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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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Attendance

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  • #46
    Re: Attendance

    Originally posted by Alpolloloco View Post
    By the way I really liked Conseco very much, what a great place to see a game!
    Glad you liked it!

    Comment


    • #47
      Re: Attendance

      Originally posted by aceace View Post
      IMHO: The economy sucks in this state, we've lost probably 100,000 jobs. This coming April down in Bedford (my hometown) our Ford plant is closing (800 jobs going to Mexico) you need a cheap place to live come here in May 2008. Homes here have dropped 25% already. People don't have the money that they did 4-5 years ago.
      That employment stats do not concur with your thoughts. I don't know about your town specificially, but the stats overall is doing just fine.

      Comment


      • #48
        Re: Attendance

        Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
        That employment stats do not concur with your thoughts. I don't know about your town specificially, but the stats overall is doing just fine.
        Off topic ahead- proceed with caution!!!


        But, one thing the employment stats won't give you is the number of decent paying, family supporting manufacturing jobs that have been lost and replaced by lower wage service oriented jobs that are not conducive to supporting a family, unless you work 2 of them along with a spouse that has a low wage gig of her own.

        This state is notorious for hyping up these low wage jobs as a messiah to the loss of decent paying jobs.
        ...Still "flying casual"
        @roaminggnome74

        Comment


        • #49
          Re: Attendance

          Originally posted by Roaming Gnome View Post
          Off topic ahead- proceed with caution!!!


          But, one thing the employment stats won't give you is the number of decent paying, family supporting manufacturing jobs that have been lost and replaced by lower wage service oriented jobs that are not conducive to supporting a family, unless you work 2 of them along with a spouse that has a low wage gig of her own.

          This state is notorious for hyping up these low wage jobs as a messiah to the loss of decent paying jobs.
          I agree with that, the state has lost a ton of manufacturing jobs. They have gotten some new ones also, but clearly it has been a net minus for year after year.

          Comment


          • #50
            Re: Attendance

            Has anybody discussed the atmosphere at the games themselves? No, playing 82 games probably isn't going to bring a college rivalry atmosphere to a random Tuesday night game in December, but I think the Pacers need to really take a look at the atmosphere in Conseco and set out to find ways to change it.

            I'm not sure they actually need to do more, in fact sometimes I think they could accomplish more with less.

            But as much as I hate the airplane races and the like, I have a feeling what is really needed is impossible with today's mindset and economic motivations: They need to make the lower bowl more economically accessible to people who care about the games.

            Sure, 10.00 tix in the balcony is pretty affordable, but does little to sell or improve the atmosphere. Particularly of a team that is having trouble rebuilding its fanbase anyway.

            So, while serious reductions in ticket prices would be a place I'd look I have a feeling this would never happen in any serious 'chopping' but at best would be in tiny, tiny increments. And that probably wouldn't garner the "buzz" that it would to just do the discounts in one large cut.

            Barring that, the only other place to try and make the games more affordable is lowering concession prices. Just make popcorn and soft-drinks uber-reasonable and keep gouging on the other stuff. But that is probably just an incremental approach that would be nice, but it's impact wouldn't happen overnight like making the lower bowl much more affordable.

            IMO If you really want to hook people on attending games and rebuild the fanbase, they need to find a rabid atmosphere at the games... something they can't get at home watching the game on the couch.

            -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


            • #51
              Re: Attendance

              Originally posted by Bball View Post
              Has anybody discussed the atmosphere at the games themselves? No, playing 82 games probably isn't going to bring a college rivalry atmosphere to a random Tuesday night game in December, but I think the Pacers need to really take a look at the atmosphere in Conseco and set out to find ways to change it.

              I'm not sure they actually need to do more, in fact sometimes I think they could accomplish more with less.

              But as much as I hate the airplane races and the like, I have a feeling what is really needed is impossible with today's mindset and economic motivations: They need to make the lower bowl more economically accessible to people who care about the games.

              Sure, 10.00 tix in the balcony is pretty affordable, but does little to sell or improve the atmosphere. Particularly of a team that is having trouble rebuilding its fanbase anyway.

              So, while serious reductions in ticket prices would be a place I'd look I have a feeling this would never happen in any serious 'chopping' but at best would be in tiny, tiny increments. And that probably wouldn't garner the "buzz" that it would to just do the discounts in one large cut.

              Barring that, the only other place to try and make the games more affordable is lowering concession prices. Just make popcorn and soft-drinks uber-reasonable and keep gouging on the other stuff. But that is probably just an incremental approach that would be nice, but it's impact wouldn't happen overnight like making the lower bowl much more affordable.

              IMO If you really want to hook people on attending games and rebuild the fanbase, they need to find a rabid atmosphere at the games... something they can't get at home watching the game on the couch.

              -Bball
              That is an excellent point. I was thinking about this the other day as I watched a couple minutes of a college basketball game (I watched a few second of the IU - Geo. Tech game) I was asking myself why don't the fans who go to NBA games get into it like they do for college games. Sure, I know the obvious argument that there are 82 games and it just doesn't seem every game is important. But for the 2 hours that you are sitting there watching it, you are already there, you drove to the games, walked through cold weather, paid good money - why not get into the game, why not cheer a little, wouldn't that make it more fun - if everyone did that the atmosphere would be completely different.

              But I don't know what Pacers management could do to get people excited during a game. Anymore it seems to me that people are half asleep during the game action and get excited for timeouts and quarter breaks. Now it seems like the fans only get into it during the last 4 or 5 minutes of a really close game.

              Comment


              • #52
                Re: Attendance

                Originally posted by bball
                They need to make the lower bowl more economically accessible to people who care about the games.
                I believe they are trying with the $35 tickets in the section that's behind the home basket. $35 is pretty good considering the next section over is $81, I believe.
                Last edited by Roaming Gnome; 12-07-2007, 03:55 PM.
                ...Still "flying casual"
                @roaminggnome74

                Comment


                • #53
                  Re: Attendance

                  Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                  That is an excellent point. I was thinking about this the other day as I watched a couple minutes of a college basketball game (I watched a few second of the IU - Geo. Tech game) I was asking myself why don't the fans who go to NBA games get into it like they do for college games.

                  .

                  I think that's an easy one to answer.

                  Speaking as an IU student and season ticket holder, I believe that IU/college game crowds are excited because of students. There is something special about going to the games with a large group of friends and then sitting within hundreds of other students (granted, IU doesn't have a true student sections but there are a couple of great areas where only students sit). Students go absolute crazy for basketball games here.

                  This is something the NBA/Pacers will never have. Most of the crowd noise you are t.v. is of the students. There's just something about it that is so exciting. Students love to go with their friends to games and act crazy, and believe me, down here they go absolutely wild for the basketball team. Constant yelling, constant chanting, screaming during every play.

                  The students are what make college basketball game crowds exciting. If you look at most of the adults at Assembly Hall, they are usually just sitting down for the most part.
                  Last edited by Sollozzo; 12-07-2007, 04:47 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #54
                    Re: Attendance

                    Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                    But I don't know what Pacers management could do to get people excited during a game. Anymore it seems to me that people are half asleep during the game action and get excited for timeouts and quarter breaks. Now it seems like the fans only get into it during the last 4 or 5 minutes of a really close game.


                    Get rid of Bowser and bring back Dancing Harry !

                    Comment


                    • #55
                      Re: Attendance

                      Originally posted by Adam1987 View Post
                      I think that's an easy one to answer.

                      Speaking as an IU student and season ticket holder, I believe that IU/college game crowds are excited because of students. There is something special about going to the games with a large group of friends and then sitting within hundreds of other students (granted, IU doesn't have a true student sections but there are a couple of great areas where only students sit). Students go absolute crazy for basketball games here.

                      This is something the NBA/Pacers will never have. Most of the crowd noise you are t.v. is of the students. There's just something about it that is so excited. Students love to go with their friends to games and act crazy, and believe me, down here they go absolutely wild for the basketball team. Constant yelling, constant chanting, yelling during every play.

                      The students are what make college basketball game crowds exciting. If you look at most of the adults at Assembly Hall, they are usually just sitting down for the most part.
                      Along with where they are mostly sitting in regards to the court. Having wild crazy fans up at the top isn't going to have the same effect as having them on top of the court.
                      Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

                      Comment


                      • #56
                        Re: Attendance

                        Originally posted by Bball View Post
                        Has anybody discussed the atmosphere at the games themselves?

                        ...

                        IMO If you really want to hook people on attending games and rebuild the fanbase, they need to find a rabid atmosphere at the games... something they can't get at home watching the game on the couch.
                        Call me "The Grinch", but the one thing I can't stand is the NOISE NOISE NOISE NOISE!

                        The whole freakin' game there are race car sounds, loud music, flying t-shirts, a big drum, dance routines, you name it.

                        Sensory overload man, sensory overload.

                        Maybe the crowd would make more noise if the place was quiet if they didn't?

                        Maybe they should (heavily) advertise a couple of "just basketball nights" and see how the attendance and the crowd respond?

                        Indiana Pacers: Just basketball!

                        Now that's a slogan!
                        You're caught up in the Internet / you think it's such a great asset / but you're wrong, wrong, wrong
                        All that fiber optic gear / still cannot take away the fear / like an island song

                        - Jimmy Buffett

                        Comment


                        • #57
                          Re: Attendance

                          I understand that in this day and age they are trying to entertain the people who are there because, well they were either brought or drug there.

                          So the analogy from U.B. that some people get far more excited about the "dance cam" or "flex cam" or whatever other cam is really not off at all.

                          Also let's not confuse big time NCAA division 1 basketball crowds with all college basketball crowds.

                          I've been to a Wabash college basketball game and there were maybe, and I mean maybe 500 people there and the the atmosphere was dead.

                          Also let's not kid ourselves either, a lot of those people are not fans of college basketball. They are there to be part of the show.

                          Call me a prude, but I am not there to watch people make fools of themselves.

                          I'm there to see a game.

                          While I'm on a rant I will tell you one thing that is really p!ssing me off at pacer games and has for a few years now.

                          Reb Porter, who I always considered to be one of the better ring announcers, has over the past few years been yelling into the PA for people to "get on your feet, get up, get your neighbors up it's time for tip-off. As everybody knows nobody sits for a tip-off in Indiana"

                          Really? Since when?

                          I really only noticed this start when DJ Paul B was here but Reb has continued it.

                          Talk about dumb, everybody is supposed to stand yell and cheer while the players are out on the floor slapping five to one another, stretching and whatever else they do.

                          I'm sorry but I just find it rude that they constantly are telling us what to do and when to do it in a very loud obnoxious voice.

                          Also do we truely need two differant m.c.'s per night? Actually do we even need one?


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

                          Comment


                          • #58
                            Re: Attendance

                            I think we really need to panic if the playoff games aren't getting people to come down to Conseco.

                            Comment


                            • #59
                              Re: Attendance

                              Originally posted by Peck View Post
                              I'm sorry but I just find it rude that they constantly are telling us what to do and when to do it in a very loud obnoxious voice.
                              Damn straight! The more he tells me to "GET ON YOUR FEET!!!!" the more firmly I keep my butt planted in the seat.
                              You're caught up in the Internet / you think it's such a great asset / but you're wrong, wrong, wrong
                              All that fiber optic gear / still cannot take away the fear / like an island song

                              - Jimmy Buffett

                              Comment


                              • #60
                                Re: Attendance

                                This thread has gone cold and perhaps I ought to let it die, but...

                                Originally posted by MrThunder MakeR
                                There is no need for complex market analysis and its leisure spending.
                                Yes there is. Our analysis is not important, since we're not the employed by PS&E. But when the topic of attendance is brought up we ought to discuss sensibly.

                                1. How the Pacers play and how many games they win does not alone determine attendance at the games.

                                A good, exciting, entertaining, competitive, blue-collar style of play on the floor that results in a winning record in the standings is probably a necessary condition to better attendance. But it is not sufficient by itself.

                                2. The amount of money out there to be spent is not a factor. Friends, we're spending billions ($3.5 to $4 billion a year just by Marion and the surrounding counties, not counting people who drive here from farther away.

                                The problem is not that people lost factory jobs and no longer have enough income to spend on basketball games. The problem for the Pacers is that people are spending their billions on other kinds of entertainment.

                                Quick, it you could have all the money taking in this year by PS&E, or all the money taking in this year by bowling alleys and golf courses, which would you take?


                                BBall and Doug and others are right in making tyhe point that a lot of people don't think attending games is worth it.

                                Last thought. MrThunderMakeR, do you really think that the Pacers' marketing director is sitting in his office, staring at the ceiling thinking, "Yeah, ticket sales will go up as soon as the team starts playing better?"

                                You're darn betcha he's not. He's thinking about all the issues that the several posters in this thread have said.


                                And I won't be here to see the day
                                It all dries up and blows away
                                I'd hang around just to see
                                But they never had much use for me
                                In Levelland. (James McMurtry)

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