# An impossible suggestion: Spoilers with expiration dates.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-impossible-suggestion-spoilers-with-expiration-dates/314585>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [July 28, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-impossible-suggestion-spoilers-with-expiration-dates/314585 "2005-07-28T14:33:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-impossible-suggestion-spoilers-with-expiration-dates/314585/1 "2005-07-28T14:33:49Z")

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Well, most likely impossible. I’ve noticed a lot of requests for spoiler tags in Cafe Society until the show airs everywhere. I had a cwazy idea to have people be able to set expiration dates/hours on their spoiler boxes so that they would not appear after the expiration date.

So it would look something like:

[spoiler=24hours]Rosebud was the name of the _shed_[/spoiler=24hours]

and that wouldn’t show up until 24 hours after that post was made.

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**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-impossible-suggestion-spoilers-with-expiration-dates/314585/2 "2005-07-28T16:32:28Z")

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I don’t think that’s possible at the present time, given the state of the software.

Sorry.

your humble TubaDiva

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-impossible-suggestion-spoilers-with-expiration-dates/314585/3 "2005-07-28T20:24:16Z")

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No, no, no, no, no, no. Bad, bad idea.

Not everybody sees the show the first time around. Some people tape or record it and don’t get to the show for days or weeks. Some don’t see it until reruns. Some don’t until it’s on DVD or a cable channel, possibly years later.

Why spoil it for them?

What is so horrible about spoiler boxes? They’re ridiculously easy to cope with. They have a purpose. They’re a wonderful idea.

What’s the problem here?