It's October 1st. That means fall TV is in full swing. That also means that that social media can be a tricky place to navigate if you do not watch your favorite show in real time. Face it, if you have a busy schedule, or just prefer to DVR shows and watch them commercial free, Twitter and Facebook can be a dangerous place.

In the day and age of social media and constant connection via smartphones and tablets, it can be hard to avoid spoilers. And, spoilers don't just happen for TV shows. Plenty of individuals DVR sports events as well. Some of the individuals who DVR games or Olympic events don't want to know the score or outcome of the game or event until the can watch it for themselves. Being spoiled with a TV show or game outcome isn't something new that has come about through as a result of social media. The risk of being spoiled existed around water coolers and in break rooms in offices around the world for years. What was the solution to avoiding them then? Stay away from the water cooler and out of the break room if you have not watched yet. So, what is the solution in the age of social media? Well, there are two options really. Abstain from social media during the show or use an app to filter your feed. An app? Yes, an app. Below are 6 apps or creative ways to help you avoid being spoiled.

1. Spoiler Shield.  Spoiler shield has built in shields for more than 30 shows and major sporting events.  The app is available on the iTunes Store, for Android and a Google Chrome extension.

2.  Twitter filters. You can use Google Chromes "Open Tweet Filter". You can use this filter to filter out certain individuals from your feed or by topic. So if you know a certain individual you follow live Tweets, filter them during the show. If you don't want to take any chances, filter based on the title of the show, character names, etc.

3. Abstinence.  Seriously, if you are busy and watch DVR'd episodes, stay off social media during the show and maybe for thirty to sixty minutes after it ends. If you want to take no chances wait till mid morning the next day.

4. Don't search. If you are watching popular, current shows on Netflix and are seasons behind, for Pete's sake do not do a search on the show or a character. I had someone call me out on social media for spoiling last year's season finale of Sons Of Anarchy I when I discussed on the night of this year's premiere a major death. The person scolded me saying I should've said "spoiler alert" because they were 2 seasons behind. Um, this person was not a follower of mine. So that means they were searching for the hashtag of the show and bam got spoiled. How is this my fault?  If you don't want to be spoiled don't go looking for information.

5. Don't start a blockbuster show late on Netflix. I am not saying don't watch the show. Just wait to start it until it's in the offseason or wait till it ends for good. If you start in offseason be prepared to binge watch and be caught up by the next season premiere date or risk being spoiled by current watchers.

6. Don't follow show or team. If you are a fan, maybe best to not follow the show or team via social media if you tend to watch later. For instance, don't follow the Chicago Blackhawks who live-tweet the game.  Some TV shows use specific hashtags they advertise on-screen during the show to encourage live tweeting. By following the show or network you risk being spoiled.

So, there you have 6 ways to avoid being spoiled this year during Fall TV.  As always, there is an app for everything, even one to avoid TV spoilers. Social media is a live environment where you can get real-time news or be spoiled on live TV events. So your options are simple, stay offline, use an app that exists or develop an app yourself to control things that might spoil things for you. Happy Fall TV watching! Oh, and be forewarned, if you follow me or Dave, be prepared, we live Tweet sometimes!