No. I am "perusing" this blog one last time.

Pete, I used to "peruse" this blog until today because they didn't post spoilers - for the most part - in the post titles nor "above the fold".

Then this morning they took a show on the cusp of ending a 6 season story arc and decided to, as Kelly (who are you?) - so properly put it - see what is considered a spoiler after some kind of internal discussion.

Consistancy should count for something. This was a blatant and callous display of readership disrespect. (And anyone capable of "perusing" online blogs - "news" or not - should understand the concept of readership disrespect. Can you Pete?)

I read a certain LOST spoiler blog (Dark UFO) and have very carefully avoided most everything for the last 2 weeks there. At least they have rules they abide by consistanly and, well, hide spoilers behind a "Are you sure" button.

Thanks to that site I know ONE thing about the upcoming final episodes. I could know more. They posted quite a bit about an authentic final episode script. And - like this blog also did 2/3 days ago - they hid it such that I... CHOSE... to not read it.

This morning I came to a blog (TV Squad) wanting to catch up on various posts. By time I could avert reading anymore I didn't just know a cast member was killed off, I knew much more than that. This evening? I learned about another who was killed off.

That's not "reviewing". And that's certainly not consistancy.

I can find out about TV Shows elsewhere. Like others have said Pete, I'm gone. And if you can't appreciate where our outrage is coming from, I feel bad for you.

One last parting thought for you - read this Kelly Woo's comment. Try to find out who she is. (Right now the link attached to her name yields a 404 error.) She speaks like she's now part of managing this blog. She speaks like she's listening to the negative feedback in this post.

Now really read her words. Listen to them. Look for anything that speaks to any kind of, well, CONSIDERATION of the readers. Readers who just happened to have come here today. Or since they announce a merger with another site or blog or news outlet or whatever. Or a connection to readers who have come here for years. Hear any connection of the sort?

[Chirp. Chirp.]

I thought not. There was no thoughts like that. There was no requests to the readers here about what's a spoiler or not. There wasn't even an apologetic attitude.

I agree with DaveD. TV Squad never posted spoilers on purpose. The purpose of this post was to just spoil everyone. If you wanted to discuss the events of the particular episode just go to the recap post, there is no use to this post.
The autoplay thing is extremely annoying too. Worst of all is the annoying unrelated links between comments and post. One of the main reasons I visit this site is the blog/comments, yet with this change TVSquad/AOL have managed to ruin a good thing. Don't fix what's broke just for $. I'll stick around to see if things improve but if it doesn't then you've lost another one.

American Idol has no plot and is simply like a contest or awards show. Its not a spoiler to announce the winner. The Hurt Locker winning best picture isn't a spoiler and Kris Allen winning is the same thing as that.

Lost has a plot and is a continuing story. Jin and Sun's death wasn't news, it was a plot turn. When Bruce Willis was dead at the end of the 6th Sense did you consider that news and put up a video of it after it came out? No, and Lost is the same. The deaths are something to discuss in the recaps as part of the plot. They aren't headlines. There is a difference between American Idol and LOST, V, 24, etc. American Idol wants to be news. The other shows are trying to tell a story.

I see Kelly. So....

(1) You decided to "experiment" in a production environment?

(2) You decided to best way to define that sincerely fine line of what is a "spoiler" versus "news" is to take a fiction show who is now 4 episodes away from their finale after 6 seasons and simply post it - without a single heads-up word?

(3) You decided to then insert an auto-play video that gives out more spoilers?

(4) All this after a few years of TV Squad building up their fan base and learning what is and what isn't?

(5) Comparing saying something in the lead paragraph and title about LOST with somehow saying who won American Idol? I mean really, you all are THAT dense? You don't grasp ANY difference?

FAIL. BIG TIME FAIL.

That wasn't strike one. That was worthy of two - and maybe three strikes. (God I hope you catch what I'm saying. And yes, right now I'm not sure your head can wrap itself around it.)

You weren't "working out kinks". You did a grossly stupid and idiotic thing that absolutely requires an apology to every single person who reads TV Squad. Not sone equally LAME update that says "hey reader, a spoiler is coming right here so scroll down and avert your eyes".

An apology. An honest one. A sincere one. One that might make the regular readers of this blog stick around because we think you actually have a clue.

I'd comment like this too.

This morning I simply saw three things:

(1) TV Squad did their promised makeover.

(2) Started reading the beginning of a spoiler I won't view until about 45 minutes from now.

(3) I closed the tab and then began to wonder if I need to no longer stop here.

This evening? More bad.

(1) Clicked on the post to read if I was the only one not just disappointed but UPSET with the shitty way of changing the spoiler policy.

(2) Suddenly had to figure out how to turn off auto-video - hint: I blocked it.

(3) Too bad I didn't hit the refresh button quick enough. Looks like a LOST spoiler from either this episode or the next is there.

My. God.

Very piss-poor. Mark, thanks for say *everything* I intended.

Yes, they updated this post. Put some verbage about "don't read any further" after the first paragraph. And yeah - IT LOOKS LIKE THEY STILL KEPT THE SPOILERS ON THE LEAD PAGE.

Thank you VERY much TV Squad for this. I knew some cosmetic changes were coming. Had no clue they were idiotic things like this.

A clue - get an idea about who reads your posts before doing shitass stuff like this. I mean, what good is a great cosmetic redesign when the result is your content totally sucks wind?