> Using recent posts as a guideline, I've been working on revising the rules > page for the list in order to address list policies that have been > heretofore untouched by the official rules. > > The following is a draft proposal for an "official" spoiler policy, > submitted here for comments and suggestions, prior to implementation. > > Any and all feedback--of the constructive variety--is encouraged and > appreciated. > > Jon > > (Note: Other parts of the rules will also be undergoing revision, but I'm > awaiting some verification of some technical details before revising those > sections. In other words, more will follow soon.) > > --- > > Spoilers & Spoiler Warnings > > In general, it should be assumed that most readers of this list will be > familiar with the basic characters and general world of Dragaera. > > When mentioning specific plot points, especially major revelations from > the later works it is considered polite to place a spoiler warning in the > subject line of the message. This most notably concerns certain facts > revealed late in _Orca_, and many of the events in _Issola_ and _The > Viscount of Adrilankha_. > > It is essential to include spoiler warnings when discussing virtually any > topic related to a book published by Steven Brust within the past 6 > months. (Currently [May-06] there are none, but _Dzur_ is forthcoming, > [August-06].) > > Examples of appropriate spoiler warnings: "The best thief in Dragaera? > (Orca Spoilers)" or "The undead and Dark Water (Athyra Spoilers)". > > When writing a message marked with a spoiler warning, in cases where the > spoiler itself would normally occur very early in the text of the message, > it is a good idea to provide several blank lines (15-20 is usually a good > number) at the top of your message to make it less likely for a mail > client to display the spoiler text by accident. > > Spoiler warnings should be used with greater discipline when discussing > Steven's non-Dragaera works, such as _Agyar_, _Freedom & Necessity_, _The > Gypsy_ and _To Reign in Hell_. > > Spoiler warnings should also be used when making revealing references to > works by other authors, including books, short stories, movies, or plays > that list members may not be familiar with. Rather than 6 months after initial publishing, perhaps 6 months after being published in paperback? And perhaps something for any books that have been out of print, thus less likely to have been read? jeff