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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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Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

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  • #16
    Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

    I will never underestand why any joe blow from across the road can buy guns in america.

    so glad this stuff doesn't happen where im from
    Counting down the days untill DJ Augustin's contract expires.

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    • #17
      Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

      Everybody - give your kids an extra hug tonite.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

        Originally posted by RWB View Post
        Another POS that decided he wanted to go down in history by doing something horrific. I know these things have to be shown on the news but I would hope instead of the talk shows trying to say he had a troubled child hood or something they forget trying to use logic and call it what it is. A Fking animal plain an simple so these other warped fks see there is no glory, not even a hint of pity for this piece of crap.
        I don't think any other animals commit individual acts of mass murder on their own or other species. This is a very human thing to do.

        Another horrible act of violence against young children took place today: http://www.latimes.com/news/world/wo...,6383015.story
        You Got The Tony!!!!!!

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

          Originally posted by Hypnotiq View Post
          I will never underestand why any joe blow from across the road can buy guns in america.

          so glad this stuff doesn't happen where im from
          Did you seriously just say that?

          "Glad that doesn't happen where I'm from"? These were children that were killed!

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

            I was shocked to watch the news earlier and as the TV reporter was interviewing a parent, a print reporter walked up *during* the interview and interviewed the kid, apparently without her permission. It looked like the mother was just too dazed and confused to stop her interview but she didn't seem too happy about it.

            Complete ******* move.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

              http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/liv...newtown-402738

              Syfy Pulls 'Haven' Episode in Wake of Connecticut School Shooting


              SyFy
              In the aftermath of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Syfy is pulling a Haven episode scheduled to air Friday that centers on violence at a high school.
              OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS


              According to a description of "Reunion," "Nathan (Lucas Bryant) and Duke (Eric Balfour) go back to their high school to help Audrey (Emily Rose) apprehend a troubled killer who is wreaking havoc at a student reunion."
              Syfy issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter regarding the decision: "Tonight's scheduled 10 p.m. episode of Haven contained scenes of fictitious violence in a high school. In light of today's tragedy in Newtown, Conn., we have decided not to air it. At this time, no decision has been made as to when the episode will air."
              Instead, the cable network will air a repeat of Eureka -- the animated holiday episode "Do You See What I See" -- in Haven's usual 10 p.m. slot Friday. Haven's third-season finale is scheduled to air next week.
              President Barack Obama addressed the nation Friday following the Newtown shooting, which took the lives of dozens of victims. "We're going to have to get together and take meaningful action," the president said. “As a country we have been through this too many times."
              Haven is based on Stephen King's The Colorado Kid.

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              • #22
                Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

                http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ames/#comments


                NFL will observe a moment of silence before all Week 15 games

                Posted by Michael David Smith on December 14, 2012, 6:13 PM EST

                Reuters
                The NFL will pause before each game this weekend to recognize the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

                At each stadium, just before the playing of the national anthem, a moment of silence will be observed.

                Like everyone across America, those in the NFL have been shocked by the shooting at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School, where authorities say a gunman killed 26 people, 20 of them children aged 5 to 10, before killing himself.

                During the moment of silence, hundreds of thousands of fans in NFL stadiums, and millions of fans watching at home, will reflect on the scope of the tragedy. As President Obama said today, “The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them.

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                • #23
                  Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

                  Not sure what info you all have, but from what we've gotten inside the state..

                  Seems like the gunman fired into two classrooms, his mother's and another one. So yes, likely an entire classroom of of kids 5 years old, and another classroom died. The death toll is now 20.

                  His name is actually Adam Lanza, Ryan is his brother who lives in New Jersey..who has now been taken in for custody. He killed his mother who he lived with first, drove to the school..and then went into her classroom. I'm pretty sure the Father is still actually alive, and that was reported incorrectly.

                  The media... I've had problems with a lot of it. Like...showing the film of parents coming out of the fire station who had clearly gotten the bad news..(That was so gruesome.)

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                  • #24
                    Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

                    It's almost like we're in a cycle where there will soon be so many public killings, that the populace will become desensitized to it, spend less time watching the news, leading to lower ratings (and less celebrity killers) and then less glorification of these public killings, leading to the idea of killing dozens of innocents in public being less of a driving force behind such action, ultimately resulting in fewer high-profile public killings.

                    It's tough to imagine not reaching this point. I hope we can collectively turn off the cable news, get better help for the people who need it, and work on becoming better ourselves. Doesn't seem like that's what's trending though.
                    You Got The Tony!!!!!!

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

                      Originally posted by travmil View Post
                      You may ask how this happens. Aside from the obvious "crazy" factor how does one get access to a school? Well, let me tell you. This morning, my kindergartner forgot his backpack. So since I happen to be off work today I decided to run it over to him. I parked, walked up to the door, which was locked, and hit the intercom call button. The office asked my business there, I told them, they asked my son's name, I told them, they buzzed me in. That's it. So, in theory, you could walk up with a bag full of guns, and get straight in based on knowing the name of one student. That's all it took. One name got me buzzed into the school. What's the solution? Do you really want the school locked up like a prison? Given the alternative I think there needs to be more layers for sure. All I know is you can bet your *** I'm bringing how I was able to get in this morning up at the next PTO meeting.
                      Hell, I volunteer at an elementary school in DC (and not in a great neighborhood) and the door is not even locked. There is a "security guard" that you have to sign in with, bless that woman's heart, but my grandmother could probably overpower her.

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                      • #26
                        Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

                        The 24/7 news cycle needs to put the brakes on. Plus it needs to focus on the victims and heroes, not the perps. I'd say no pictures of the shooter and I'm not even sure about using his name. I mean the authorities should release it of course but unless you hear the press conference or happen to read the official press release that should be about the end of it as far as knowing about the shooter and his family.

                        We should stop making these people famous (or infamous if you will). That is all on the media. They control this.
                        Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

                        ------

                        "A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

                        -John Wooden

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                        • #27
                          Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

                          Originally posted by Trader Joe View Post
                          They are interviewing 8 and 9 year olds on live TV right after their classmates were murdered. Journalists have become the biggest whores in the world.
                          God this INFURIATED me. I'm glad I wasn't the only one to think this.
                          You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

                            Originally posted by Bball View Post
                            The 24/7 news cycle needs to put the brakes on. Plus it needs to focus on the victims and heroes, not the perps. I'd say no pictures of the shooter and I'm not even sure about using his name. I mean the authorities should release it of course but unless you hear the press conference or happen to read the official press release that should be about the end of it as far as knowing about the shooter and his family.

                            We should stop making these people famous (or infamous if you will). That is all on the media. They control this.
                            The principal of the school turned on the intercom so that people in the building would be aware of the situation and try to take precautions.

                            She apparently plead with him to only shoot her and not the kids.

                            I hope she's the person remembered.


                            also, with the media. The local news made it very clear that they made sure to ask permission from parents before interviewing the children. I've had some issues with the way they've handled it (intruding a bit with some of the video, misreporting, stupid questions that they asked the police officers..) interviewing the children happened to be a parental choice.
                            Last edited by Sookie; 12-15-2012, 01:13 AM.

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                            • #29
                              Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

                              All I can think is how someone could look at those children and do something so horrific. He is nothing more than a coward who is hopefully getting just what he deserved in hell. I think he got off easy by killing himself. I would have loved to slit his throat and watch him drown in his own blood, or put him in prison so that once they found out what he did, he could be treated like a freaking human toilet by the other inmates.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Breaking News: 27 reported dead at shooting in Connecticut Elementary school

                                http://www.people.com/people/package...656996,00.html

                                Jenna von Oy Keeps Newtown Hometown In Her Prayers

                                By Jenna von Oy



                                Every school shooting I've ever heard about has been exceedingly heartbreaking and has stirred feelings of both rage and sorrow in me. Each one is tragic and awful, and there have been far too many of them in recent years.

                                But Friday's massacre in Newtown has affected me in a profoundly personal way, as I have a unique perspective on the town ... I am blessed to have grown up there.

                                My family still lives in Newtown and, in my heart of hearts, I still consider myself one of its residents. My attachment is deep-rooted. We are mourning the loss of some of our own this week, and it is a sobering reminder that violence does not discriminate. It can hit close to home.

                                I am fiercely proud to say I was born and raised in Newtown. It is where I was brought home from the hospital, attended my first day of kindergarten, learned to ride my bike and climbed my first tree.

                                As I watched President Obama's press conference, I sobbed as he mentioned that the children who died had their whole lives ahead of them: graduations, weddings, having children of their own. I have celebrated every one of those milestones in Newtown.

                                I graduated from Newtown High School, got married two years ago in a bed and breakfast on its Main Street, and recently had my daughter christened at St. Rose, where the vigil was held Friday evening. Newtown is the foundation of my history and it holds a very special place in my heart.

                                It is nearly impossible to unscramble my thoughts and put them to paper at a time like this, but I wanted to express my love and support for the town that has given me so many wonderful memories.

                                I hope my intent isn't misunderstood here; this is not about me. This is about a peaceful, beautiful, wonderful place I've called home since my childhood; I am feeling very protective of it after Friday's crisis. This is about the people who are left to pick up the pieces after an unfathomable hardship.

                                I grieve for the parents who lost their beautiful, innocent babies; some of them were friends from high school. My heart hurts for the families who have to explain this loss to the frightened children they brought home.




                                Childhood photo with my brother at the Newtown Bee

                                Courtesy of Jenna Von Oy
                                Newtown has always been the epitome of a quintessentially quaint New England town. It resembles a Norman Rockwell painting, and I know it will be all too easy for that image to be marred by these appalling events. But Newtown is so much more than this shocking incident, and I desperately hope America will see that.

                                I know, with absolute certainty, the residents of Newtown will rise up with love and strength in the face of their suffering. When you think of my hometown, I hope you'll think beyond this moment in its history.

                                When the news first reported the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, my emotional spectrum ranged from stunned and horrified, to inconsolable and numb. I am still feeling all of those things, and I don't expect that to go away anytime soon. This isn't something that's easily reconcilable.

                                Moreover, I share the overwhelming grief of the families affected by this tragedy. As a parent, I don't know how to make sense of it, and I am hugging my daughter that much tighter tonight because of it. No parent should ever have to experience a loss such as this one. It is unspeakable, and there is nothing fair about it.

                                There aren't enough prayers to ease their pain, but I'm giving it all I've got, regardless. It is all I have to give, and I hope you'll join me. Beyond that, there are no words.

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