So what is the etiquette involving "spoilers" regarding this particular forum "Cheats, Hints and Spoilers"?

Specifically, is it good enough that the thread is posted in the spoiler thread or do you have to also label it?

I'm pretty sure you can say anything you want here about the game.

You don't need to label a thread as having spoilers if posted in here, although some circumstances may warrant it. Spoilers shouldn't be posted in the thread title itself, which is common sense, but it does happen.

Some people choose to use a spoiler tag in their title and that's fine. Others have put the tag in because they were posting elsewhere and the thread was moved here.

"some circumstances may warrant it"

such as...?

Some people come here to ask pointed questions because they just need a nudge and don't want to read the entire walk-through and spoil everything. Also, this forum is called Cheats, HInts, and Spoilers; not all cheats and hints contain spoilers.

Generally, if you get in depth with a faction questline, you may want to post it here

Or, if accidentally reading a spoiler would ruin your day, this section probably isn't for you.

Personally, reading spoilers doesn't bother me. The game's not difficult, and mostly what's posted herein is NOT complete walkthroughs, not even close to what you'd get, for instance, on uesp.net (not to mention that I at least have completed just about every quest in the game at least once by now....) But if you get into posting a fair amount of detailed info on one section of a quest with "issues" or something, then maybe using the spoiler code would be a good idea.

I dont know, my friend just blurted out and seeing how I wasn't up to that bit yet, it really did ruin my day

Did you swat her? I suppose that would be a reasonable reaction.... though it wouldn't have bothered me even early in the game.

I know, but I still would have liked to have found that out on my own

I always just assumed ppl stayed away from forums when they get a new game in order to... you know... play the game So by the time they get around to coming to the forums they are far enough along in the game to not really be surprised at anything.

Turns out, I was wrong.

I don't know about MOST people - but I find a "friendly" forum the minute I get a new game, and settle in....

I find a friendly couch and settle in With a bag of chips, but not the greasy kind because I'll be holding my good controller

Don't do chips.... don't do couches.... The first doesn't agree with my waistline, the second doesn't agree with my back. But of course, "comfortable" and "friendly" are infinitely variable!

In games like this one where there are so many points of no return I'll often ask pointed questions and request vague, but specific answers so I don't 'ruin' a quest or questline.

I think anything goes here, but I will sometimes use the spoiler tag to reduce size of post - make it more readable.

Generally for myself I'd use a spoiler tag for end-of-faction line or very vital stuff. For example:

Saying that the Psijics are in the College of Winterhold or that the Blades play a part in the main quest would be out of spoiler tags and few would mind. saying that should be in tags. Note: That contained Main Quest, Thieves Guild College and Companions spoilers. If it's not clear what may be spoiled, mention what questline's spoilers you put in tags to make sure that if a person decides to open it and spoils something they don't want to have told then it's their own damn fault.