I suspect that was me who suggested having a friend read stories before hand (since I know I've said it recently), and I stand by it.
Just like I think that people don't get to define what constitutes a spoiler for other people, I don't think that people should get to define what needs a warning. I think it's great when an author *does* put warnings on their stories, and I've helped a number of authors learn html workarounds so that they can place them as footnotes or in hidden divs, but I stand by the idea that in the end it's the readers responsibility.
Now that the topic of the spoiler has been hidden (which I absolutely agree with) how does someone figure out whether or not they want to read it? What if they don't mind being spoiled about character development, but they mind being spoiled about episode plots? They have to ask a friend who has already read those spoilers to see whether or not they want to read this post. To me, it's the same thing in fic. If you don't mind reading graphic sex scenes but mind reading violence, then sometimes you have to rely on someone other than the author.
Again, I think it's great and nice when an author puts warnings on their story. I wish more did. But warnings don't tell you how the author handles the situation, which is sometimes the most important part. (And personally, the main reason why I avoid spoilers.) And there are so many things that an author can warn for; there are always things that certain readers don't want to see in their stories. So in the end, I still think that just like it's our responsibility to decide whether or not to click on the spoiler link, it's our responsibility to decide whether or not to click on the story. We can't depend on fandom to choose what spoilers we each think are okay, and we can't depend on fandom to choose what topics we each think are okay.
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Date: 2006-04-22 09:05 pm (UTC)Just like I think that people don't get to define what constitutes a spoiler for other people, I don't think that people should get to define what needs a warning. I think it's great when an author *does* put warnings on their stories, and I've helped a number of authors learn html workarounds so that they can place them as footnotes or in hidden divs, but I stand by the idea that in the end it's the readers responsibility.
Now that the topic of the spoiler has been hidden (which I absolutely agree with) how does someone figure out whether or not they want to read it? What if they don't mind being spoiled about character development, but they mind being spoiled about episode plots? They have to ask a friend who has already read those spoilers to see whether or not they want to read this post. To me, it's the same thing in fic. If you don't mind reading graphic sex scenes but mind reading violence, then sometimes you have to rely on someone other than the author.
Again, I think it's great and nice when an author puts warnings on their story. I wish more did. But warnings don't tell you how the author handles the situation, which is sometimes the most important part. (And personally, the main reason why I avoid spoilers.) And there are so many things that an author can warn for; there are always things that certain readers don't want to see in their stories. So in the end, I still think that just like it's our responsibility to decide whether or not to click on the spoiler link, it's our responsibility to decide whether or not to click on the story. We can't depend on fandom to choose what spoilers we each think are okay, and we can't depend on fandom to choose what topics we each think are okay.