Spoiler poll

[Rijicho 6]

As raised into discussion in the Public Feedback subforum, here's the poll about the "expiration date" of a honbasho and results therein.

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

I used my own vote as Kotoseiya voting for the longest natural expiration time (introduction of the new banzuke) as I prefer to be safe than sorry. (Laughing...)

[Manekineko 200]

I voted for 2 weeks, but I have no problem even with the longest possible expiration date... The posters only have to be reminded that possible promotion discussions and polls are highly spoilerish, and certain intai and kyujo information too. I remember those long-ago times when I would save the sumo-ML posts until after Eurosport aired the basho, but seeing 'Wakanohana intai' in one subject was quite telling even without reading the post. So, watch what you put in the topic titles! Not so much in the Spoiler Zone, where spoilers are expected, but here, in the polls zone!

Examples of quite spoilerish Poll Titles:

Poll: Will asashoryu be promoted to yokozuna in 2003 ?

Poll: Will asashoryu win the zensho?

Poll: Can Asashoryu become Ozeki ?

See, Asashoryu is quite spoilerish creature... ;)

[Tokimori 0]

The question is for me if there is anyone frequenting this forum that doesn't follow the basho day by day. If there is one who thinks that the spoiler section is good for themselves, then there should absolutely be a spoiler section. But I've not noticed anyone here who isn't an active part both in sumogames and is following the bashos on a daily basis. If someone thinks that it is good for their own sake then we must have a spoiler section. (Exclamation)

[Yubiquitoyama 4]

The question is for me if there is anyone frequenting this forum that doesn't follow the basho day by day. If there is one who thinks that the spoiler section is good for themselves, then there should absolutely be a spoiler section. But I've not noticed anyone here who isn't an active part both in sumogames and is following the bashos on a daily basis. If someone thinks that it is good for their own sake then we must have a spoiler section. (Exclamation)

Well, the first problem with that issue is to know how the silent members frequent this forum. Of about 90 registered members only some 10 or 15 are frequent posters, and while those 10 or 15 almost certainly follows the basho day-by-day the other 75 is the big issue. Some probably never visit the forum, while others do it occasionally, so those are really the most important votes. Sadly of course, those are the votes least likely to actually be here...

Another thing I have thought about is whether the forum should become more free-standing than it already is. Right now it pretty much assumes that results and the like is gotten through other media (NSK site or the mailing list for example), but the bigger the forum, the more people who don't actually bother with other media. I suppose other people than me (because I follow pretty much everything there is...) have more opinions on that though...

[Zentoryu 154]

I used my own vote as Kotoseiya voting for the longest natural expiration time (introduction of the new banzuke) as I prefer to be safe than sorry.

Well, I think that is taking it to an extreme. I mean you have to wait over a month after a basho ends to be able to talk about it openly in a non-spoiler format? By then, everyone's attention is on the next basho, so what's the point?

Examples of quite spoilerish Poll Titles:

Poll: Will asashoryu be promoted to yokozuna in 2003 ?

Poll: Will asashoryu win the zensho?

Poll: Can Asashoryu become Ozeki ?

I agree with Manekineko on this. The polls should be better monitered. But, perhaps a seperate sub-forum could be created within the Spoiler Forum for such polls? Of course, only the Rijicho knows if such a thing were possible. Still, I consider the polls as the most dangerous area for spoilers.

I mean "Will Asashoryu win the Zensho?" Pretty much gives away whats going on during the basho.  (Laughing...)

I also think the spoiler thing sometimes goes a little overboard. If you don't want to know whats happening during a basho, don't go to a forum like this where you are bound to find out, even if by accident!

If you recieve SML e-mail, perhaps it would be wise to filter such e-mail into a seperate folder for viewing later. That way there is no danger of seeing a "spoilerish" e-mail. It's common sense.

Of course, if you don't have such filtering ability, then the need for spoiler tags are there. Which is why I support such a need.

[furanohana 3]

I voted "next banzuke". But I would have prefered "after TV broadcast". The problem is that it seems quite hard to define that, since not everybody watches the same TV stations... And since it can happen that some TV (Eurosport .......) can, sometime, broadcast a basho a very long time after it is finished.

A spoiler zone seems quite important, but the "spoiler time" sure is a big issue...

A long time is good, to keep spoilerish informations from the rest of the forum. But I wonder if a too long time won't reduce the forum (at least the "Sumo strictly" part) to this only spoiler zone...