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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:

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

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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

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The right places to do so are:

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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:

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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.

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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

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Clark Now Working With Lance

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  • #1

    Clark Now Working With Lance

    Tom Lewis
    Indycornrows.com
    http://www.indycornrows.com/2010/9/3...ance#storyjump


    Whether or not Lance Stephenson ever takes the court in an Indiana Pacers uniform remains to be seen, but the team continues supporting the young guard while waiting for a resolution to his legal issues.

    Stephenson's arrest and pending court date on October 19th were certainly a punch to the gut for the organization. There's no doubt that the Pacers are planning ahead for life without Lance. As Mike Wells tweeted today, the Pacers have kept Stephenson away from the Fieldhouse, instead having him work with assistant coaches at a different facility.

    Seems kind of harsh, but looking at the big picture it makes sense for bothsides. The best thing for Stephenson personally is to be in Indiana working on both his game and personal issues far away from his troubles in New York. But assuming the worst and a conviction holds up the vicious details of Stephenson's arrest, which in turn leadsto the Pacers cutting ties, it would make for a smoother transition if Stephenson didn't develop the relationships and bonds with teammates and staff from working together at the Fieldhouse every day. Regardless, the Fieldhouse exile is a strong indication that Stephenson's days are numbered, save for a positive legal result.

    While the Pacers are making things difficult for Stephenson on the court, off the court they have a mentor in place working to get Stephenson on the right track in life which is far more important at this time in the young man's life.

    Clark Kellogg didn't have time to ease into his role as vice president of player relations for the Pacers, but he also didn't hesitate to jump right in to help with Stephenson. Kellogg described his main role as that of a mentor for the players.

    "I define it as a mentoring role in helping to create empowering programs for our players so they can be champions on and off the court" Kellogg said. "That's kind of the umbrella we're trying to operate under."

    Sounds like a solid mission statement, but with a wide variety of personalities from all walks of life it will take more than making sure the players treat the fans well and work with the community. Kellogg is prepared to address a comprehensive range of issues facing the players.

    "Also, trying to steer them away from situations that lead to negative publicity for them and the team That's a real challenge because of how young our players are and how difficult it is to be hands on 24/7," Kellogg explained. "That's kind of where I am now, trying to get to know our guys and put things in place to help them with their decision making and their handling of unique demands that are part of being a pro player. The scrutiny you get. The attention you attract both positive and negative. The dynamics of dealing with family when you come into the kind of money these players come into. I mean it's a very comprehensive list of things you deal with, but primarily trying to mentor our players through some of their challenges and opportunities in a way to where they can begin to take ownership in a positive and good way for themselves now and going forward."

    So what does Kellogg have to say about his work with Stephenson?

    Star-divide

    "I've been involved with Lance extensively because his incident happened a couple of weeks ago and there were some steps we needed to take in order to get him back on the right track,: Kellog said. "Obviously, the legal outcome is still undetermined at this point. We won't get any clarification there until some time in October most likely."

    So the legal issues don't just impact Stephenson personally, they also have implications for the Pacers because the rookie is under contract with the team. Navigating through all of the potential outcomes requires some patience. But that doesn't mean Stephenson is on ice waiting for his court date. We know he's in town working out at some undisclosed location and now we know Kellogg is also working him out off the court.

    "We've put Lance in a position where he can begin to work his way back into the good graces of the team, but also give him some help away from the court in dealing with some of the issues that may have led to this incident with his girlfriend," Kellogg explained. "So he's on track now."

    Great, but can he stay on track? That question will continue to linger with any positive reports on Stephenson even from such a reliable source as Clark Kellogg. Even if Stephenson is absolved of any wrong-doing in this case, the questions will linger. With Kellogg in his corner, helping to shine a light on the path to success, the Pacers have availed Stephenson of resources far valuable than the guaranteed contract he signed.

    For his sake as a person, not a player, I hope he takes full advantage.
    Thanks to Tom Lewis over at Indycornrows
    Stop quoting people I have on ignore!
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

    "Listen, young fella. Life's not just about squeezing the orange or enjoying the low-hanging fruit from the Tree of Penetration. Not only should you be focusing on taking high-quality shots, but you need to focus on being a high-quality citizen. It's called 'Being a Professional On and Off the Court,' young fella."
    Last edited by Day-V; 09-03-2010, 11:15 PM.

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    • #3
      Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

      I hope Clark Kellogg is moving into position as Head Coach. Hes what this team needs out there on the sidelines with the clipboard. A guy that the player can really relate with.
      "To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine

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      • #4
        Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

        i honestly don't have a strong opinion on w/er its good or bad, but to me it is sounding like they are keeping him, as a long as he doesn't get time in the slammer...these kind of reports sure look like they are setting the stage for a "second" chance...

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        • #5
          Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

          It is good to read a statement regarding Lance's pending status. Finally, the Pacers addressed the public, although I can totally understand why they wanted to cool the incident down the first couple of weeks.

          "We've put Lance in a position where he can begin to work his way back into the good graces of the team [...]", Kellogg explained.

          So I not only interpret that as a chance for Lance to come back and make the team (granted that the outcome of the hearing is positive) but also take that as an indication that the case isn't as black and white as it first appeared when the news came out. Otherwise the Pacers wouldn't bother too much, right? But then again, I could construe too much in that statement and Kellogg's work is just part of the social responsibility the Pacers have with helping young people, regardless of what they did.

          Anyway, I don't expect Lance to be shopped around until the hearing took place.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

            Originally posted by IndyProdigy View Post
            I hope Clark Kellogg is moving into position as Head Coach. Hes what this team needs out there on the sidelines with the clipboard. A guy that the player can really relate with.
            Which is one fraction of the job.

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            • #7
              Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

              But assuming the worst and a conviction holds up the vicious details of Stephenson's arrest, which in turn leadsto the Pacers cutting ties, it would make for a smoother transition if Stephenson didn't develop the relationships and bonds with teammates and staff from working together at the Fieldhouse every day. Regardless, the Fieldhouse exile is a strong indication that Stephenson's days are numbered, save for a positive legal result.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

                Thank God.

                I don't say that because I want Lance on this team so badly, but more because this is just simply the absolute right thing to do. It's refreshing to see that not only do they want the players to do the "right thing", but that the Pacers from the top of the organization are willing to do exactly what they ask of the players. Things that just a decent human being should be willing to do.

                I was pretty disgusted with the people on here blabbing about how it's not "the Pacers job" to help this young man and were willing to just turn their backs on him and just shove him out the damn door. Whether it's their "job" or not is irrelevant. They have the means to help him, and there's no real reason not to. Even if he doesn't ever wear a Pacers uniform, I would be okay if he went on to have a good NBA career somewhere else because of the help he received here. Why? Because it's just the right damn thing to do. Exactly what the men at the top are asking of the players themselves. I'm glad to see they aren't hypocrites and it makes me even more proud to support this organization.

                That's like walking by someone dying of thirst, and you're walking with 2 bottles of water in your hand and just keep on going. Refusing to help because it's "not your job". Who cares, right? Thank God the Pacers aren't run by some of the people who post here.

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                • #9
                  Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

                  It is a weird sort of Schroedinger's Cat situation. Stephenson is either guilty and bound for prison, or else he is innocent and merely a young man with a troubled past. The cat is either dead or alive inside the box, but we don't know which.

                  The Pacers can't wait 'til the box is open -- they have to deal with him right now when the probability that he has a future with the team is greater than zero but less than one.
                  And I won't be here to see the day
                  It all dries up and blows away
                  I'd hang around just to see
                  But they never had much use for me
                  In Levelland. (James McMurtry)

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

                    Clark's a great guy. I'm glad he's the one working with Lance.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

                      Originally posted by Putnam View Post
                      It is a weird sort of Schroedinger's Cat situation. Stephenson is either guilty and bound for prison, or else he is innocent and merely a young man with a troubled past. The cat is either dead or alive inside the box, but we don't know which.

                      The Pacers can't wait 'til the box is open -- they have to deal with him right now when the probability that he has a future with the team is greater than zero but less than one.
                      I hope Lance will succeed and develop under the positive assistance that he will inevitably receive while he's associated with the Pacer organization. I really do. However, they cannot be blindly led by the carrot of his potential and ignore what has happened to this team in the past in similar situations. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

                      I don't want to open the box. That cat is dead, I'm afraid, because this whole thing is starting to take on a nasty odor.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

                        If you eat from the fruit of the tree of penetration, the cat will surely die.
                        "Look, it's up to me to put a team around ... Lance right now." —Kevin Pritchard press conference

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                        • #13
                          Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

                          Originally posted by Putnam View Post
                          It is a weird sort of Schroedinger's Cat situation. Stephenson is either guilty and bound for prison, or else he is innocent and merely a young man with a troubled past. The cat is either dead or alive inside the box, but we don't know which.

                          The Pacers can't wait 'til the box is open -- they have to deal with him right now when the probability that he has a future with the team is greater than zero but less than one.
                          Great analogy...so right now he is both, until observed. Awesome!

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

                            Originally posted by xBulletproof View Post

                            the Pacers aren't run by some of the people who post here.

                            Yeah, like those that are willing to down play Stephenson's problems or are willing to put the franchise in jeopardy with their "win at all costs" attitudes.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Clark Now Working With Lance

                              Originally posted by Justin Tyme View Post
                              Yeah, like those that are willing to down play Stephenson's problems or are willing to put the franchise in jeopardy with their "win at all costs" attitudes.


                              Good God yes, lets have this argument for the 1000th time this week!

                              This silly reply has nothing to do with my point. Reread the first damn sentence in my post. It was there for a purpose. To avoid someone posting with an incredibly uncreative and dull reply like this. My post has nothing to do with the Pacers image, or winning or losing games. My post was about people doing the right thing for other people, and how some people lose sight of that.

                              Apparently nothing else on Earth matters, except the Pacers image to some. Including helping a potentially lost 19 year old man. Which is quite a messed up contradiction. What's truthfully better for your image as an organization? To use people and throw them out the door without regard for anything else? Or to help guide a young man down a better path regardless of if he ever wears a Pacers uniform?

                              Comment

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