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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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Indiana Pacers forum history

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  • Indiana Pacers forum history

    So I was bored tonight, and noticed that I had a URL associated with my profile, and I was like "wtf is that"... so I clicked it and realized that it was a website I used to run and shut down about 5 years ago and that's when I realized that I haven't even updated my profile in at least that long, lol....

    So then, the notion hit me, and I looked over at my avatar, and I realized that I've been a member here for over 5 years, and I've only posted 350 times, lol... which I'm pretty sure would make me one of the consistently slowest long-term forum contributors around these parts --- should I be proud? I mean... that's 70 posts a year. That's a post every 5 days, lol.... but at least I've been consistent! What can I say, at least I can backup my claim that I'm not a post-count ho.

    So anyway, then I got to thinking... just how freakin' long have I been a member here...

    Then I got to thinkin, how freakin long have I been doin this Pacer forum thing, period, and I realized something:

    I can't remember.

    I *know* that I started on IndyStar, but I cannot, for the life of me, remember when. I know it was *at least* before the year 2000, because I remember cruising the forum at work at a job I had and left about 10 years ago.

    I remember going through a number of forum "upgrades" and forum moves on IndyStar.

    I remember that it was fairly often that groups of folks split off to various forums, including this one, and although I came over and created a profile on this site when y'all created it, I actually stayed at IndyStar for the most part. But that forum became a troll-infested noobie ground after Artest wreaked his havoc @ The Palace, and I couldn't take anymore of it, so I hopped on over here for good (and I'm still here, so I guess that's sayin' somethin, lol)

    So anyway... I know I'm kinda the "dude who rarely talks, has been around forever and a day, and yet no one really knows", but I do recognize that some of you started with me way back in the day at IndyStar... and was wondering if any of you old schoolers could remember a "timeline" of sorts over the years on IndyStar, and the other various failed crossover sites, and even this site's history... because I inadvertently turned down memory lane in my wandering around, and it's a long yet mostly empty street the further I go down it, lol.
    There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.

  • #2
    Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

    Interesting story...at least you contribute. That is all that matters.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

      Originally posted by Kid Minneapolis View Post
      . . . but I do recognize that some of you started with me way back in the day at IndyStar... and was wondering if any of you old schoolers could remember a "timeline" of sorts over the years on IndyStar, and the other various failed crossover sites, and even this site's history...
      I first started posting on the Star, but I can't give any history of crossover sites.

      One of the problems I've always had is knowing who is who though the years. That's because for some reason people like to change their forum names. So it would be nice if when people reply that they give their former forum names along with what they can remember of their timeline so we can sort out the players.

      My History and Timeline
      The farthest back I can remember is when the 'core' was in vogue at the Star. However, I can't pinpoint the date.

      However, during this time I also posted using a girls name a few times and some of the guys started emailing her. A couple posters even seemed interested in her as a member of the opposite sex, but I didn't lead them on. I was conducting an experiment to see if a girls post would generate more interest. (It seemed to.)

      I can't remember the girls name I used other than her last name was Lewis. The only one that knew what I was doing at the time was Twes, but I doubt if he even remembers. And no he's not one of the guys I was speaking of above either. I don't think either guy currently posts on here.

      My forum name was Will Galen then and I've never changed my name.
      Last edited by Will Galen; 03-13-2009, 02:19 AM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

        Originally posted by Will Galen View Post
        I first started posting on the Star, but I can't give any history of crossover sites.

        One of the problems I've always had is knowing who is who though the years. That's because for some reason people like to change their forum names. So it would be nice if when people reply that they give their former forum names along with what they can remember of their timeline so we can sort out the players.

        My History and Timeline
        The farthest back I can remember is when the 'core' was in vogue at the Star. However, I can't pinpoint the date.

        However, during this time I also posted using a girls name a few times and some of the guys started emailing her. A couple posters even seemed interested in her as a member of the opposite sex, but I didn't lead them on. I was conducting an experiment to see if a girls post would generate more interest. (It seemed to.)

        I can't remember the girls name I used other than her last name was Lewis. The only one that knew what I was doing at the time was Twes, but I doubt if he even remembers. And no he's not one of the guys I was speaking of above either. I don't think either guy currently posts on here.

        My forum name was Will Galen then and I've never changed my name.
        I think the moral of the story is that time flies and it seems to fly faster and faster.

        You always were naughty Will.

        How are you sir.

        Twes

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

          Ah memory lane stuff.

          Started out at Indy Star in 98 or 99??? I do remember it was around the time discussions were going on about which Davis could be traded and Atlanta was making a push for Dale.

          Got booted/evicted/slammed/and banned from the Indy Star in 2003(?) along with our good buddy Spicoli for teaming up with on some troll that we apparently made cry or something. I was never allowed to register again and of course with the thoughts thread disappearing I was ready to leave anyway I guess. Besides my friend, my pal, my hero Jon Bender told me it was time.

          Was lucky to register on Hicks first attempt at PD and like a little bird the wings were a little shakey. Some how I couldn't remember my password one time and said what the heck. Finally returned months later for good.

          And so we are here today on absolutely what I consider the best site in the universe. Hicks and Able once again thank you so much. I mean if you think about it the Simons are asking for money and yet our hosts are not.
          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


          • #6
            Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

            Originally posted by Twes View Post
            I think the moral of the story is that time flies and it seems to fly faster and faster.

            You always were naughty Will.

            How are you sir.

            Twes
            I was fine . . . until you let my secret out!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

              Originally posted by RWB View Post
              Ah memory lane stuff.

              Started out at Indy Star in 98 or 99??? I do remember it was around the time discussions were going on about which Davis could be traded and Atlanta was making a push for Dale.

              Got booted/evicted/slammed/and banned from the Indy Star in 2003(?) along with our good buddy Spicoli for teaming up with on some troll that we apparently made cry or something. I was never allowed to register again and of course with the thoughts thread disappearing I was ready to leave anyway I guess. Besides my friend, my pal, my hero Jon Bender told me it was time.

              Was lucky to register on Hicks first attempt at PD and like a little bird the wings were a little shakey. Some how I couldn't remember my password one time and said what the heck. Finally returned months later for good.

              And so we are here today on absolutely what I consider the best site in the universe. Hicks and Able once again thank you so much. I mean if you think about it the Simons are asking for money and yet our hosts are not.
              I started out on ESPN board (thanks Harddrive 7, Pacer Patty, Horsehead et al) and sometime later found the IStar board. The Core War bored the crap out of me so I stayed away as much as possible. Finally when things calmed down I jumped in. I tried like a son-of-a-gun to talk PacerFanForLife out of going PFFL on the Star board but his frustration with IThomas and The Donald was just too great and he committed suicide with the only weapon available...his keyboard. I came over here on day 1 but the monkeys were running the zoo and flinging poop everywhere. NOTHING was being moderated and anything was being said. With youngster looking over my shoulder I had to go back to a more secure site...then Hicks emailed me he was shutting down the site and installing rules. And by the powers of Mt. Olympus he came up with a purdy dern good product. Then along came Able who offered to host the site for gratis and the site has just gotten better and better.....except for a few that sound like they'd like to be on the OLD ESPN site talking smack. But hey, I prolly wouldn't mind that if I weren't so dern old now.

              (although Will Galen is STILL older than me and is STILL a prick)
              Last edited by indygeezer; 03-14-2009, 10:34 AM.
              Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

                Originally posted by Kid Minneapolis View Post
                So then, the notion hit me, and I looked over at my avatar, and I realized that I've been a member here for over 5 years, and I've only posted 350 times, lol... which I'm pretty sure would make me one of the consistently slowest long-term forum contributors around these parts
                Ha, ha, I've got you beat!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

                  But that forum became a troll-infested noobie ground after Artest wreaked his havoc @ The Palace, and I couldn't take anymore of it, so I hopped on over here for good (and I'm still here, so I guess that's sayin' somethin, lol)
                  Ironically it was because of arguing with people about this incident in the off-topic area at a non-sports forum I ended up ending all sports discussion there and started making use of my IndyStar account.

                  I didn't realize that was a low point. I thought it was far better than where I'd been in terms of sympathetic ears. But it only took another year or so before I'd also had enough of A) trolls left unchecked and B) almost zero posting history.

                  I hate when people can talk up a bunch of crap that doesn't come close to being true and not be called to the carpet for it. I'm more than willing to have it work against me too just for this benefit.


                  Oh, and there's pictures of cheerleaders here too. And Adrienne Barbeau.



                  It's funny Minny because I think of you as a Star poster more than a PD, even though you were over here long before me.
                  Last edited by Naptown_Seth; 03-14-2009, 11:05 AM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

                    I was never on Indy Star, I'd been on a Homestar Runner board for a number of years and was tired of it and I wanted to find somewhere else to play the wolf game and thought, "I wonder if there are any pacer forums." I googled it, found this place in it's pHbb state and started the first wolf game not too long after. It's about the only thing I'm well known for here.

                    I mostly read the pacers stuff because my opinion is almost always already stated better than I could have put it in the first place.
                    Play Mafia!
                    Twitter

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

                      It strikes me that "core" was in the 99-00 era + or - a year. Rats was a cesspool long before the artest incident. And over here we have dancing bananas.
                      Don't thank me, I'll kill ya.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

                        Hilariously, this is how I got into Pacer forums. You can thank Naptown Seth, even though I have never met the guy:

                        In the summer of 2005, after my first year of college on the East Coast, I got an internship in Indianapolis. I was reading NUVO one day while eating a burrito at the downtown Qdoba during my lunch break and I was reading about how a poster named "Naptown Seth" totally ripped Bob Kravitz on the Indystar board. I went to the board to find it for myself, liked what was going on there, and registered. I probably posted around 250-500 posts there before coming over here for good about a year later. I really like these forums because it gives me some type of connection to my hometown.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

                          Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
                          Ironically it was because of arguing with people about this incident in the off-topic area at a non-sports forum I ended up ending all sports discussion there and started making use of my IndyStar account.

                          I didn't realize that was a low point. I thought it was far better than where I'd been in terms of sympathetic ears. But it only took another year or so before I'd also had enough of A) trolls left unchecked and B) almost zero posting history.

                          I hate when people can talk up a bunch of crap that doesn't come close to being true and not be called to the carpet for it. I'm more than willing to have it work against me too just for this benefit.


                          Oh, and there's pictures of cheerleaders here too. And Adrienne Barbeau.



                          It's funny Minny because I think of you as a Star poster more than a PD, even though you were over here long before me.
                          I spent a good ten years over there, and ya, when you showed up, it was probly at the worst point I'd ever seen it. It was *great* in the early years, from '98 until 2003 or so... I view the IndyStar forum as the mother forum of all Indiana sports forums... it seems like no matter what forum you're at or who you talk to, it all leads back to IndyStar.

                          Anyway, It's a shame that IndyStar let it go to where they did... they installed an inferior software, they let it go unmoderated, and just completely killed the experience... was sad for me to leave it.

                          I'm glad PD is here to allow me to continue good Pacer talk with mature fans. I'm trying to find a good Colts forum that also does the same... I had spent some time over at ColtClique.com, which is a new site spawned from IndyStar, but there's just a little too much immaturity over there at times, too much off-topic random talk.
                          There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

                            Originally posted by indygeezer View Post
                            (although Will Galen is STILL older than me and is STILL a prick)
                            I'll have you know I've reformed. No more putting pigtails in inkwell's for me.

                            Originally posted by Kid Minneapolis View Post

                            I'm glad PD is here to allow me to continue good Pacer talk with mature fans. I'm trying to find a good Colts forum that also does the same...
                            What's wrong with the Colts forum on this board? Not enough talk for you?

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Indiana Pacers forum history

                              I started on the IStar boards shortly after i got married in 1997. The CORE stuff was around then as well, but I don't remember what it involved. I have posted under such names as PacerfaninSA, SycamorefaninSA, and maybe even PacerfaninTH, not sure what I started with. I made the move here during the first incarnation and have been here since.

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