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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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Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

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  • Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36441012...dianapolis_in/

    Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse
    WTHR-TV
    updated 10:28 a.m. ET, Tues., April 13, 2010
    Mary Milz/Eyewitness News

    Indianapolis - The Indiana Pacers say they are losing too much money and need relief from the city to have a future at Conseco Fieldhouse.

    As the team closes out its season this week, negotiations with the City's Capital Improvement Board are picking up over the operating costs of the Fieldhouse.

    "There's an incredible sense of urgency. We don't have the ability to operate the core needs of the building and we need help," said Pacers Sports and Entertainment President Jim Morris.

    Asked about the deadline fore reaching an agreement, Morris said, "We need to have this resolved in the next 30 to 60 days."

    Morris said while attendance and season ticket sales were up slightly this year over last, the Paces continue to lose money. The organization is estimated to be at least $150 million in the red.

    "We don't want a single penny for the Pacers or the Fever," Morris said. "Operating the teams is our responsibility."

    But he also said they do want the city to pay the roughly $15 million a year it takes to run the Fieldhouse.

    "A basketball team in a small market does not have the financial capacity to generate money to operate a public building," he said.

    But there's more to it. Morris said some of the equipment at the 11-year-old Conseco needs to be updated or replaced, including the scoreboard, kitchen equipment and furniture. He said venue also needs wi-fi throughout the building to meet Big 10 and NCAA requirements.

    The CIB which recently reversed a $47 million shortfall still faces its own challenges.

    Asked about the board's ability to help the Pacers, CIB member Paul Okeson said, "It's hard without a doubt. We've continued to see a slight drop-off in hotel revenue. Things just aren't where they need to be, but with improvements in the economy and some luck, we'll make ends meet."

    Morris insists owner Herb Simon wants to keep the team in Indianapolis.

    "Herb Simon has said steadfastly the team is not for sale. The object is to keep it in Indianapolis. The only reason he bought it was to give Indianapolis a big league team in the NBA," Morris said.

    But if the city were unable to pick up the tab for Conseco? Morris said, "I think that would mean we'd have to explore all our options. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of cities in North America and around the world who would love to have a big league team."

    Asked if the city can afford to keep the Pacers, Okeson said, "I think the question is can we afford not to have the Pacers? We need to have them here, they're an important part of downtown."

    At O'Reilly's, just a stone's throw from Conseco, a couple of fans said it was hard to get to a game this season.

    "There's just no excitement - no motivation to go to one," said Jordan Spellmeyer.

    John Baker agreed, but like Spellmeyer, said he'd hate to lose the team.

    Baker said, "To Indiana - it's huge, we are a basketball state."

    Bartender Kate Gindro said, "Even though attendance is not doing so well, it's still helpful. We still get good business [when the team plays.] Just to have a pro team is definitely good for the city."

  • #2
    Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

    Well this is the first time I can recall that an official for PS&E has hinted at "exploring all options" (i.e. moving the team) if the CIB couldn't step up and help.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

      Asked if the city can afford to keep the Pacers, Okeson said, "I think the question is can we afford not to have the Pacers? We need to have them here, they're an important part of downtown."

      Rephrasing the question is the last refuge of a scoundrel.




      .
      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)

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

        Originally posted by duke dynamite View Post
        Well this is the first time I can recall that an official for PS&E has hinted at "exploring all options" (i.e. moving the team) if the CIB couldn't step up and help.
        That's what I thought, too. Ugly negotiating tactics are about to happen, I'm afraid, and I doubt that the city and CIB are willing to budge much.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

          Morris said, "I think that would mean we'd have to explore all our options. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of cities in North America and around the world who would love to have a big league team."

          But, is this or is this not the clearest threat to move (if not the first and only clear threat so far) that we've heard of so far?
          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)

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

            The city cannot afford to lose the Pacers and the decision should never come down what the current and temporary situation is with the team.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

              This is why I am convinced every "Big League City" should have a 1-time, consistent "Sports Tax" and the city should it when needed. This should apply Especially to Indianapolis!

              With the multiple events we host (all the NCAA related events, NFL/Colts, NBA/Pacers, IRL/NASCAR...) there are always needs/ issues. We built this city on being a "Armature Sports Mecca", and we have reaped the benefits. Sports are this cities "children" (off-spring of the culture we desired to have). We need to have to support "the children" we have established, & although the Pacers are not "armature sports" (no jokes please), they add to our credibility as a bit-time sports city. Sports is this cities CULTURE, and we can not turn our backs on that now!!!

              Now, this said, I am NOT in favor of adding another tax!!!!!
              We created a tax when we built the Hoosier Dome, and that never went away - it was "reallocated" Well, it's time to "reallocate" it back!

              Hoosiers are some of the highest taxed cities - especially when it comes to our entertainment related services (restaurants, hotels, rental cars, events), and if we don't watch it we will choke the golden goose w/ greed. We, as a city, need to support the Fieldhouse. It is NOT the Pacers fault the CIB gave away the farm on the Colts deal (shamefully good for them!). The city made their bed, not they need to lay in it. Suck it up, take responsibility for the sin's of the past & do the right thing.
              Last edited by PacerGuy; 04-13-2010, 11:21 AM.
              "Larry Bird: You are Officially On the Clock! (3/24/08)"
              (Watching You Like A Hawk!)

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

                Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                The city cannot afford to lose the Pacers and the decision should never come down what the current and temporary situation is with the team.
                Exactly, because every team goes through a slump.

                ...unless you're the Clippers.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

                  The city should step up and pay for Conseco operating expenses.

                  The Pacers were here for us when the Colts were not. Basketball is OUR sport, we cannot lose our franchise. IF we do, we won't get one for a long time. Just ask Cincinatti, Kansas City, St. Louis.... All Midwest small markets....

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

                    Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                    The city cannot afford to lose the Pacers and the decision should never come down what the current and temporary situation is with the team.
                    Hopefully the city will see it that way despite the cash strapped taxpayers who are currently appathetic towards the Pacers to start with, let alone with the Pacers asking for upgrades in a facility that is only about 11 years old, although that would enable the city to host other events there due to some of those upgrades. That said, though, many would argue that those same events can be held at Lucas, and perhaps more efficiently.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

                      A new scoreboard? Last time I went to a game it appeared to serve its purpose. It sounds like, "while the wallet's open, we'd like..." If it's not up to par technologically, then Mr. Simon should buy himself a new one. Give it 10 more years and they'll be saying the whole place needs to be demolished because it just doesn't have the amenities of other NBA arenas. This crap will never stop. It's the price a city pays to have pro sports.
                      Last edited by DocHolliday; 04-13-2010, 11:31 AM.
                      Spoiler Spoiler:

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

                        We are only talking about $15M per year, do you know what the pacers bring to the local economy per year, do you know how much bad publicity the city would receive if the pacers leave. In real dollars the loss of the pacers would hurt the local economy a lot more than $15M per year and the negative publicity alone would cost the city a lot more than $15M.

                        Even if you hate the pacers, the NBA, basketball and Conseco fieldhouse, for the city the Pacers need to be kept.
                        Last edited by Unclebuck; 04-13-2010, 11:47 AM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

                          Originally posted by DocHolliday View Post
                          A new scoreboard? Last time I went to a game it appeared to serve its purpose. It sounds like, "while the wallet's open, we'd like..." If it's not up to par technologically, then Mr. Simon should buy himself a new one. Give it 10 more years and they'll be saying the whole place needs to be demolished because it just doesn't have the amenities of other NBA arenas. This crap will never stop. It's the price a city pays to have pro sports.
                          No it will never stop, and yes it is the price a city pays to have a professional sports team and conventions, and Superbowls, and final fours. if the city doesn't believe those things are important we can close down the downtown area and go back to the early 80's when the downtown shut down at 5 everyday.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

                            The future's uncertain and the end is always near.
                            Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                            Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                            Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                            Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                            And life itself, rushing over me
                            Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                            Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Pacers face uncertain future at Conseco Fieldhouse

                              Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                              No it will never stop, and yes it is the price a city pays to have a professional sports team and conventions, and Superbowls, and final fours. if the city doesn't believe those things are important we can close down the downtown area and go back to the early 80's when the downtown shut down at 5 everyday.
                              Downtown is electric whenever the Pacers play, isn't it? I'd prefer not to lose the Pacers, but let's not act like Indy hasn't grown enough (yes, thanks in part to the Pacers) to continue as a thriving city, even if the Pacers were to leave.
                              Spoiler Spoiler:

                              Comment

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