On the use of 'Spoiler Alert'

TV is better than ever right now, so many quality shows there's never enough time to watch them all. Not only that, but there are now more ways to watch TV than ever before. Used to be you'd have to camp out in front of the TV on the right channel and the right time to see the program you wanted. Now you have options...Sure you can watch shows as they air, or you can record them on a DVR and watch them later (even forward through the commercials). Maybe you prefer to stream them from your carrier or the network. Or you can wait and watch whole seasons on a service like Netflix or Amazon Prime. Yes, plenty of options.

However, with all of these delayed options for watching shows, inevitably, info on your favorite shows can be seen or heard, commonly known as spoilers. Spoilers can take many forms, all of which can be a real bummer. Maybe it's the person who is dying to discuss this week's episode and spills the beans not knowing that you haven't caught up yet. Could be the casual glance at Yahoo! news only to see who won last night's game that you had stored in your Tivo. Or perhaps the morning radio crew couldn't wait to talk about who won the Oscar for Best Picture. Whatever form it takes, it can be a downer.

Then there's malicious spoiling. Those folks who just love to let the cat out of the bag and revel in your misery. These people are a scourge on the TV viewing public and should be strung up and forced to watch Laverne and Shirley re-runs as penance for their collective bubble bursting.

Which brings me to my point. The phrase 'Spoiler Alert' was conceived to protect those of us who like to watch shows a bit past the airing date from those who seek to expose potentially exciting plot lines. This can work well, when used properly:

• Know your audience. If you work in an office full of people with common favorites, maybe don't let it all fly first thing Monday morning.
• When describing potentially sensitive material, announce 'Spoiler Alert'
• Upon announcing "Spoiler Alert" allow enough time for those of us who want to excuse ourselves (or stick our fingers in our ears) before your recount of the show's events. Don't just dive right in after the Spoiler Alert declaration.
• I know it should seem obvious, but saying "Spoiler Alert" after you say who got killed on Game of Thrones, is not effective. 
• While I don't believe there is a universally accepted amount of time lapsed before talking about shows is acceptable, 2 or 3 days seems reasonable to me. But a courtesy Spoiler Alert is always appreciated.

I think if we can all abide by these simple tenets, we can put an end to spoiling. Happy watching.