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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.

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

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

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

Rule #1

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

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

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

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

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

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rule #2

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

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

The right places to do so are:

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

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

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

Rule #3

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

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

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

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

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

Rule #4

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

Rule #5

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

An example:

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

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

Rule #6

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

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

Rule #7

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

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

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

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

Rule #8

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

Rule #9

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

Rule #10

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

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
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Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

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  • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

    Originally posted by PostArtestEra View Post
    No!!!!!! I certainly do not agree with the bible. Gay people should most certainly not be put to death, (I can't believe I had to actually type that). In fact they shouldn't be treated any differently because of their sexual orientation. I am not endorsing this bible verse, I was mearly pointing out that the bible isnt subtle when it comes to its stance on homosexuality. I believe that that stance is ignorant, and intolerant.
    I understand that you weren't endorsing it; I was just following-up on what you'd posted.

    Comment


    • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

      Originally posted by Will Galen View Post
      You missed Bball's point and it's not at all absurd. He was making the argument that if Homosexuals can make the argument that they were wired that way from birth so could Pedophiles etc.

      The reason those arguments don't hold water is you don't have to act them.
      Why shouldn't a gay person act on them? That's like someone saying "well my god says that you shouldn't let yourself have sex with anyone, so even though you want to, you just shouldn't". Are you gonna stop having sex?

      Comment


      • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

        Originally posted by PostArtestEra View Post
        No!!!!!! I certainly do not agree with the bible. Gay people should most certainly not be put to death, (I can't believe I had to actually type that). In fact they shouldn't be treated any differently because of their sexual orientation. I am not endorsing this bible verse, I was mearly pointing out that the bible isnt subtle when it comes to its stance on homosexuality. I believe that that stance is ignorant, and intolerant.
        Leviticus 20:10 is in the Old Testament. Find something in the New Testament, and maybe you're argument will hold water, then I read this next post.....


        Originally posted by PostArtestEra View Post
        Dude, you really need to read through the bible. The worst sin a person can commit is thoughts that they have no control over. It is the only sin Jesus will not forgive. If you deny the existence, or even question the existence of the holy spirit, you are doomed and cannot be forgiven. In case you hadn't noticed the bible, really organized religion on a whole isn't very big on people thinking for themselves, or thinking at all.
        There is no such thing, whatsoever, no way in any shape or form, an unforgiveable sin.

        Completely 100% WRONG.

        Like I said in an earlier post. Quit using the Bible as evidence, if you have zero clue what it says. Your using something you've heard from somwhere else, and presenting it as fact when it's not.

        Whoever told you that, doesn't know what they're talking about, nor understands the very basic principles that built Christianity.

        Christians believe Jesus was put on Earth and crucified to absolve all believers of their sins, not all of them but one.

        EDIT: I probably need to make myself a little more clearer. There is no unforgivable sin for a Christian. There is an unforgivable sin, in a nonbeliever, and that is not believing.

        Since WG keeps requesting scripture I offer this:
        "31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."
        Matthew 12:31-32 NIV
        Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

        Comment


        • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

          Originally posted by Since86 View Post
          There is no such thing, whatsoever, no way in any shape or form, an unforgiveable sin.
          Sure there are - sins which are unrepentant. If you ask for forgiveness you will be given it but you have to ask.

          Now not all sins are automatic tickets to The Hot Place - the Catholic Church has even tried to quantify them by categorizing them into mortal and venial sins. But even for a venial sin you won't be forgiven unless you repent and ask.

          Heck - the Church even invented Purgatory to deal with the whole unrepentant venial sin situation.

          Fortunately, being brought up Methodist, I never had to worry about Purgatory - or praying for all the Saints & Mary to intercede when someone died. That would have been waaaay too confusing.

          This thread is doomed for either Politics or Shout Box. I think the basketball content has left the building.
          The poster formerly known as Rimfire

          Comment


          • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

            Originally posted by Hicks View Post
            Why shouldn't a gay person act on them? That's like someone saying "well my god says that you shouldn't let yourself have sex with anyone, so even though you want to, you just shouldn't". Are you gonna stop having sex?
            What's the point of claiming a God if you don't do what he says?

            And God doesn't forbid sex relations, but he does proscribe they be between and man and wife.

            Comment


            • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

              Originally posted by Since86 View Post

              There is no such thing, whatsoever, no way in any shape or form, an unforgiveable sin.

              "31And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."
              Matthew 12:31-32 NIVMatthew 12:31-32 NIV
              I don't understand you here. You say there is no unforgivable sin, and then you quote a scripture that shows there is an unforgivable sin. Explain your thinking here please!

              Comment


              • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

                Originally posted by DisplacedKnick View Post
                This thread is doomed for either Politics or Shout Box. I think the basketball content has left the building.
                True! Probably the political board. I think that's where Hicks has put the other threads on religion.

                Comment


                • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

                  Originally posted by DisplacedKnick View Post
                  Heck - the Church even invented Purgatory to deal with the whole unrepentant venial sin situation.
                  Hey don't knock it, it's my only chance. In fact, I have already reserved a room with the hopes I won't get one next to the ice machine.
                  Originally posted by Natston;n3510291
                  I want the people to know that they still have 2 out of the 3 T.J.s working for them, and that ain't bad...

                  Comment


                  • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

                    Originally posted by Will Galen View Post
                    What's the point of claiming a God if you don't do what he says?
                    How strictly do you follow what he says? To the letter of the law, or just "within reason"?

                    Comment


                    • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

                      As long as we're throwing around scripture...

                      Originally posted by 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
                      Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
                      Originally posted by Natston;n3510291
                      I want the people to know that they still have 2 out of the 3 T.J.s working for them, and that ain't bad...

                      Comment


                      • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

                        Originally posted by naturallystoned
                        Hey don't knock it, it's my only chance. In fact, I have already reserved a room with the hopes I won't get one next to the ice machine.
                        LOL - someone's read Dante!
                        The poster formerly known as Rimfire

                        Comment


                        • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

                          Originally posted by DisplacedKnick View Post
                          Sure there are - sins which are unrepentant. If you ask for forgiveness you will be given it but you have to ask.

                          Now not all sins are automatic tickets to The Hot Place - the Catholic Church has even tried to quantify them by categorizing them into mortal and venial sins. But even for a venial sin you won't be forgiven unless you repent and ask.

                          Heck - the Church even invented Purgatory to deal with the whole unrepentant venial sin situation.

                          Fortunately, being brought up Methodist, I never had to worry about Purgatory - or praying for all the Saints & Mary to intercede when someone died. That would have been waaaay too confusing.

                          This thread is doomed for either Politics or Shout Box. I think the basketball content has left the building.
                          Unforgivable means you won't be forgiven no matter what you do. If you ask for forgiveness, and recieve it, how is it unforgivable?

                          The only thing you can do that will seal your fate into hell, is to not believe Jesus is the Son of God, and that he died for our sins.

                          If you are Christian, all sins are washed away. Believing is the key part though.

                          Originally posted by Will Galen View Post
                          I don't understand you here. You say there is no unforgivable sin, and then you quote a scripture that shows there is an unforgivable sin. Explain your thinking here please!
                          There is no unforgivable sin for a Christian. There is an unforgivable sin, in a nonbeliever, and that is not believing.

                          "Speaking against the Holy Sprit" is saying that you deny that Jesus was the Son of Christ, and that he died for our sins.
                          Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

                          Comment


                          • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

                            Originally posted by Hicks View Post
                            How strictly do you follow what he says? To the letter of the law, or just "within reason"?
                            He says he will give everlasting life to those obeying him. Not to those who only obey went THEY want to.

                            Comment


                            • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

                              Hicks and Will got my point. Mourning missed it entirely.

                              If "We we're just wired that way" is a proper argument for gays then it's a proper argument (and excuse) for just about anything. That cannot be right, therefore the discussion needs framed differently.

                              -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


                              • Re: Hardaway's Comments on Homosexuality

                                Originally posted by Since86 View Post
                                Unforgivable means you won't be forgiven no matter what you do. If you ask for forgiveness, and recieve it, how is it unforgivable?

                                The only thing you can do that will seal your fate into hell, is to not believe Jesus is the Son of God, and that he died for our sins.

                                If you are Christian, all sins are washed away. Believing is the key part though.
                                Forgiven but certainly not forgotten. I suggest you read this parable:

                                Originally posted by Matthew 18:23-50
                                3"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[a] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

                                26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

                                28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[b] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

                                29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

                                30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

                                32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

                                35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
                                Originally posted by Natston;n3510291
                                I want the people to know that they still have 2 out of the 3 T.J.s working for them, and that ain't bad...

                                Comment

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