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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.

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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.
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It's gotten quiet

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  • #16
    Re: It's gotten quiet

    Originally posted by FrenchConnection
    What if Iverson doesn't go anywhere? It is really frightening that the management of the Sixers and Hawks control the direction of the entire NBA offseason.
    Yeah...no kidding.

    From what I have read.....you're right...its entirely possible that Iverson stays with the Sixers......but "experts" seems to think that Iverson will end up somwhere else.

    Now...if the Hawks are waiting on the Sixers to finally make their move.....then that would suck.

    I would hope that at some point....someone just cracks and gives in to someone so that we can move on.

    I guess that this is how the entire league felt last season when Walsh/Bird was holding up all the Trade Deadline talks with all that Artest talk.
    Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: It's gotten quiet

      Originally posted by Will Galen
      I really don't know what you mean by more serious since players have already changed teams.

      I think what it is is the easy trades have been done and now teams are playing hardball with each other. If this off season is like others there will be a few more trades during the Summer and then another flurry of trades just before the season starts when teams fill out their rosters.
      I'm talking about the Pacers/Harrington chatter.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: It's gotten quiet

        Originally posted by OTD
        I know I am about the only one in here who hopes Al goes to the Warriors. That would be all we need with Jax, JO, and Al all wanting the ball to throw at the basket. Great combo
        That's why many of us are praying that SJax will be moved before the start of the season and that Walsh/Bird lurk here on PD to get their ideas about what their next move should be.
        Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: It's gotten quiet

          I hate this time of year, all talk, no action.


          "Like [Jonathan Bender], AMC's Pacer was supposed to be fitted with a rotary engine--but both rotaries had technical problems late in their development (read: after incurring heavy research costs) that prevented them from seeing the light of day. Of course, both vehicles had plenty of problems that did reach production. The Pacer was a dud in terms of quality, execution and particularly styling. Make your own assessment about its bizarre proportions, but don't miss the one door that's bigger than the other."

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: It's gotten quiet

            Originally posted by CableKC
            That's why many of us are praying that SJax will be moved before the start of the season and that Walsh/Bird lurk here on PD to get their ideas about what their next move should be.
            I kind of don't want Jack to be traded...is that bad? I think Tinsley is worse. At least Jack is more reliable and, to be fair, we are getting a players' coach, which Jack sorely needs.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: It's gotten quiet

              Originally posted by rexnom
              I kind of don't want Jack to be traded...is that bad?
              Yes...it is bad...really bad. You should go into the corner and count to 10 for thinking such bad thoughts.....

              J/K........sort of....let me know when you are done counting to 10 young man....

              Originally posted by rexnom
              At least Jack is more reliable and, to be fair, we are getting a players' coach, which Jack sorely needs.
              Unless this Assistant coach can knock some sense into him......Carlisle is still the running the team...and we know how muc of a "players coach" he is. I really hope that what we saw of the coaching staff....when they pulled White off the court for arguing.....I don't know to expect from Carlisle if SJax is still on the team AND he starts arguing to the ref again.

              I have to see Carlisle yanking SJax from the court before I believe that anything has changed.
              Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: It's gotten quiet

                its going to be a very interesting summer to say the least, ill be in pins and needles until some action happens and i know for sure what our roster will look like for next season
                If you havin' depth problems, I feel bad for you son; I got 99 problems but a bench ain't one! - Hicks
                [/center]
                @thatguyjoe84

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: It's gotten quiet

                  Originally posted by Frank Slade
                  Yes that could be true. Considering both GS and ATL have been rumored to be interested in AI, that could have an effect on Harrington's situation as well.
                  GS has said they are not interested in AI, and I read just a couple days ago that Billy Knight has finally convinced the Atlanta owners that getting AI wouldn't be a good deal.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: It's gotten quiet

                    Originally posted by Will Galen
                    GS has said they are not interested in AI, and I read just a couple days ago that Billy Knight has finally convinced the Atlanta owners that getting AI wouldn't be a good deal.
                    This entire summer hinges on Al Harrington. Right now, Billy Knight holds the cards and is trying to out fox everyone. However, eventually either Golden State or the Pacers are going to go in another direction and Billy Knight will be left holding those cards and which ever team blinks last will get a really good deal on Al Harrington.
                    Slug 'em Sabres!!!!!
                    http://youtube.com/watch?v=cj1SUF4wzu0

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: It's gotten quiet

                      Originally posted by CableKC
                      Unless this Assistant coach can knock some sense into him......Carlisle is still the running the team...and we know how muc of a "players coach" he is. I really hope that what we saw of the coaching staff....when they pulled White off the court for arguing.....I don't know to expect from Carlisle if SJax is still on the team AND he starts arguing to the ref again.

                      I have to see Carlisle yanking SJax from the court before I believe that anything has changed.
                      Who exactly was Carlisle supposed to play at SG instead of Jackson?

                      The signing of Daniels makes it completely plausible that Carlisle will deal more strictly with Jackson this year. Carlisle now has someone he can actually put in the game and still stand a chance of winning.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: It's gotten quiet

                        BOOOO-RING.
                        Super Bowl XLI Champions
                        2000 Eastern Conference Champions




                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: It's gotten quiet

                          Originally posted by jjbjjbjjb
                          Who exactly was Carlisle supposed to play at SG instead of Jackson?
                          It shouldn't matter. You sacrifice the game if you have to in order to make the point and to achieve larger goals.

                          No one game is as important as instilling the system and type of on court demeanor you expect (or demand) from your players- game in and game out.

                          The signing of Daniels makes it completely plausible that Carlisle will deal more strictly with Jackson this year. Carlisle now has someone he can actually put in the game and still stand a chance of winning.
                          That may be true but as I said above, it shouldn't matter as to whether to punish Sjax or not. First things first and that should be setting the example. Let Eddie Gill play if you have to. Put Pollard in. Just make sure and don't let the lunatics run the asylum in a desperate hope to pull out an individual win here or there.

                          -Bball
                          Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

                          ------

                          "A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

                          -John Wooden

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: It's gotten quiet

                            Originally posted by FrenchConnection
                            The problem is that until Al goes, nothing else of significance happens in the entire league. And because the Hawks control all, we are in for a long ride. They will stretch this out too long, forcing the Pacers or Warriors to look in another direction and ruining their bargaining position. It is like a big game of chicken.

                            I think what is happening is the Hawks are on the phone trying to work a deal with TE they would get from us.

                            Also, the Pacers are also fielding calls, Bird claims more moves are likely so his phone should be ringing alot. At least we hope.

                            I would guess Al has most of the deal worked out but its still dependant on other teams playing along.
                            ----------------------------------------------------------
                            Originally posted by OTD
                            I know I am about the only one in here who hopes Al goes to the Warriors. That would be all we need with Jax, JO, and Al all wanting the ball to throw at the basket. Great combo

                            The last time Al played here, people complained that Ron, Al and JO wasn't the right mix, yet they were able to play at a high level with consistency the team has not been able to duplicate since since Al left.

                            I don't want Al back for selfish reasons, I want next season dedicated to the development of Granger. I do not believe the team can win, nor can they make the off season moves to win next season. So its all about development.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: It's gotten quiet

                              Originally posted by jjbjjbjjb
                              Who exactly was Carlisle supposed to play at SG instead of Jackson?

                              The signing of Daniels makes it completely plausible that Carlisle will deal more strictly with Jackson this year. Carlisle now has someone he can actually put in the game and still stand a chance of winning.
                              Okay...we are probably

                              For last season.....if it was SJax...then Carlisle should have stepped onto the court...pulled SJax by the ear...and sat his @ss down and put Freddie in. And just so that D4G doesn't ask why we wouldn't do the same thing about JONeal doing the same thing....he should have done the same thing to him as well.

                              This doesn't mean that SJax or JONeal sit out the entire game....but as a warning that this type of behavior is unacceptable and that your @ss will be yanked if it continues.
                              ----------------------------------------------------------
                              Originally posted by Bball
                              That may be true but as I said above, it shouldn't matter as to whether to punish Sjax or not. First things first and that should be setting the example. Let Eddie Gill play if you have to. Put Pollard in. Just make sure and don't let the lunatics run the asylum in a desperate hope to pull out an individual win here or there.

                              -Bball
                              ^^^^Yeah...what he said.
                              Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: It's gotten quiet

                                I'm just curious if I missed it... but was there ever an "Iverson to Indy" rumor?

                                It would make sense for us to try to offer Tinsley/Jackson/Someone for him. He could play point if we needed him to and would offer the scorer/shooter we now lack (imagine him and Marquis in the same back court). I know he doesn't fit with our usual "style" of player, but neither do Tins and Jack.

                                Is it just that we can't touch the offers others will make, or did the Iverson storm come and pass?

                                -Phil, a life-long closet A.I. fan

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