Why threads are locked in a show forum

[John]

Queeny asked why all threads except the show discussion thread is locked on "show night".

The answer is: because people can't read our rules.

We request that ALL DISCUSSION of a show that's airing be kept in the "Show Discussion" thread for that night, until the show has completed airing on the west coast (3 hours after it finishes on the east coast). If people would follow that rule, there would be no need to lock the rest of the threads, but they don't. So, we help keep them honest by locking all remaining threads until 3 hours after east-coast showtime.

You may not start new threads or post in other threads, other than the Show Discussion thread, until the entire country has seen the show. If you were having a discussion in another thread which would be unaffected by the show discussion, then you'll just have to put that discussion on the back burner for a couple of hours.

[queeny]

I thank you John. Did I break a rule? was I the only one locked out? I try to refresh my pea brain regularly, and I believe I stayed with in the spoiler page......
What is thread jacked? wasn't I at the help desk thread? Oh man , I feel like I'm sitting in the hall waiting for the principle to call me in.

[John]

Everyone is locked out of all threads except the "Show Discussion" thread, for posting. You can still read.

"thread-jacking" is posting something of a completely different topic in a thread. We were discussing the new FAQ rule in the other thread, and your question about locked threads is something unrelated which belongs in a new thread.

[queeny]

I see, well I learned something new. thank you, I will not Thread Jack again.

[AIWANNABE]

Is it okayto start a new thread during show discussion, if it doesn't have anything to do with that night's episode?

[John]

I'd prefer that you didn't.

[veejer]

Don't they automatically lock after the thread is started? I seem to recall something like that happening to me during Survivor.

Being in the Eastern time zone, Survivor was long over for me and I started the next week's precap title guess thread. But it was immediately locked and no one could guess until after the forum was unlocked.

Perhaps it wasn't automatic, but a mod with a quick trigger finger.

[John]

Everything is automatically locked (well, the mod tells it when to start and when to end the "lockdown", and after that, it's automatic).