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Rule #1

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

"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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Kravitz Article

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  • #1

    Kravitz Article

    Bob Kravitz
    It's not saints vs. sinners with Colts and Pacers

    Eight hours earlier, we were sitting in the media room at the Colts practice facility, talking about exactly this issue, saying how the fans and media have completely bought into this Pacers and Colts as sinners-and-saints duality.
    "At some point,'' Mike Chappell, The Star's Colts beat writer, said plainly, "that's going to blow up in people's faces.''
    Ka-boom!
    At 3:02 a.m. Tuesday morning, there was Dominic Rhodes, fresh off his MVP-worthy Super Bowl performance and a visit to Disney World, getting pulled over on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

    What did Colts coach Tony Dungy say a couple of weeks ago about having a team of players you'd love your son to emulate?
    And is there any way we can pin this one on the Pacers, maybe find a way to prove that Jamaal Tinsley surreptitiously slipped Rhodes a mickey (and we aren't talking about the mouse)?

    (In a far less significant matter, one that's more laughable than lamentable, it was learned that Dallas Clark was thrown out of an Iowa high school girls basketball game for allegedly saying the wrong thing to a referee. Not exactly kidnapping the Lindbergh baby, I know.)

    Here's what we need to understand -- and when I say "we,'' I'm talking about fans and the media: Neither professional team in this city has a monopoly on morality or immorality. Both teams are populated, by and large, with good people who care about this community. And both teams have guys who don't get it and never will.

    The whole saints-versus-sinners comparison offers us a simple-and-easy formula to use when we're playing compare-and-contrast with our pro franchises, and it's especially convenient when we're still giddy after a Super Bowl and inclined to believe only the best things about our conquering heroes. But it's misleading.

    The Colts have had their issues over the years. Nick Harper and a domestic incident. Mike Doss and gun-related charges. Joseph Jefferson's drunken driving conviction. DeDe Dorsey's recent arrest for carrying a firearm without a permit. And there have been some others.

    Let's not play Compare That Crime here, or diminish a DUI charge as a somehow lesser indiscretion than allegedly participating in a bar fight. Drunk drivers kill people. Bar-room brawlers don't -- generally speaking.

    No, Rhodes wasn't hammered, not with a 0.09 percent blood-alcohol level. And yes, when I read about it, I thought, "There, but for the grace of God, go I.'' That, though, doesn't excuse or diminish it, especially coming from a member of a franchise that has chosen to cover itself in a cloak of goodness.

    Remember, too, this is the second time around for Rhodes, who is a free agent and will be seeking a bigger deal elsewhere. In 2002, he admitted striking his girlfriend and was placed in a diversion program. If he wasn't gone before this, he is now.
    Ultimately, the bigger point is this: If you think all the Colts are God-fearing boys-next-door types who wouldn't think to jaywalk when nobody was watching, you're misguided.

    If you think all the Pacers are lawless, gun-toting bandits intent on shooting up the Westside of Indianapolis, you're misguided.
    One thing I know: This column will be well-read by every member of the Pacers organization. I can promise you, the moment the Rhodes story hit the wires, Pacers management and players were saying, "OK, let's see how the TV stations and the newspaper cover it when it involves the sainted Colts.''

    Suffice to say, the Pacers have not been particularly happy with the coverage of the most recent incidents involving their players. They say there's a double standard being exercised in the coverage of the Colts and Pacers -- which is funny, because five or six years ago, the Colts were complaining how the Pacers never had their feet held to the fire. The Pacers say: When it's a Pacer, it's yet another Pacers mishap and it's viewed as a reflection on management. And when it's a Colt, well, it's an aberration, an individual mistake that has no reflection on the organization.

    While I'm not ready to buy the Pacers' unspoken contention that they're no worse than the Colts, I'll acknowledge that when it comes to these sorts of issues, the basketball team has been spectacularly unlucky.

    All of the Pacers' issues have involved big-name players, starters, whose names get more play because they're part of a smaller roster. And with The Brawl on their resume, and a history that has involved Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson, every subsequent misstep (Club Rio and 8 Seconds Saloon) has confirmed the perception of the Pacers as outlaws.

    With the Colts, it has generally involved lesser lights, it has generally happened during the offseason, and it has generally happened in places other than Indianapolis. There was a distressing pattern of legal trouble emerging before the 2005 Colts season -- and we harshly called the team on it, too -- but since then, the incidents have been far less frequent and not nearly as notable.

    Saints and sinners.

    Good Colts and evil Pacers.

    Simple and easy and tidy.

    And, as we've seen again, wrong.


    http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl.../1100/SPORTS03
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Kravitz Article

    Best piece of writing Kravitz has done in a long while in my opinion. he was well overdue at this point probably the most objective writing he'll do in a LONG time.

    Edit: I really can't wait to hear UB's response to this

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Kravitz Article

      Let's see how the Colts handle this. If it's a slap on the wrist, or like the Pacers, nothing at all, then there's a problem.
      "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
      - Benjamin Franklin

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Kravitz Article

        Originally posted by fwpacerfan View Post
        Let's see how the Colts handle this. If it's a slap on the wrist, or like the Pacers, nothing at all, then there's a problem.
        Um, he's not on the team anymore. He's a free agent. So they can't really "do" anything to him.

        Maybe re-sign him and then "punish" him or re-sign him for significantly less than he would have made before with a number of contingencies built into the contract, but I doubt they were going to sign him before anyway.
        Narf!

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Kravitz Article

          Well, I am moderately impressed. It's the best bit of writing I've seen out of Kravitz in a long time.

          And, since perception is reality this might actually help ease the pressure on the Pacers (at least in the local media).
          "Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus

          "Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." - Voltaire

          "Everyone's values are defined by what they will tolerate when it is done to others." - William Greider

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Kravitz Article

            Originally posted by TheDon View Post


            Ultimately, the bigger point is this: If you think all the Colts are God-fearing boys-next-door types who wouldn't think to jaywalk when nobody was watching, you're misguided.

            If you think all the Pacers are lawless, gun-toting bandits intent on shooting up the Westside of Indianapolis, you're misguided.

            One thing I know: This column will be well-read by every member of the Pacers organization. I can promise you, the moment the Rhodes story hit the wires, Pacers management and players were saying, "OK, let's see how the TV stations and the newspaper cover it when it involves the sainted Colts.''

            Suffice to say, the Pacers have not been particularly happy with the coverage of the most recent incidents involving their players. They say there's a double standard being exercised in the coverage of the Colts and Pacers -- which is funny, because five or six years ago, the Colts were complaining how the Pacers never had their feet held to the fire. The Pacers say: When it's a Pacer, it's yet another Pacers mishap and it's viewed as a reflection on management. And when it's a Colt, well, it's an aberration, an individual mistake that has no reflection on the organization.

            While I'm not ready to buy the Pacers' unspoken contention that they're no worse than the Colts, I'll acknowledge that when it comes to these sorts of issues, the basketball team has been spectacularly unlucky.
            I know as soon as I heard about this, the very first thought that came into my mind was - how will the media and local fans react to this.

            I will give Kravitz this much - he has a good handle on what the Pacers organization feels about all this

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Kravitz Article

              I'm not impressed at all with this column!

              The reason is because if you listened to the callers that called into one of the local sports talk shows here in Indy, you would quickly reallize that Kravitz is just taking a side that would get the most reaction.

              Yesterday, JMV spent most of the day on "The Drive" fielding phone calls and e-mails going on about how this "Rhodes Situation" is just being overblown by the media. He was kind of going on how it was unfair that the callers spent the better part of 2 days of shows just tee-ing off on Jamaal Tinsley when he has not even been charged with anything at either Rio or 8 Seconds, all the while Rhodes was arrested!!!

              It seems to me that Kravitz took the pulse of the callers on both local drive time radio shows and chose a position that would get the most reaction. To most, Jamaal Tinsley and the Pacers are about "undefendable" in the court of public opinion, and that is just unfair and sad!
              ...Still "flying casual"
              @roaminggnome74

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Kravitz Article

                Rhodes will not be viewed as negatively as Tinsley for several reasons:

                1) Rhodes is not one of the top 5 players on the Colts. In fact, he's not even the best running back on the team. Tinsley is our starting PG, which is supposed to be a leadership position.

                2) More people have driven drunk than been in bar fights. For that reason, more people can "understand" how someone is busted for DUI.

                3) Rhodes always appears to be giving 100%. That is not true of Tinsley.

                4) You cannot see Rhode's sour attitude through his helmet.

                5) It's hard to pout when your job is to get hit by 250lb men every single play.

                6) The Colts won the Super Bowl.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Kravitz Article

                  Originally posted by Robobtowncolt View Post
                  Um, he's not on the team anymore. He's a free agent. So they can't really "do" anything to him.

                  Maybe re-sign him and then "punish" him or re-sign him for significantly less than he would have made before with a number of contingencies built into the contract, but I doubt they were going to sign him before anyway.
                  I'm thinking that not re-signing him would be a good response. I disagree that they weren't going to re-sign him anyway. Depending on what other offers he gets, I do think they wanted him back. I don't think he will command an outrageous amount on the open market so re-signing him should be an option.
                  "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
                  - Benjamin Franklin

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Kravitz Article

                    Originally posted by fwpacerfan View Post
                    I'm thinking that not re-signing him would be a good response. I disagree that they weren't going to re-sign him anyway. Depending on what other offers he gets, I do think they wanted him back. I don't think he will command an outrageous amount on the open market so re-signing him should be an option.
                    Agree with this and can only add Rhodes did not complain about not being a full time starter though he wanted to.
                    You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Kravitz Article

                      Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post
                      Rhodes will not be viewed as negatively as Tinsley for several reasons:

                      6) The Colts won the Super Bowl.

                      Actually, you can just throw out one thru five because #6 is all you need.
                      The Miller Time Podcast on 8 Points, 9 Seconds:
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