# The two click rule

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-click-rule/242494>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [April 28, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-click-rule/242494 "2004-04-28T15:52:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![htns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-click-rule/242494/1 "2004-04-28T15:52:33Z")

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It’s my understanding that if you want to link to something potentially offensive, you have to link to a warning page, not the potentially offensive material itself, thus meaning that two mouse clicks are required.

Would a spoiler box be an acceptable substitute? Such as this:

> [@](#):
>
> Warning! This site is graphic, and may offend you!
> 
> [www.example.com](http://www.example.com)

It wouldn’t be clickable or anything, thus requiring a copy/paste job, and the spoiler box would make it an extra step that’s the equivalent of two mouse clicks (in my opinion, anyway).

Thoughts?

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-click-rule/242494/2 "2004-04-28T19:55:42Z")

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That’s interesting, but along those lines – if the URL itself isn’t offensive, why not just have it in the post as a non-clickable URL? That way, you’d copy/paste it anyway.

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-click-rule/242494/3 "2004-04-28T20:38:33Z")

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[http://www.oneslightproblem.com](http://www.oneslightproblem.com)

Links in spoiler boxes aren’t black.

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-click-rule/242494/4 "2004-04-28T20:53:33Z")

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Oops, you said non-clickable. Reading comprehension good.

Anyways, you never explain what problem this would solve.

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**Author:** ![htns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-two-click-rule/242494/5 "2004-04-29T12:52:33Z")

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> [@SmackFu](#):
>
> Oops, you said non-clickable. Reading comprehension good.
> 
> Anyways, you never explain what problem this would solve.

I seem to recall one of the admins explaining something like that.