsis and premise of the show. Whereas in shows where amnesia happens down the road (like in Fated to Love You) for a few episodes, then that should constitute as a spoiler. Would you agree?

 cityhunter:

it's not hard to hide or mark them so it's just good manners to do it.

Yes. Hopefully, people will understand that the intention of the article is not to crucify or go on a crusade against people who like spoilers or write them. But rather, I want to write it as a "food for thought" piece to encourage people to mind others by simply using the spoiler function (either in posts, feeds, reviews or tags) more often.

 Minarii:

I understand that people sometimes forget to mark their comments as a spoiler, it's happened to me too

If you don't mind my asking, whenever you forget to mark something as a spoiler, which is the most common response you get? Are people polite about asking you to mark it as a spoiler, or resentful? I think it's something worth also discussing in the article if the response is resentful. Since, as you mentioned, often times it's a simple mistake from the poster.

 Minarii:

'tragedy' tag is mostly used.

Do you personally consider a tag such as this one a spoiler?

 penel:

So spoilers, especially in the summary or screen shot spoilers,

Could you provide an example of spoilers in the summary of a drama (I haven't seen anyone, so that would be helpful)? As to the screen-shot spoilers, someone offered as a solution to keep the screenshots but edit the dialogue out, would that help? Or would you rather they were marked as a spoiler if they show "prominent scenes" or "big gestures" of the show? 

 penel:

unexpected love lines

This one is a good example. I've seen some regarding this point which had slipped my mind.

 penel:

Tags: Reason For Being, Orphan, Stigma, Disease, Discrimination

Hahaha this is the first time I've seen "Reason for being". Does the tag come with a description of what it's supposed to mean? Unfortunately, I have no idea what a good potential solution to the tag problem could be. Although some of these mean nothing to me, I have no idea if whoever added them deemed them important in his/her viewing of the drama. I'd consider "Orphan" a spoiler tag the leads aren't immediately introduced as such. 

 DrAmAlOvEr:

for example people said great things about a show ML FL have chemistry but i can't find any chemistry on them

Yes, unfortunately, reviews and recommendations are very subjective. So some might see chemistry when others do not. The only solution is to find someone with similar tastes as you and get recommendations from them.

 DrAmAlOvEr:

ok first i want to mention that i'm the one who review with spoiler most of the time .

And this is a valid choice since many people don't mind spoilers. If you don't mind me asking, do you tag/mark your reviews as containing spoilers or warn people ahead of time? Have you received any hostile responses to your reviews?

 DrAmAlOvEr:

so i can suggest here there must be only one drop-down box in drama details which have all spoiler tag and theme summoned if anyone want to see it should be available .

It could certainly be a good solution to have the tags only visible if you want them to be. Perhaps that's something MDL could implement.

 DrAmAlOvEr:

i'm not against of this topic as well as not in completely support of it if people wants to remove completely spoiler content.

Don't worry. This article has no intention to crucify or crusade against people who like to read and/or write spoilers. Instead, with this article, I hope to make people aware of the many different views regarding spoilers. As well as encourage and offer ways to hide/mark their spoilers properly.

 3GGG:

Yeah, I did notice this one. But I have no idea what it looks like when you mark a tag as a spoiler. Does the drama page display the tag or is it hidden but used for filtering? I haven't found a drama with a tag marked as a spoiler, so I haven't been able to check. And I don't want to experiment myself and add a spoiler tag that doesn't belong to a drama just to check how it works, lol. 

If you do happen upon an example that already has a tag marked as a spoiler, please let me know! 

let me find a hidden example Warning this may contain a spoiler 

https://postimg.cc/xNVqrqzg (not posting picture cant spoiler cover it)

https://mydramalist.com/15460-5-ji-kara-9-ji-made is what the page looks like

 OldAnimeLady:

let me find a hidden example Warning this may contain a spoiler 

https://postimg.cc/xNVqrqzg (not posting picture cant spoiler cover it)

https://mydramalist.com/15460-5-ji-kara-9-ji-made is what the page looks like

Wonderful! Thank you so much! It seems I was correct in how it works then. Where the tag just doesn't show on the page, but it does come up when you search for it through tags (I checked and it did come up!). So encouraging people to use this function more might be a solution to avoid spoiling things for people without intending to!

 cityhunter:

@3GGG it won't let me quote you (post is too long)

I just learned the other day that if you select the text in my post, a "quote" button comes out! It's very useful! Unfortunately, it seems to only work when you're on the computer (not on your cellphone).

 cityhunter:

for example a pic from a rom com set in modern day Seoul w/ no dialogue of two people sitting at a cafe isnt a spoiler b/c we all know that in that type of drama eventually that's going to happen. the SAME pic from a back to joseon time travel drama that shows a character from the past sitting in the same cafe IS a spoiler if them coming to the future wasnt mentioned in the synopsis/ trailer.

This is actually a great and easy to understand example. Do you mind if I end up quoting this part for the article (of course, with due credit ;))? 

 cityhunter:

if you have a drama where the answer to the mystery is "plot twist a main character is an alien!" but that info is not in the trailer or synopsis then then tags like "alien" or "interspeices romance" should be marked as spoilers, or users should consider using alternative tags like "sci fi" , "alternate reality" or "mysterious male/female lead"

Another great example. Although I'm thinking that "alternate reality" might be considered a spoiler for some. But "sci-fi" or even just "mystery" could be vague enough to not give anything away, while useful enough if people are looking for that in the drama.