Awwww. Group hug in the Bureaucracy thread!!!!

I feel I should warn you all that I'm currently contagious. And have a F2F meeting in two days to decide our fates for the next couple of years! Go me with the inappropriate coughing!

First, if this belongs in another thread, I apologize. I put in a minimum 30 seconds of thought on where it should go, I promise.

To the main point: I'm still far too new to even attempt complaining about it, but has there been any previous discussion on the merits and demerits of not white-fonting things divulged in promos (even a link, though hardly required, would be visited)? I just can't see the distinction between TV Guide announcing the special guest appearance of Snizzy the Dwarf, and UPN's ad department announcing it.

Promo contents do not have to be whitefonted in show threads. Anything that's not been aired on the respective network belongs in one of the spoiler threads, depending on intensity.

It's the simplest line. Well, okay, Pinwiz has one simpler, but he also has nerves of steel.

I think the rationale, Robert, behind not whitefonting the promos in the main thread is that the majority of people who post in the main thread see the promos when they watch the current episode. It's not like a ep. description that you have to seek out, it's just there.

Besides, they are often so vague and misleading, they're hardly a spoiler at times.

I certainly understand the reasoning, as far as it goes. I'm just considering the perspective of the spoiler-avoider (one of which I pretty much am, although I'm not going to pull out my hair after reading a spoiler). If the idea is "knowing new plot elements before the episode in question airs diminishes the viewing experience", the positioning or popularity of the promos really has little to no bearing on spoiler-avoidance itself, it seems to me.

Then again, I try just as hard to avoid the "coming up right now" teasers, covering the screen and muting the TV until 30 seconds past the hour, so maybe I'm just a freak-o. :)

I don't get promos, and I'm happier not hearing about them, but I've perfected the skimming of posts that mention them.

It's been mentioned a number of times before that such-and-such a spoiler is absolutely impossible to avoid. But really, if they're in print, most of them are relatively easy. Onscreen ones are theoretically vetted by the august organization that brings us the shows (sure, they're often on crack, but what can you do?), and are much harder to get away from.

Plus, there's a critical mass. So far the non-preview watchers number 2 [edit: whoops! and some of Canada]. And Pinwiz just doesn't come 'round any more.

I manage to avoid the impossible spoilers. And I'm not suggesting that people shouldn't discuss the promos, I can skip and skim.

I used to not watch the promos, though since the move to UPN they're generally so misleading that it doesn't much matter. But it's not that big a deal to skip over them. TV guide type stuff tends to be worse.

Then again, I try just as hard to avoid the "coming up right now" teasers, covering the screen and muting the TV until 30 seconds past the hour, so maybe I'm just a freak-o. :)

Now those I'd like to avoid - they've given away more than one HSQ moment in recent memory, like Giles' return this season.

Also, network promos can often be kind of misleading, too....