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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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Do you smoke weed?

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  • #61
    Re: Do you smoke weed?

    Arkman, one a couple of difference betwen pot and alcohol.

    1) alcohol is legal for those 21 or older.

    2) Drinking alcohol in very small amounts does not harm your body. I know people in my family who have a one beer a day, they never get drunk, never do anything because of the beer. Some wine in moderation is said to improve your health.
    Smoking pot does not improve your health,nor is it health neutral. yes I am aware of the benefits of smoking weed while having chemo, but that just masks the pain from what I understand
    The legal thing is currently significant difference, no doubt. However I hope that most realize that weed being illegal while alcohol remains legal is is a difference that is largely political in nature that is independent of any ill effects either have.

    And while alcohol in moderation is better for you than smoking weed in moderation, it becomes more dangerous than weed as use goes up. A great many more people are killed or injured as a direct or indirect result of alcohol use.

    http://www.ncadd.org/facts/problems.html

    As far as the benefits for people on chemotherapy, it does far more than simply relieve pain. It also helps patients combat nausea, maintain a healthy appetite, and fight unhealthy weight loss (a condition called cachexia).
    Could the fact that a great many more people are injured as a result of alcohol have anything to do with the statistic that 81% of people 12 and over in this country have used alcohol? The more people using it, the more problems you will have.

    Ledzepplincolt said:
    I can't acually speak for the Roc but I would surmise he responded in that fashion due in part to the never have never will type of responses.
    I understand your point, but as a 'never have, never will' person I think you are wrong. My reason for not trying pot or any other drug is because I know I would like it and nothing good will come out of me using it. I don't have a problem with someone smoking pot as long as they don't do it in front of their kids, don't get behind the wheel of a car and don't flaunt the fact they smoke it. Similarly I DO have a problem with people who drink constantly in front of their kids and get behind the wheel of a car after they have been drinking.
    "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
    - Benjamin Franklin

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    • #62
      Re: Do you smoke weed?

      Could the fact that a great many more people are injured as a result of alcohol have anything to do with the statistic that 81% of people 12 and over in this country have used alcohol? The more people using it, the more problems you will have.
      That's surely part of it, however if you corrected the raw numbers for the 35% of people 12 and over in this country have used marijuana, alchohol is still way in the lead. Do some searches on "alcohol-related deaths" and "marijuana-related deaths".

      Comment


      • #63
        Re: Do you smoke weed?

        My simplified opinion, due to not enough time to respond properly:
        Weed Good Alcohol Bad :
        "Just look at the flowers ........ BANG" - Carol "The Walking Dead"

        Comment


        • #64
          Re: Do you smoke weed?

          ganja is alot safer than booze. why is it illegal again? oh ya, to incarcerate black people.

          When the prohibition of ganja began in the 30s the only people who even smoked it were mexicans and black people for the most part (and hippies before there were hippies). Another good way to enslave people, and make sure their votes wont count.

          The question about what would you do if your kid smoked weed... would you rather have your kid smoke weed or overdose on zanax or some dangerous pill.

          I think anyone who tries ganja in the first place has a rebellious nature. So maybe that is something to be more concerned about with your kids rather than the plant itself. If they are gonna try some weed, and once they do they realize it is totally harmless, a kid might think, "oh! well coke and smack and crack and pcp and lsd or whatever must be the alright since the govt is so stupid to illegalize pot in the first place."

          If ganja were a controlled substance for adults over 21 there would not be this problem of ganja leading to other dangerous drugs as the normal argument goes.


          free up the weed! uh i dont smoke it (often)

          Comment


          • #65
            Re: Do you smoke weed?

            ganja is alot safer than booze. why is it illegal again? oh ya, to incarcerate black people.

            When the prohibition of ganja began in the 30s the only people who even smoked it were mexicans and black people for the most part (and hippies before there were hippies). Another good way to enslave people, and make sure their votes wont count.

            The question about what would you do if your kid smoked weed... would you rather have your kid smoke weed or overdose on zanax or some dangerous pill.

            I think anyone who tries ganja in the first place has a rebellious nature. So maybe that is something to be more concerned about with your kids rather than the plant itself. If they are gonna try some weed, and once they do they realize it is totally harmless, a kid might think, "oh! well coke and smack and crack and pcp and lsd or whatever must be the alright since the govt is so stupid to illegalize pot in the first place."

            If ganja were a controlled substance for adults over 21 there would not be this problem of ganja leading to other dangerous drugs as the normal argument goes.


            free up the weed! uh i dont smoke it (often)

            Not dangerous.... see my previous post.
            Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.

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            • #66
              Re: Do you smoke weed?

              geezer, I couldn't, wouldn't and dont argue with ya about it, cause obviously it has affected you and those you loved very traumatically.

              Respect. Life is hard man.
              I just go by what I know from my own experiences.

              Comment


              • #67
                Re: Do you smoke weed?

                Never have.

                Never will.

                Never even smoked tobacco -- watched way too many people (my dad and brother, to name just a couple) cough up a quarter cup of "lung dung" every morning with their coffee and first cigarette. I remember thinking as an 8 year old, "Who in the world would do this ON PURPOSE"?

                joro.

                Comment


                • #68
                  Re: Do you smoke weed?

                  Yes, and love it.

                  Edit: You guy cannot get into the what is healthy for you body, yadda yadda yadda. Alot of things aren't healthy, soda, sugar, coffee.

                  Hip-Hop ,Guitar & Martial ArtsEnthusiast
                  Tony Jaa could beat you up with his pinky.

                  Comment


                  • #69
                    Re: Do you smoke weed?

                    pssstt.....

                    unclebuck is a c o p

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      Re: Do you smoke weed?

                      I have never tried weed or alcohol before, and probably never will. Not that I haven't had opportunities. I could probably name over 20 people I hang out with every day at my high school that smoke weed, and even more that drink. I don't stay away from alcohol and weed from a moral standpoint or anything, I just don't like the taste.

                      P.S.- The pothead sterotype is very true. I've seen guys who used to be totally normal go to zombies who just stare at stuff all the time and have slurred speech. Drug Free's the way to be!

                      Comment


                      • #71
                        Re: Do you smoke weed?

                        If you abuse any drug you will become more like the stereotype. However there is a fine line between using a drug and abusing a drug. I guess if you use drugs then you need to sortof keep aware of yourself, and your mental state, so you know when you need to step back from it.

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          Re: Do you smoke weed?

                          I smoked a lot of weed early in life (I'm a 70's product). I promised my wife I would give it up when our kids were born 15 years ago and I have stayed true to that. I've discussed it openly with them and hope they can use my experience to make good decisions. When they're grown and gone, I may partake again.

                          I have mixed emotions about its effect. I really enjoyed it, but I could see how some would be content to continue to smoke and lose interest in working for something they want. However, if they live life happy and are kind to others, why should I care.

                          Comment


                          • #73
                            Re: Do you smoke weed?

                            I used to when I was younger.

                            Nothing good ever resulted from my smoking weed. In fact, I can think of several specific BAD things that resulted from it.

                            I haven't smoked any in 19 years and can't imagine ever doing it again.

                            Now Beer....that's a very different story.

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              Re: Do you smoke weed?

                              Never have never will....Saw to many people's live messed up by drugs, and yes some of them were specifically because of weed.

                              Yes I know Acohol can do the same thing, and I do partake in alcohol, but in moderation.

                              I guess it all depends on how you were raised, when you were raised and in what envoronment you were raised in how you view pot and other drugs.

                              Comment


                              • #75
                                Re: Do you smoke weed?

                                man some of you guys gotta take the pine cone outta your butt!!!......heroin and cocaine are the only things I HAVEN'T done. I'm 42 now with wife/kids/dog-etc, so I don't get to smoke as much as I'd like, but whenever it's free..dot...dot....dot.....anyway, I love the After School Special type mentality of some of you on here......"I knew a guy who was brilliant, but then he smoked pot and now he's a homeless loser....." hee hee hee.....sorry....but that is a good laugh.....just please listen to a cd by the late Bill Hicks.....he crystallizes my thoughts on drug use perfectly......John

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