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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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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**"

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"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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Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

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  • Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

    Didn't see this posted in the 149794654668549787498 Artest threads, so...

    http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/artest_051212.html

    Pacers Moving On Without Artest


    By Conrad Brunner | Dec. 12, 2005
    The Pacers are moving on. So, it appears, is Ron Artest. In response to Artest's very public demand to be traded, franchise CEO and President Donnie Walsh met with the unhappy star, who repeated his request privately. As a result, Walsh said today he and team President Larry Bird will work to make a deal that would result in Artest's relocation.

    Walsh

    "I do think it is a time to kind of break apart and see if he can get a new start somewhere else," Walsh said. "I think that it is important for us to put our past behind us and stop these distractions so that what I think is a fine basketball team can go on. What kind of trade is this going to be if there is going to be a trade? All that has got to be answered and we'll get about doing that as soon as possible."
    In the interim, Artest will not practice or play with the Pacers. He has missed the last two games with a sore right wrist and Walsh said he will remain on the inactive list through this week. Though Artest has not been suspended, he has been told not to attend practice.
    Walsh made it clear he would've preferred Artest express his desire privately, rather than conducting a weekend media blitz, granting one-on-one interviews to The Indianapolis Star and WXIN television. But after meeting with Artest, he said he had a much better understanding of the player's motivation.
    "He's a young guy under a lot of pressure," Walsh said. "I don't feel betrayed at all. I really don't. I don't want anyone to think that because I don't feel that way. I've had situations from players that either leave mad or they are mad at you and I have never taken it personally from them because I understand.
    "They have a finite career. There is a lot of money at stake. What they perceive is best for them you may take as, 'Oh, wow, look what I did for that guy.' Well, the guy did something for you, too. He won a lot of games here. The one thing that I would say about Ronnie is that for those people who say NBA players don't play hard, then they should pay money to come out to see Ronnie play because he plays hard all the time and I appreciated that."

    Artest

    Replacing a player who earned All-Star status and the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2003-04 will be a challenge made even more difficult by Artest's public trade demand. Making a one-for-one trade may not be possible because Artest's salary (a reported $6.5 million) is relatively modest; players of his caliber generally earn much more. But there already are numerous reports of interest from other teams, so the Pacers will have options. Bird is on a scouting trip in Spain and could not be reached for comment but is communication with other teams testing the trade waters, Walsh said.
    "Whatever we think is a good fit for our team is a good fit for our team," Walsh said. "I don't think I'm going to take the All-Star team from last year and say we have to get one of those guys."
    The Pacers won their last two games in Artest's absence, improving their overall record to 12-7, second-best in the Eastern Conference. From those victories over Washington and Memphis, they've drawn confidence that they are in the process of developing the necessary chemistry to succeed, even without a player of Artest's obvious talents.
    "The best way I can say it is we've played well, we've moved the ball and played great defense the last two games so we are showing signs that we are getting the chemistry," said Stephen Jackson. "We can't put the blame on Ron. We can't say because Ron's not here, everything's flowing better. All we can say is we're starting to figure each other out, we're starting to play well together and we're starting to play like the team we know we can be."
    Jermaine O'Neal didn't even want to address questions about Artest's situation.

    O'Neal

    "It's about the Pacers," said Jermaine O'Neal. "It's about the players that suit up every single day. I'm tired of answering questions about Ron over and over and over again. … At some point, you just get tired of all the extras and you move on. I wish the best to Ron in his career and hopefully he's able to achieve whatever he's looking for.
    "Our team is very good. Obviously, he helps our team win … but it hasn't just been about him. We have a good team. We have a talented team. And the business will go on. If he's traded, we will find somebody else who can help this team. That's all that matters."
    In large part because of Artest's past, the Pacers are well-prepared to deal with not only this latest distraction, but the physical challenge of playing shorthanded until a trade is made.
    "We've got to focus on the guys that are here and committed and go from there," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "It's pretty simple. We've got a group of guys that are capable and we've got to try to find ways to win. We've got to do our best find the right way to play and the right style and all those things.
    "You're never going to be as good a team in terms of manpower without a guy like Ron Artest. But right now, the reality is we don't have him so we're going to go with the guys we have."



    Some very interesting quotes in there.

  • #2
    Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

    Man, JO has really been growing on me as of late. This shouldn't be happening!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

      Good for both of you. How dare you not beleive in the force that is JO.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

        Wow, that's funny. After reading this article about how much I appreciate JO after this whole thing, but both of you beat me to it.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

          Thank god whatever Croshere did.

          Seriously....I hated Jermaine...but I like him more and more every game. He is becoming a true leader.
          *removed* Just keep politics and religion completely out of it, please.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

            I don't know, I think with Ron gone now we will see a lot more leadership from JO.
            The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

              Originally posted by rcarey
              Man, JO has really been growing on me as of late. This shouldn't be happening!
              I have to agree. I was just thinking the same thing this morning.
              It tooks a few occurences to where JO had to make the decision, somebody had to steer this ship.

              JO has really manned up, and taken the reins, to mix metaphors,
              Not to mention his play of late has been raised a few notches.
              Keep this up all of sudden , no artest, JO could actually have an MVP season,

              Why Not Us ?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

                Im just glad Donny Walsh is our GM. What a classy guy. Good Luck Ron Artest. Only an idiot would walk away from the treatment you had here you spoiled crybaby. But I know down the road you will regret it. And if you don't just make sure you don't try to pimp your label on our Championship party in a year or two. See yah dude.
                http://Twitter.com/dRealSource

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

                  JO is my favorite lazy player.
                  You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

                    Originally posted by Jon Theodore
                    Seriously....I hated Jermaine...but I like him more and more every game. He is becoming a true leader.
                    To see you post this... gives me hope.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

                      Originally posted by SoupIsGood
                      JO is my favorite lazy player.
                      Care to elaborate, JO's been called a lot of things but lazy has never ever been one of them.
                      "Just look at the flowers ........ BANG" - Carol "The Walking Dead"

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

                        Originally posted by Hoop
                        Care to elaborate, JO's been called a lot of things but lazy has never ever been one of them.
                        Oh, believe me, lazy is one of them.
                        You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

                          VA, the orginal lazy comment was meant to be a crack at you, btw, I was just having a little fun. Congrats on the day off.
                          You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

                            Originally posted by vapacersfan
                            Soup,

                            Your sarcasm would normally be lost on me, but I just found my pack of black and milds, and I have tommorrow off (in my pants thread reference)

                            Hoop, yes he has. Just do a search for "JO" and "lazy"
                            I didn't know if Soup was being sarcastic or what. I've been unhappy at times with lot's of things about JO, but I always thought he was a hard worker. Nobody could improve as much as he has since he has been here without working hard.
                            "Just look at the flowers ........ BANG" - Carol "The Walking Dead"

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Pacers.com: Pacers Moving On Without Artest

                              Originally posted by vapacersfan
                              Really?

                              Wow, I'm really slow. I thought since I hadnt posted in here clearly it couldnt be directed at me.


                              Finals week. I cant think straight.

                              Needless to say, I love JO's play as of late, and no, I havent seen the "lazy" part of the game. I was actually really excited to see slim diving on the floor for loose balls and jonk.

                              Ok, time to go hit the sack. Time to go sleep in for me
                              Well I know we went back and forth and the lazy thing, just wanted to make it clear.


                              Edit - You said 'jonk.'
                              You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                              Comment

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