Announcement

Collapse

The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
See more
See less

More good stuff from Bender

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    More good stuff from Bender

    http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/featu...er_080826.html


    Bender making his mark by helping New Orleans rebuild from Hurricane Katrina
    By Conrad Brunner | Aug. 26, 2008


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Five months before he was forced into premature retirement by balky knees in 2006, Jonathan Bender took the initiative to put together a relief effort that delivered two tractor-trailers filled with donated goods to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans area, including his hometown of Picayune, Miss.
    Three years later, he's still giving back.

    That initial act of kindness has blossomed into a full-fledged entrepreneurial venture for the former Pacers forward. He owns an investment company that seeks community re-investment opportunities; a construction company that restores flood-ravaged housing; a property management company that leases those properties, targeting displaced residents looking to return to the New Orleans area; and a realty company to help facilitate the sale of those properties to qualified families.

    You've heard of a one-man wrecking crew? Bender has become a one-man rebuilding team.

    "It wasn't charity, it was a real crisis," Bender said, reflecting on those tense days in the aftermath of Katrina. "I hadn't spoken to my grandmother in weeks and when I finally talked to her they were stuck. I finally went to my house and it was just crazy. It was tough to get the normal stuff everybody else has like water or gas. When I went to Indiana and did it I wasn't thinking of anything other than trying to help as much as I could.

    "When I got everything down there and saw how everybody really appreciated it, it really made me think how far we were behind in that area. Since I was there anyway, I kind of put my foot out there and started doing the kinds of things I'm doing now. I'm a social entrepreneur. I'm able to make a living and help the people around me at the same time, so that's great."

    Bender has taken a holistic approach. His construction company restores the properties to better condition than pre-Katrina, using premium materials and fixtures. His management company works with the families that move in, including a 12-month program that educates them about things like how to qualify for a home loan and the best ways to maintain the property.


    In his final season with the Pacers, Bender organized a drive to deliver supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images)

    He described his philosophy simply but eloquently: "Each one teach one."

    "For me, it’s not just about putting someone in a house," he said. "It’s about showing someone how to fish so they can eat for a lifetime, as the old proverb says. It's about treating others the way you want to be treated. Educating people on many levels -- how to establish their credit, maintain their credit, how to get a home, keep a home, financial planning, opening a business, wealth-building and management and so much more."

    In a region still recovering from the devastation of the hurricane, Bender has achieved stardom, albeit in a different arena.

    ''Jonathan has done more than the government so far as providing quality housing for low- and moderate-income families," Barbara Major, a board member of New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, told Gannett News Service. ''He's not just throwing something together ... He does quality work. He really cares about the people who are going to live there."

    "Jonathan won't use cheap carpet or Linoleum,'' Joe Esnard III, a builder who has done much of Bender's construction work, told GNS. "He wants granite countertops, oak cabinets, quality flooring, nice light fixtures. I tell him he's going overboard for rental property, but he says he wants it to look like something he'd live in himself.''

    He's not just an entrepreneur. He also is a philanthropist. Bender's foundation adopted an elementary school in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie. For Christmas, he gave a present to each of the 432 students. For Easter, he provided baskets for each and hid the eggs for the hunt. He also provides activities that promote teamwork, self-esteem and responsibility, including monthly neighborhood basketball and mentoring camps.

    Drafted out of high school at No. 5 overall by Toronto, then traded to the Pacers for Antonio Davis, Bender's playing career was haunted by knee problems. He spent parts of seven seasons with the Pacers, totaling just nine games in the final two before his retirement.

    Since leaving basketball behind, Bender has poured himself into these new ventures.

    "I've been playing ball my whole life and that's pretty much all I knew at the time – basketball, basketball, basketball," he said. "But I always knew I had something else burning inside me that I wanted to do. Being from Picayune, Miss., you learn the essentials but you don't learn a lot like the northern folk about entrepeneurship and stuff like that. We didn't have classes like that. I didn't know what an entrepreneur was until my early 20s, to tell you the truth.

    "What I'm doing right now is basically trying to be the champion at what I'm doing."

    Though his NBA career was mark primarily by frustration, Bender said he learned some difficult lessons that have helped him move into his new life.

    "I’m not in the habit of looking back but if I must, the injuries took me through a tremendous mental test that taught me incredible patience," he said. "It taught me how to cope with adversity, how to create my own world. I developed razor-sharp focus that helped to block out the harsh criticism and negativity that was being said and written. It helped me to be stronger, to think deeper, knowing that everything happens for a reason.

    "The impact you can have with an NBA career can be somewhat restricted, in the overall big picture. But an NBA basketball player-turned-entrepreneur? Well, that has no limits. Entrepreneurship has become a way of life for me. Basketball was great to me. I am so grateful for the awesome blessing that God bestowed upon me that has made it possible for me to be on the ride I’m on now."

    Bender has chronicled that ride in a book, "Confessions of a Courtside CEO," which he said will hit bookstores early next year. He hopes it will help others looking for guidance.

    "I consider this book to be important in my desire to become a mentor to other young entrepreneurs," he said. "I have a million people ready to teach me how to dribble but I couldn’t get one person to give me a minute to teach me about entrepreneurship and business. It was discouraging for me at first. But, in the end, it simply ignited my competitive spirit in a whole new and exciting way."

    Because he had so much promise as a player, Bender was often a target for criticism during his days with the Pacers because he was unable to fulfill his immense potential. He has proved in the time since his true potential extended well beyond the boundaries of a basketball court.

    "I gave basketball everything I had, 100 percent," he said. "I knew deep down inside I was a champion. Now that I have moved into another phase of my life, I will show just how much of a champion I am. Being a champion is more than just winning an athletic championship. It’s winning in life and making others winners with you along the way."



    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: More good stuff from Bender

    Now that's a role model. I'm proud to have had him associated with the Pacers and wish more were like him.

    Perhaps it would be helpful for a someone with an income top level players can respect to hold seminars on how players can make more of a difference by actively involving themselves in projects during the off-season and after retirement. I'd sure like to see more of this kind of out-of-the-box thinking about giving back.
    BillS

    A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
    Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: More good stuff from Bender

      I'm really happy for him. This is a guy who was having his utilities turned off on his apt, reportedly, behind in rent, his first year in the league. Basically a kid who didn't know how to take care of himself. Also, he really was not well spoken at all.

      Look at him now, articulate, a very sucessful business man. I've been bitter about his career, but he has really made something nice with all that money, good for him, good for New Orleans.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: More good stuff from Bender

        I hope everything works out well for him b/c I rented a home to a lady and she tore the hell out of the thing. Follow my advice NO PETS.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: More good stuff from Bender

          i wish him the best but.....
          from the pacers giving money away to the lost cause that was bender, he is in turn giving away money to the lost cause that is new orleans. one of these days, another hurricane that is as strong (or stronger) than katrina will hit that place again and those levees will break again and it will be a horrible mess all over again. this is a city that has and continues to sink ever deeper below sea level. anyone has gotta be crazy to still want to live there.
          i mean i admire his humanitarian efforts and all but, i think he is pretty much just throwing his money away down there. but hey, if thats what he wants to do- i'm cool with it.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: More good stuff from Bender

            Originally posted by clownskull View Post
            i wish him the best but.....
            from the pacers giving money away to the lost cause that was bender, he is in turn giving away money to the lost cause that is new orleans. one of these days, another hurricane that is as strong (or stronger) than katrina will hit that place again and those levees will break again and it will be a horrible mess all over again. this is a city that has and continues to sink ever deeper below sea level. anyone has gotta be crazy to still want to live there.
            i mean i admire his humanitarian efforts and all but, i think he is pretty much just throwing his money away down there. but hey, if thats what he wants to do- i'm cool with it.
            I am not debating this. But is this really the place.

            No matter if a hurricane destroyed NO again. Efforts like this not only changes a city, but how people live.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: More good stuff from Bender

              Originally posted by intridcold View Post
              I am not debating this. But is this really the place.

              No matter if a hurricane destroyed NO again. Efforts like this not only changes a city, but how people live.
              Exactly. If more money goes into the area it could be much safer. The issue isn't as simple as "it'll never be safe", the issue is "who cares, do it on the cheap" which is why the rebuild has been such a mess. Too many other vultures want it to go poorly so they can sweep in and make a fortune as people give up.

              If you dropped all of Beverly Hills into NO you'd damn sure see a better effort than the Army Eng Core has done on the levees this time around, as well as the end to all the roadblocks on other key measures to prevent future disasters (wetland development, placement of water breaks, etc).



              I think Bender is making it a lot easier to handle the Simons dumping all that money into a "lost cause". Now it feels a lot less loss after all. I have to admit that I never saw this story coming out of JB. The more you hear about it the stronger his effort sounds too.

              Comment

              Previous template Next
              Working...
              X