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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.
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Monday morning question...

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  • Monday morning question...

    just to get the old heart pumping.

    Ok, here's the setup.

    We are the # 1 team in the league at the moment. We have consistantly been one of the top 5 (record wise) teams all season long & pretty much have been the best in the east for the entire season.

    We have an all-star powerforward who is a candidate for M.V.P.

    We have an all-star smallforward who is a candidate for D.P.O.Y.

    We have a Center who fits all of the values of our local market. ie. hustler, does dirty work, etc.

    We have a local living legend at the shooting guard spot.

    We have a point guard who has been "born again" & that always plays well with the locals.

    We have a 6th man of the year candidate.

    We have a C.O.Y. candidate.

    We have a Hoosier living legend in the front office.

    Life is good for the Pacers.

    Now the question.

    Why is there no local buzz about the Pacers? Why do our own fans not beleive?

    Forget what you've been reading here on the digest or other internet sites. Even with the teeth gnashing & wrist wringing that is being done here we are still more enthused about the Pacers.

    The last game I could attend was the Toronto game, actually now that I think about it that was our last home game (I think) & I will tell you straight up.

    We just came off of a great roadtrip. First time we have ever swept the west & the place was just over half full.

    The lower decks were full, as usual, but the entire upper corners were barren & there were plenty of seats in the end zones on both sides.

    There is no local talk of how good the team is. No real strutting around about how good the team is.

    Is it because of last years playoffs? Is it because everybody thinks "it's the east so who cares"? Is it overall lack of playoff success for three seasons? Of course people are going to say it's a combo of all of the above.

    But what I want to know is this.

    Is it possible that my theory that I have been putting forth for three years now has some validaty to it?

    The local fans do not identify with this team & have no real emotional attachment to it.

    Before you dismiss me on this, think about it. Think back to all of those 90's teams & remember by this time of year the fans all over central Indiana were getting stoked. The Pacers were the topic, if not now then by the middle of march.

    The big question is, why?

    Why hasn't the local fan base fallen for this team?

    Playoff wins will cure a lot of this, so maybe this question is moot. But I still find it odd that on it's first homegame after a long stretch away being the best team in the east & playing a playoff squad that we couldn't even fill the fieldhouse to 3/4 capacity.

    I won't even mention the crowd reaction it was pathetic.


    Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

  • #2
    Re: Monday morning question...

    It's all been discussed before but it's all that plus:

    the economy Indianapolis has lost a TON of blue color jobs and tey are the people that have historically gone to the Pacer games (and been rowdy)

    The interest in NBA is down all over the league. When stars like Kobe and Webber are being arrested... when there seems to be daily stories about some ego-centric millionaire brat mouthing off about having to sit on the bench...why shouold I shell out $5-0 to watch him play (half heartedly at that_)




    ok now I'm getting strange characters in my typing??????? -0 when I press the zero and _) when I hit the shift right parens ...odd. the the $50- above ok now it did THAT differntly! ACCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHH!
    Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Monday morning question...

      Peck, I would like to know what the TV ratings are, I think that is a better barometer than attendance. There are so many variables besides winning that effect attendance.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Monday morning question...

        It's all been discussed before but it's all that plus:

        The economy in Indianapolis has lost a TON of blue color jobs and they are the people that have historically gone to the Pacer games (and been rowdy).

        The interest in NBA is down all over the league. When stars like Kobe and Webber are being arrested... when there seems to be daily stories about some ego-centric millionaire brat mouthing off about having to sit on the bench...why should I shell out $50 to watch him play (half heartedly at that).

        I agree on both points. I attend several Pacers' home games each year (I don't live in Indy), and I've noticed the crowd has become more "corporate" and subdued over the years. People seem to be on their best behavior because, from what I can gather, a lot of companies buy blocks of seats and use them to entertain clients. So what you have are a bunch of knit shirt and khaki-clad ninnies in the lower stands who aren't as emotionally invested in the team as the lifelong, diehard fan. Those fans are being pushed up into the upper levels to seats even they can't afford anymore. But that's becoming the case everywhere. Big business is taking over sports.

        Plus, as Indy becomes a more service-industry city and imports more white-collar jobs, the population itself becomes more transient. You don't have as many fans in the seats who have followed the team their entire life. You have more of the fair-weathered-type fan instead—those who "adopt" the Pacers as their team when the skies are blue. I lived in Atlanta when the Braves came into preeminence in the 90s and this was certainly the case. Attending a game at Turner field was like attending a big company picnic. It was kinda pathetic, actually.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Monday morning question...

          Peck, I would like to know what the TV ratings are, I think that is a better barometer than attendance. There are so many variables besides winning that effect attendance.

          Local ratings or other?


          Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Monday morning question...

            The Pacers have never been a sizzling item in Indianapolis, except, perhaps, for the Bird years and the first year of Conseco. And those years weren't perfect in terms of fan support.

            In the Larry Brown era when the Pacers first made their move to respectability, there were plenty of empty seats in MSA and it was very easy to get a playoff ticket.

            The typical Hoosier bball fan is just getting acquainted with this group of young warriors and a good playoff run would increase long term interest substantially.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Monday morning question...

              The Pacers have never been a sizzling item in Indianapolis, except, perhaps, for the Bird years and the first year of Conseco. And those years weren't perfect in terms of fan support.

              In the Larry Brown era when the Pacers first made their move to respectability, there were plenty of empty seats in MSA and it was very easy to get a playoff ticket.

              The typical Hoosier bball fan is just getting acquainted with this group of young warriors and a good playoff run would increase long term interest substantially.
              You are 100% correct.

              However I guess I didn't do a very good job of making this point. It's not just attendance I'm talking about here. You could get good floor seats at M.S.A. up until the E.C. finals the first & second year.

              However, the Pacers were the TALK of the town. Maybe it was because it was new or something else.

              I just don't get the Buzz like feeling around here anymore. Unless you knew somebody who was a Pacers fan you wouldn't know they were a Pacers fan.


              Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Monday morning question...

                Peck, I would like to know what the TV ratings are, I think that is a better barometer than attendance. There are so many variables besides winning that effect attendance.

                Local ratings or other?
                Local





                In the Larry Brown era when the Pacers first made their move to respectability, there were plenty of empty seats in MSA and it was very easy to get a playoff ticket.

                Sixthman, you are correct tickets were available, howver each of the playoff games in the 1994 run were sold out by game time

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Monday morning question...

                  Simply put, if and when this team advances in the playoffs, and especially if it makes it to the Conference Finals and/or NBA Finals, the crowds will come, cheer hard, and come back in more force next season.

                  Assuming the team stays at this level or better for the next several years, this season's playoffs will kick-start another wave of fans.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Monday morning question...

                    Peck, I would like to know what the TV ratings are, I think that is a better barometer than attendance. There are so many variables besides winning that effect attendance.

                    Local ratings or other?
                    Local





                    In the Larry Brown era when the Pacers first made their move to respectability, there were plenty of empty seats in MSA and it was very easy to get a playoff ticket.

                    Sixthman, you are correct tickets were available, howver each of the playoff games in the 1994 run were sold out by game time
                    If they sold out at game time, it was right before game time.

                    There were still seats available up until 1 hour before the Orlando game in 94 because a buddy of mine bought two in the upper decks.


                    Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Monday morning question...

                      If they sold out at game time, it was right before game time.

                      There were still seats available up until 1 hour before the Orlando game in 94 because a buddy of mine bought two in the upper decks.
                      Those were the good ole days.

                      After each of the first playoff games, you could buy good middle- range- priced- tickets for the next game at the ticket window. And as many as you wanted. My friend and I were buying them by the tens and then selling them to friends and to friends of friends. I'd say we went thru several hundred playoff tickets that year and had no trouble selling every ticket we had.

                      UB is right. The buzz for the Pacers was incredible. I think much of it was that the expectations were so low.

                      When the Pacers get out of the first couple of playoff rounds, it will get crazy again.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Monday morning question...

                        A couple of notes. First, I agree with everyone about the playoffs - the fans need to go to the wars with the team. Right now there's no more attachment to these guys than there was to the team in the Bob Hill days - the ".500 team getting booted annually in the 1st rd" guys.

                        Second, I think the Colts have turned into a new hot commodity. They have a charismatic, extremely popular leader/player and I think they've stolen a TON of thunder from the Pacers.

                        For over a decade when you thought of Professional sports in Indianapolis the first name that popped into your head was Reggie Miller. Now it's Peyton Manning.

                        That won't change until the Pacers get to the conf finals. And even then the Colts will be solid competition. That's different from the mid-90's IMO. The Jim Harbaugh years always felt like a fad to me. The Peyton Manning years don't.
                        The poster formerly known as Rimfire

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Monday morning question...

                          One thing that might have had an effect is the syndication of the Bob and Tom show. They were doing all sorts of things "back in the day" that really helped stoke the city, with the Boom, Baby song, Just a Bunch of Hoosier Hicks, etc.

                          Plus they used to have Reggie on all the time and Chick McGee chasing Spike Lee through the airport....

                          Rarely listen to them now, but I doubt they're promoting the Pacers like they used to.

                          Just a thought........
                          PSN: MRat731 XBL: MRat0731

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Monday morning question...

                            One thing that might have had an effect is the syndication of the Bob and Tom show. They were doing all sorts of things "back in the day" that really helped stoke the city, with the Boom, Baby song, Just a Bunch of Hoosier Hicks, etc.

                            Plus they used to have Reggie on all the time and Chick McGee chasing Spike Lee through the airport....

                            Rarely listen to them now, but I doubt they're promoting the Pacers like they used to.

                            Just a thought........
                            That's an interesting point - I generally stopped listening to B&T once that became a "national" show. When I still lived in town, I would occasionally listen to the "fifth hour" - the local stuff - but because of daylight savings time I only listened to that during the half of the year when it was the 9am hour - I wasn't going to wake up at 5am just to listen to B&T!

                            Peck, I wish I had the answer to your question. But if I did, my solution would be on my cover letter/ resume addressed to Mr. Walsh, Mr. Ratterman, etc.

                            One aspect that hasn't been mentioned was that when we moved from MSA to The Fieldhouse, some "relationships" ended. Most, but not all of us, that were in the first few rows of the upper level of Aisle 20 moved to Section 222 together. But some of our key "friends" ended up in other parts of the arena. Another family's kids got old enough that they just didn't have time to go to very many games anymore, I think they dropped their tickets because I haven't seen them in two seasons and prior to that I spent seven years watching their kids grow up. Of course, I moved, so I only go to a handful of games now. When I go back, what used to be a very full and rowdy section is now eerily quiet and empty. And the bozos behind us spend the entire game on their cellphones. And since all the regulars are gone, we're now surrounded by fans that are "rookies" and haven't figured out when to cheer, when and what to yell at the refs, etc. (I may 'snap' the next time somebody in our section yells at the officials to call an 'intentional' foul - this ain't college ("semipro") ball.
                            Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                            Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                            Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                            Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                            And life itself, rushing over me
                            Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                            Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Monday morning question...

                              A few other reasons, in no particular order:

                              -The Colts. The Colts sucked back when the Pacers were making their '90s playoff runs, with the exception of the fluke year when Harbaugh almost took them to the Superbowl... a lot of fan money is going to te Colts these days, as they are obviously the top local sports franchise around here now.

                              -Local media. Someone mentioned the Bob-and-Tom factor, that plays into it, but so does the despicable local sports talk coverage. ESPN 950 talks more about arena football and Butler/IUPUI/Valpo basketball than they do the Pacers - it makes me sick. Star coverage is pretty lackluster as well. This could be one of those "chicken-and-egg" deals though - is the coverage bad because of low fan support, or the other way around?

                              -NBA marketing. The NBA has REALLY pushed toward the "urban" market in recent years, and, while I hate to bring up the race issue, let's face it - the vast majority of potential Indiana NBA fans are white. Whereas back in the 90's we had Jordan, who was able to cross those racial barriers in terms of marketing, today we have more emphasis on guys like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmello Anthony, etc. who are usually presented with the retro-jersey and sneaker-wearing marketing style, which is geared more toward black youth, a market that might be big in Philadelphia or Detroit but not Indy.

                              I agree with some of the other posters that playoff success = fan base.

                              Comment

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