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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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The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

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  • The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

    It's quite early to start talking about this, but then again it may never be too early to start thinking about this.

    The questions are:
    1. What do we do with the 2011 draft now the NBA is in a lockout? I guess the obvious answer is to proceed as normal. Change nothing really.
    2. I think we need to start thinking about the 2012 draft and specifically the scenario in which the whole 2011/2012 season is gone without a single game played. It may never go that way, but I am of the opinion that we need to be make a decision if it were to go that way, before the coming season should officially start.
    This prevents discussion and potential bickering (sp?) when this particular scenario were to become reality, so everyone knows on forehand what will happen next.

    Please, feel free to give your opinion. I think it's important to get this straight. The sooner, the better.
    2012 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

    2011 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

    2006 PD ABA Fantasy League runner up, sports.ws

  • #2
    Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

    Funny you mention it. I've been holding onto the season ending letter for the past season for some time now, with everyone's rosters, draft order, etc. I kept starting to send it out, then I'd hesitate, because of the looming lockout. Typically the ABA KL summer trading season starts Aug 1, which is right around the corner.

    I think I'm going to send out the letter as usual, and it will be business as usual. I don't see anyway there will not be a season, so the biggest effect will be that our draft date will be moved, since we do it within three weeks of the season starting.
    Hey! What're you kicking me for? You want me to ask? All right, I'll ask! Ma'am, where do the high school girls hang out in this town?

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    • #3
      Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

      I've been holding back for the very same reason, Scott. I really don't know but I'm interested in hearing thoughts and ideas.
      “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

      “If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning.” - Catherine Aird

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      • #4
        Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

        i miss my fantasy basketball! hopefully everything will be business as usual.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

          Like I wrote in my opening post I think this years draft should be the same as any other.

          However, I think it wise to atleast be prepared and have a scenario laid down on what the league will do for the offchance of the season going down the toilet completely.

          Better to have clarity on what we will do in that event then have to go through a discussion then when every owner has an interest in a particular scenario (which is for their team) instead of chosing/targetting the "right" scenario for the league.

          Just my .
          2012 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

          2011 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

          2006 PD ABA Fantasy League runner up, sports.ws

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          • #6
            Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

            Wilson Chandler just took a contract with no opt out clause? If there's a season, there's gonna be a tiny little chink in Redbull Yamaha's armor. That's a pretty solid loss of a player.
            Hey! What're you kicking me for? You want me to ask? All right, I'll ask! Ma'am, where do the high school girls hang out in this town?

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            • #7
              Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

              chandler might end up just paying up whatever it would be required to make the contract void, and come back...

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

                I think 2012 draft should be a straight lottery if there is no season.
                Play Mafia!
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                • #9
                  Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

                  Or maybe keep 6 of 12 and draft from there.
                  “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

                  “If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning.” - Catherine Aird

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

                    Originally posted by Pig Nash View Post
                    I think 2012 draft should be a straight lottery if there is no season.
                    IF I'm not mistaken in the NBA they would look at the position of each team during the last 3 or 4 drafts to determine who drafts where. Seems pretty fair to me.
                    2012 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                    2011 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                    2006 PD ABA Fantasy League runner up, sports.ws

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

                      that seems reasonable, how would it work for expansion teams? would we calculate based on their one season?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

                        I was going to suggest using the average fantasy points per game of the 12 players each team has on their summer roster.

                        Add 'em up & the lowest scoring team drafts first.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

                          Originally posted by Jose Slaughter View Post
                          I was going to suggest using the average fantasy points per game of the 12 players each team has on their summer roster.

                          Add 'em up & the lowest scoring team drafts first.
                          Haha, so if you have a team with a lot of players that have been injured the past season how would they count? Would you use the careeraverage or the seasonaverage? Also some teams could have very inefficient players who play a huge number of minutes. That would screw them immediately, while they could be having some of the worst teams in the League.

                          Either way, I like the thought, but I doubt it would lead up to a reasonable outcome, so I don't think I would be a fan of this procedure.
                          2012 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                          2011 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                          2006 PD ABA Fantasy League runner up, sports.ws

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                          • #14
                            Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

                            I think it's a good idea to bump my previous post

                            Originally posted by Mourning View Post
                            Like I wrote in my opening post I think this years draft should be the same as any other.

                            However, I think it wise to atleast be prepared and have a scenario laid down on what the league will do for the offchance of the season going down the toilet completely.

                            Better to have clarity on what we will do in that event then have to go through a discussion then when every owner has an interest in a particular scenario (which is for their team) instead of chosing/targetting the "right" scenario for the league.

                            Just my .
                            IMHO decision we need to make a decision very shortly from now when it's still not 100% certain that the entire season is gone.

                            We need to have everybody vote for a proposal on how to draft in 2012 to prevent people/teams from being for or against a certain way of ranking teams for the picks in that draft based solely on how high they would draft in each instance. i.o. how much advantage his/her team would have, instead of what would be best leaguewide.

                            I think by still having a minimal shot of having a part of a season we minimize the chance of the above happenning. I think people looking at what is best for the league is better then risking people looking solely for their own interests (a higher draft pick then in another way of assigning draftposition where they would get a lower draft pick). I think this has to be done now more then ever.

                            Just my
                            2012 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                            2011 PD ABA Fantasy Keeper League Champion, sports.ws

                            2006 PD ABA Fantasy League runner up, sports.ws

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: The lockout and the 2011 and 2012 drafts: what do we do?

                              if there is no season - i say we pick in the same order as we would be for this years draft. last season record counts for this season and the upcoming season draft.

                              or....should there be no season - we just only have one draft and dont over complicate ourselves.

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