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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 reddit forum thread

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  • #16
    Re: the reddit forum thread

    I found cache in a browser on another machine, so it may look crabby but it is at least like page 9 or 10 of the thread:


    03-06-2014, 02:53 PM #226
    Mourning
    All is full of Orange!


    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by BillS
    I suppose the confusion can come because ad hominem attacks and disrespect will come more often in those kinds of heated discussions, but people on both sides get nailed with infractions (and people on both sides then complain their opinions are being suppressed). Unless someone builds up 3 infractions, you have to really look to find out if they've been hit with one.


    Which actually brings me to something we've talked about on the admin forum quite a bit. We used to follow a procedure something like:


    - send a PM warning
    - log a WARNING (0 point) infraction
    - log an infraction (1 point)


    for repeated offenses. During the heat of the situation, it seemed very much like we would get a rude response to the PM and then the WARNING infraction would be ignored, so we decided to go straight to the 1 point infraction for the first offense. It takes 3 to get a holiday, so really a single infraction is no big deal by itself - but it seems to me (speaking personally) that this is the point where people's eyebrows shot up and they started thinking admins were cracking down too much (certainly when combined with the attempt to edit posts to leave relevant info while clearing out things we felt were violating the rules).
    Maybe the middleground between some of the disgruntled and the admins is to go from an immediate infraction to say:


    - send a PM warning
    - log an infraction (1 point)


    Now I know you wrote that the PM warning is basically rudely laughed away and you would log a "WARNING" Infraction after that which was pretty much ignored before the real infraction came. Maybe instead of going back to that old system, reinstate step #1 and see how that works? Then again my feeling is this is not about that system, but more about some people feeling/thinking the admins stepping back more.


    Admins stepping back more I personally don't think would work on a forum as big as this and with the passion and emotions that circle around (after a tough loss for example). You run a pretty big risk of this place turning into a jungle or Zoo where the biggest loudmouth would pretty much prevail and all other members are asked to conform to that person or persons like that.


    Either way, I'm fine with how it's run, but maybe a little tinker to take some of the "unhappiness" away would work?


    Offcourse, then you still would have the issue of people being "unhappy" with Abel's responses. I've always been on a good footing with him as far as I can recall, so I have no issue with him at all, but this is something you need to talk through or agree upon as admins and not here in public, unless you want to completely undermine someones (credibility and) status as admin.
    Last edited by Mourning; 03-06-2014 at 02:57 PM.
    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
    Thanks Edit Post Reply Reply With Quote

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    03-06-2014, 03:45 PM #227
    Hicks
    Wasting Light




    Re: new reddit forum..
    The infraction system is flawed no matter how it's used. Some laugh it off, some act like you just shot them, the rest somewhere in between. PMing people when there's a problem is an adventure because you never know if they're going to work with you, argue with you, or insult you. The latter two just make things worse.


    Infractions auto-generate a PM to the user, and we can include a message to the user that goes with it, so this sort of all happens at once when there's an infraction given out. But that also means you're still dealing with the gamble of which of the three responses they're going to give you.


    And usually when it's to argue, it's often with an insult tacked on as well.


    And as Bill said, the yellow cards were routinely ignored because they did nothing other than make your post have a little yellow card and it would automatically PM you to tell you about your little yellow card.


    At least with infractions, they tend to get people's attention, and as Bill points out, it takes 3 to actually do anything, so it's still harmless unless you're just racking them up. They expire in 31 days, by the way, so even if you got two infractions on March 6, if you don't get another one until we're at about April 7th or so, it still wouldn't do anything.


    So the way it is now appears to be the best balance without making it too weak or too severe. At least, that's the conclusion we've come to after discussing it before among the admins.

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    03-06-2014, 03:50 PM #228
    Hicks
    Wasting Light
    Join Date
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    52,623




    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by BillS
    Note as well - for all that people have complained about the use of the red font by the admins, we're trying to use it as a way to show when we are speaking as admins and when we are just being Pacer fans.
    Meanwhile, you have the red font stuff. Bill is right that it is meant to distinguish which 'hat we're wearing'.


    And I think this is also one of the reasons some people feel like we over-moderate. Instead of just deleting a post or giving it an infraction, sometimes we try to snip out the stuff that needs to go but at the same time preserving the rest of the post that is actually fine and just part of the discussion. But this technique is obvious and glaring, while infractions and PMs happen more in the background, so I think that contrast has a big impact on the perception of our activities as well.

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    03-06-2014, 03:56 PM #229
    Sollozzo
    Member
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    I just moved into a new place and don't get Internet/TV until today, so I have missed the last few Pacer games and have not been able to keep up with this thread aside from my I-Phone. Let me just say that I've loved PD for 10 years, hence my post count and activity on the site. It's a fantastic sports forum and I appreciate the people who take time to run it for us. That being said, there are times I've disagreed with "management" here, as in the case with vnzla. It happens. I accepted that I was in the minority and that the admins disagreed with me, so I shut up about it after I said what I wanted to say. But IRRC, the admins did tell us to go talk to him somewhere else if we wanted. That's what a few of us did. Most of us stayed active on PD during this period. Those who ha do interest in v had no interest in the site, while those of us who did utilized the redditt. Life went on fine at both places.


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    03-06-2014, 04:56 PM #230
    wintermute
    Artificial Intelligence
    Join Date
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    BillS, first thanks for replying, not just to me but to the other people with concerns.


    Originally Posted by BillS
    I have to say that the idea that volunteer admins must check their passions at the door ticks me off. I don't know how the thought process got started that the admins ban people willy-nilly who disagree with them - especially when there have been something like 2 bannings in 24 months during a period of extremely heated disagreement over DG and Lance (among other topics), as mentioned before. IF the admins were the level of asshat being implied, then the forum membership should have been reduced by 50% in that time. Meaning that, given the track record, I think the admins here have earned some trust that they can get passionate about a topic and keep it separate from how posters are treated.
    I think you may be confusing me with someone else. I have never tried to imply that admins ban people willy-nilly. That is not my point at all. In fact, in the vnzla thread, I even stated that the admins are probably too accommodating if anything. And indeed, I also stated there that you guys have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to policing the forum. I have no issues here at all.


    What I'm talking about is something more subtle - that forum members do take cues from leaders, and admins like you guys (for better or worse) are looked upon as leaders. So when able for example (I'm sorry to keep picking on able, who I think is a really nice dude, but well his actions are a bit more obvious) states rather unequivocally that Lance isn't possibly worth more than $6m per year IIRC, people who have a different opinion might feel less inclined to post a topic like "Should we pay Lance the max" because a forum leader has made it clear that it is a ridiculous possibility.


    As for checking your passions at the door... well, I guess that depends on what you want to accomplish as an admin. If it's just policing the forum - and as I've stated I think you guys do a great job here - then yeah maybe this doesn't matter. If you also want to promote discussions, well, I think admins have to be neutral as far as possible, or at least post in a neutral manner. UB for example, does a great job holding his own opinions while not outright rejecting anyone else's. It's perhaps an unfair expectation to have on everyone, but don't you think at least that the forum would be a better place if everyone were more like UB? And I do mean everyone, not just the admins.


    So again, I have no problems with how you guys handle troublesome posters. In fact, I don't think you get thanked enough for the job you've done. So just to be clear about it, thank you for all the hard work you (plural) do.


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    03-06-2014, 05:25 PM #231
    Bball
    Jimmy did what Jimmy did
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by Hicks
    Meanwhile, you have the red font stuff. Bill is right that it is meant to distinguish which 'hat we're wearing'.


    And I think this is also one of the reasons some people feel like we over-moderate. Instead of just deleting a post or giving it an infraction, sometimes we try to snip out the stuff that needs to go but at the same time preserving the rest of the post that is actually fine and just part of the discussion. But this technique is obvious and glaring, while infractions and PMs happen more in the background, so I think that contrast has a big impact on the perception of our activities as well.
    All of that is a fine line situation IMHO. Deleting a post should never be taken lightly. In fact I think BillS made a major mistake in deleting the post a few pages back in this thread and I think he realized that after the fact. At best it needed moved. People put time and effort into their posts (typically) no matter the point or topic so to see it just disappear or get red-inked away can be seen as a lack of respect. The red-ink deletion should be reserved for major post issues where there has been a direct personal attack of major proportions or it's treaded into racial or religious areas in an extreme negative way. Otherwise, a red ink reply to say "careful", "let's leave this part of the issue alone in this thread", or "let's discuss this in another new/existing thread" should be sufficient. A red ink deletion should never be because of a topic veer or when there's nothing offensive in the words that are written. Or else just send a friendly PM and explain yourself a bit and ask the poster to consider editing the post themselves before you do anything else should always be a possibility.


    Same is true with infractions. You say PM's get ignored. Well, it's still a courtesy to posters not to get a hammer out when all you need is a little glue. You might tell yourself an infraction means nothing by itself except to notify the poster of a line crossed but when you are on the other side of it you wonder why people you consider your friends couldn't have just messaged you a polite message in their own words and took a couple of seconds to explain their thoughts. Or asked for a little dialogue to get everyone on the same page instead of going to an 'infraction'.


    For the people that totally ignore PM's then you start realizing where problems might be. But that said, you also need to give people a little space to blow off steam, cool down, etc. and not make snap decisions or expect a 180deg turn right off the bat even if their initial reaction is not to put their tail between the legs. Be the professional and realize you're dealing with peers not subordinates.


    Also, for small, minor violations IMHO it's better to let a post stand with a mod reply so it stands as guidance for everyone. And every mod 'hat' reply probably doesn't need to be red ink. I think the red ink should be reserved for serious issues when a point really needs to be made. The red ink implies something more than it probably should and again makes it look a lot like a scolding from a superior than maybe it should which then feeds into the feeling of over-moderation.


    .02
    Last edited by Bball; 03-06-2014 at 05:27 PM.
    O'Brien has been fired! Yay! What took so long?


    ------


    "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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    03-06-2014, 05:36 PM #232
    BillS
    Running with the Big Boys
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by Bball
    All of that is a fine line situation IMHO. Deleting a post should never be taken lightly. In fact I think BillS made a major mistake in deleting the post a few pages back in this thread and I think he realized that after the fact. At best it needed moved. People put time and effort into their posts (typically) no matter the point or topic so to see it just disappear or get red-inked away can be seen as a lack of respect. The red-ink deletion should be reserved for major post issues where there has been a direct personal attack of major proportions or it's treaded into racial or religious areas in an extreme negative way. Otherwise, a red ink reply to say "careful", "let's leave this part of the issue alone in this thread", or "let's discuss this in another new/existing thread" should be sufficient. A red ink deletion should never be because of a topic veer or when there's nothing offensive in the words that are written. Or else just send a friendly PM and explain yourself a bit and ask the poster to consider editing the post themselves before you do anything else should always be a possibility.


    Same is true with infractions. You say PM's get ignored. Well, it's still a courtesy to posters not to get a hammer out when all you need is a little glue. You might tell yourself an infraction means nothing by itself except to notify the poster of a line crossed but when you are on the other side of it you wonder why people you consider your friends couldn't have just messaged you a polite message in their own words and took a couple of seconds to explain their thoughts. Or asked for a little dialogue to get everyone on the same page instead of going to an 'infraction'.


    For the people that totally ignore PM's then you start realizing where problems might be. But that said, you also need to give people a little space to blow off steam, cool down, etc. and not make snap decisions or expect a 180deg turn right off the bat even if their initial reaction is not to put their tail between the legs. Be the professional and realize you're dealing with peers not subordinates.


    Also, for small, minor violations IMHO it's better to let a post stand with a mod reply so it stands as guidance for everyone. And every mod 'hat' reply probably doesn't need to be red ink. I think the red ink should be reserved for serious issues when a point really needs to be made. The red ink implies something more than it probably should and again makes it look a lot like a scolding from a superior than maybe it should which then feeds into the feeling of over-moderation.


    .02
    Appreciate the input.


    How would you feel if we red ink delete (referring to leaving the post but blanking out the response) a reply in thread to something we asked not be continued?


    The issue is that we can ask, but experience has shown people pretty much will reply to the hot button issues even when we ask to play nice. The irony, of course, is the ones who DO play nice are the ones who feel kicked when something more severe is done, while the ones who need the kick wouldn't play nice when given the chance. Doing different things for different people leads to the cries that favoritism is being shown, or how come X got an infraction when Y only got a redline edit.
    BillS


    Another night, another backside-kicking. They just hit you from so many sides, now, in waves. It's like a cavalry, running down hill and trampling you underfoot. You have no tactical advantage, you're just swinging wildly in the mud, and the best strategy might be to play dead.


    They are an absolute onslaught right now.


    ------------ Matt Moore, CBS Sports "Eye On Basketball", 11/12/13


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    03-06-2014, 05:38 PM #233
    Bball
    Jimmy did what Jimmy did
    Join Date
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    19,417


    Re: new reddit forum..
    Let me add before it goes the wrong direction... I don't think 'over-moderation' is really the term I mean. That term was brought up earlier in the thread but I'm not sure it's an accurate word to use exactly to where my thoughts are on the subject.
    O'Brien has been fired! Yay! What took so long?


    ------


    "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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    03-06-2014, 05:45 PM #234
    Bball
    Jimmy did what Jimmy did
    Join Date
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by BillS
    Appreciate the input.


    How would you feel if we red ink delete (referring to leaving the post but blanking out the response) a reply in thread to something we asked not be continued?


    The issue is that we can ask, but experience has shown people pretty much will reply to the hot button issues even when we ask to play nice. The irony, of course, is the ones who DO play nice are the ones who feel kicked when something more severe is done, while the ones who need the kick wouldn't play nice when given the chance. Doing different things for different people leads to the cries that favoritism is being shown, or how come X got an infraction when Y only got a redline edit.
    It would depend on the circumstances. The example from this thread should've just been moved and I know you agree in hindsight. But I don't think it was a hot-button topic so I'm not sure you would've been ignored if you'd just asked that we not discuss that issue in this particular thread when there's already a more appropriate thread. Then as you were writing that I'm sure you would've thought- "Shoot... I should just move this to the other thread and mention I moved it there!"
    So I think the red-ink delete is sometimes a kneejerk response and 'go to' response when it shouldn't be.


    If something truly is a hot button topic then it probably does need deleted if it's something that needs to be forbidden. But how often is that really the case?
    O'Brien has been fired! Yay! What took so long?


    ------


    "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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    03-06-2014, 06:12 PM #235
    BillS
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by Bball
    It would depend on the circumstances. The example from this thread should've just been moved and I know you agree in hindsight. But I don't think it was a hot-button topic so I'm not sure you would've been ignored if you'd just asked that we not discuss that issue in this particular thread when there's already a more appropriate thread. Then as you were writing that I'm sure you would've thought- "Shoot... I should just move this to the other thread and mention I moved it there!"
    So I think the red-ink delete is sometimes a kneejerk response and 'go to' response when it shouldn't be.


    If something truly is a hot button topic then it probably does need deleted if it's something that needs to be forbidden. But how often is that really the case?
    Far too often you can't tell it's the case until a thread has blown up and people are hurling brickbats at each other. Kind of hard to calm it down at that point.


    I think at some level there will always be topic drift, as well as heated rhetoric and hot differences of opinion. In general we don't want that completely stopped, because it is what makes the forum interesting. On the other hand, when a thread bogs down into "you're a liar!" "Yeah, well you're an idiot and a liar!" "Yeah, well you wouldn't know basketball if it bit you in the cojones", then it doesn't only spoil the atmosphere it often ruins the good conversation that was being had. It's frustrating to be following a very good discussion on opposite sides that is interrupted (and often shouted down) by the garbage.


    The ignore improvements should help (and we really wish we had a "force ignore" feature that would have allowed admins to essentially separate two people who are constantly at each others' throats).
    BillS


    Another night, another backside-kicking. They just hit you from so many sides, now, in waves. It's like a cavalry, running down hill and trampling you underfoot. You have no tactical advantage, you're just swinging wildly in the mud, and the best strategy might be to play dead.


    They are an absolute onslaught right now.


    ------------ Matt Moore, CBS Sports "Eye On Basketball", 11/12/13

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    03-07-2014, 07:29 PM
    Hoop
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    03-08-2014, 05:11 AM #236
    Brad8888
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Other than the "ignore this thread" testing thread, the top 2 threads in the currently recorded history (that have survived beyond the Great Server Crash of a few years ago) of the Feedback section are this one and the one regarding vnzla.


    I think that speaks to something that is still present here on PD - namely the willingness to discuss issues for the most part, with the main reason being the bond that continues to exist here as a combined result of many years of high quality work done by the mods as well as the bottom line respect shared by the majority of posters who have come here over the years.


    Obviously, the currently active PD membership, as well as those who are currently bouncing back and forth, or who continue to refer to PD whether in a derogatory fashion or not, all do truly care. Not just about the Pacers, but ultimately about each other, at least as posters on here, as well as the ultimate purpose of the board being a place to celebrate, commiserate, debate, and relate all things Pacers. There may be differences of opinion on enforcement and interpretation of rules, but there still has ended up being a meaningful dialogue that has come out of all of this. Because of this, I believe things will settle and eventually heal.

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    03-08-2014, 09:05 PM #237
    Peck
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    So I get back on land today and check my email only to see several notifications from Pacers Digest telling me my P.M. inbox is full. I then log onto the digest and see 1 inbox p.m. from Able that was sent to be me on the 3rd. I have tried replying to it on 3 different occasions only to come to the conclusion that my private message system has been disabled as well as having all of my administrative abilities stripped of me while I was out of the country.


    Needless to say I was confused to say the least but then I found this gem of a thread.


    I love the fact that I was tried and found guilty in absentia without ever once being able to present my side of the story. I really love the fact that Bill is acting like he never knew this existed when I told both he and Eric about it after a Pacers game very early on when Danny returned. He even asked me if it meant I wasn't going to post here anymore and I told him no that it was not meant to replace the Digest, it was just a place where Vnzla81 could still talk to people. It's not even a website. Bill just to jog your memory this was the night I showed you the text from vnzla81 saying how good Danny was that night, also to Eric's defense when I told both of them Eric just literally threw his hands in the air and went "phewt" I took that to mean he didn't care as long as he didn't have to deal with vnzla81.


    Now to Able specifically I have tried 3-4 different times to send you a p.m. to address yours to me. I am not able to do it and therefore I will try to send you an email when I get back home on Tuesday.


    I am not at this time able to address many of the concerns raised in this thread because I technically am still away from home and am not supposed to be using the computer for this purpose but I wanted to at least address Able here because he was given some very wrong information.


    To my former fellow admins. I'm not even sure what to say. The fact that I have been a loyal member of this forum for 10 years and an admin. who tried to do his best for at least 7 (I think it was closer to 8) years meant I did not even get consideration of being able to present my own side is mind boggling to me. I certainly understand your displeasure and if roles were reversed I would feel the same way, however I would have given any of you the chance to defend yourself, I didn't even get that.


    If my account is not banned when I return later tonight or tomorrow I will try and respond further.




    Basketball isn't played with computers, spreadsheets, and simulations. ChicagoJ 4/21/13

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    03-08-2014, 10:29 PM #238
    Mourning
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by Sollozzo
    I just moved into a new place and don't get Internet/TV until today, so I have missed the last few Pacer games and have not been able to keep up with this thread aside from my I-Phone. Let me just say that I've loved PD for 10 years, hence my post count and activity on the site. It's a fantastic sports forum and I appreciate the people who take time to run it for us. That being said, there are times I've disagreed with "management" here, as in the case with vnzla. It happens. I accepted that I was in the minority and that the admins disagreed with me, so I shut up about it after I said what I wanted to say. But IRRC, the admins did tell us to go talk to him somewhere else if we wanted. That's what a few of us did. Most of us stayed active on PD during this period. Those who ha do interest in v had no interest in the site, while those of us who did utilized the redditt. Life went on fine at both places.
    I must have misread your posts about this site, atleast one admin and the commotion in this thread on Pecks board... strange way to show your "appreciation", but whatever.
    Last edited by Mourning; 03-08-2014 at 10:35 PM.
    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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    03-08-2014, 10:38 PM #239
    Sollozzo
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by Mourning
    I must have misread your posts about this site, atleast one admin and the commotion in this thread on Pecks board... strange way to show your "appreciation", but whatever.
    One can criticize the admins and still love the overall forum just like one can criticize Barack Obama while still loving the United States.


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    03-08-2014, 11:03 PM #240
    Mourning
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by Sollozzo
    One can criticize the admins and still love the overall forum just like one can criticize Barack Obama while still loving the United States.
    Sure, if you feel like someone on Pecks board giving an admin in here a nickname with "Nazi" is hilarious and want to call that critical...


    And I guess fully enjoying the "unrest" is really showing you appreciate this place and is in fact a way of showing you're being critical...
    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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    03-09-2014, 04:24 PM #241
    able
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Thank you Peck, I will await said email while I check why you can not pm and fix that as we'll.
    So Long And Thanks For All The Fish.


    If you've done 6 impossible things today?
    Then why not have Breakfast at Milliways!


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    03-09-2014, 05:47 PM #242
    BillS
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by Peck
    I love the fact that I was tried and found guilty in absentia without ever once being able to present my side of the story. I really love the fact that Bill is acting like he never knew this existed when I told both he and Eric about it after a Pacers game very early on when Danny returned. He even asked me if it meant I wasn't going to post here anymore and I told him no that it was not meant to replace the Digest, it was just a place where Vnzla81 could still talk to people. It's not even a website. Bill just to jog your memory this was the night I showed you the text from vnzla81 saying how good Danny was that night, also to Eric's defense when I told both of them Eric just literally threw his hands in the air and went "phewt" I took that to mean he didn't care as long as he didn't have to deal with vnzla81.
    I've been trying to explain to people you weren't around, which is why I changed the title of the thread.


    Also, I didn't think the thing you talked about with vnzla was what this was advertised as. I may have forgotten about it (in my defense it was sort of an in passing thing I wasn't concerning myself with), or I may just not have made the connection between what you were saying and the reddit forum. Ultimately, though, the issue is not the existence of it. It has always been about what looked to the admins here as a concerted effort by people to promote it as a place to go instead of PD.


    We've had a lot of discussion about that perception and some misunderstandings have been cleared up on both sides, so I hope that part is resolved.


    As for the rest, I see Able is trying to fix some things technically and talk to you. I believe Hicks means to as well.
    BillS


    Another night, another backside-kicking. They just hit you from so many sides, now, in waves. It's like a cavalry, running down hill and trampling you underfoot. You have no tactical advantage, you're just swinging wildly in the mud, and the best strategy might be to play dead.


    They are an absolute onslaught right now.


    ------------ Matt Moore, CBS Sports "Eye On Basketball", 11/12/13

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    03-09-2014, 06:21 PM #243
    Hicks
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    I'm sorry that you felt confused, but I certainly didn't anticipate that you would feel that way (well, aside from the PM part, but see the end of my post in regards to that) because you told us 4 months ago that you were done being an admin on PD, and in fact you have not acted in that role since that time, and so I didn't expect this change in your account to come as a surprise. I would have been happy to have you stay as an admin when I came back in November, but once you announced to us that you were done and that you were leaving, it seemed like that was the end of it, and in the months since, it definitely appeared to us that you had moved on, based on your general lack of activity (a little bit of posting, nothing admin-wise) and based on this other space and that you seem to post there more than here, again suggesting you'd moved on.


    When I found out about this reddit forum or space or whatever the proper term for it is, when I found out about it, considering our long history here together, I would have thought that you would have told me and the other admins about it, and invited us to join in the conversation, if even as a courtesy. Speaking for myself, obviously I don't desire to talk to V, but given that that's where you were making most of your posts now, including with other posters as well, I still would have considered stopping by to see what you / they had to say and possibly to chime in. Were we not welcome to be there?


    It appears that you made that site almost two months ago, while you, as I'm now learning, seemed to still view yourself as a PD admin at the same time. That would seem to give the appearance that you were transitioning from here to there in terms of where you would spend your time and where you would be a moderator. That's perfectly fine, but I was left in the dark, and apparently so were the other admins, and so it seems kind of strange to me that you would do things this way while still also viewing yourself as an admin here.


    It seems like there's been multiple misunderstandings here, and I'm sorry for my part in that.


    Regarding your PMs; I think what's happening there is that the amount you had stored/saved exceeds the quota for a standard PD user (the quota for admins is a much higher number), and so when the account was changed, there must have been more saved PMs than the user quota allows. To fix that, I'm going to increase the quota for everyone, and that should free you up to PM again.

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    03-09-2014, 06:30 PM #244
    BlueNGold
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    I've been around here about a decade and I think the tenor of the site has changed over the last 6 months to a year. Just in the last few months, I have placed 3 posters on ignore...nothing I had ever seen the need to do in the past.


    I have a theory. I think the team's success may have brought in a few trolls with the bandwagon fans. Have the number of posters and/or posts increased? While this has happened, I think we have lost a few good posters or maybe they are not as active due to the types of threads and content. Some of the threads out there are being started by people who really shouldn't be starting them. JMHO.


    Another theory is the red font. I have not been a victim of that much, but I do think it raises tension. It creates the feeling that the site is under a police-state...even though the intent of the red font is a good one...that is, to allow the good part of posts to remain (at least that was my understanding). I think the intent isn't meeting its goals. My advice is to simply delete the problem posts. Again, JMHO.


    Finally, I suspect this "environment" has affected the admins...or at least that's my impression. Recently, I have witnessed what I believe are instances of retaliation. I perceive that more infractions are occurring after a bad loss or a trade that said-admin doesn't like. I received my first infraction ever all because I used a phrase that is apparently infraction-worthy. Perhaps I didn't understand the phrase because it seemed descriptive and innocuous to me. I did read the rules early on and probably need to review them again. I will do that. With that said, the PM I received with the infraction included some degree of a threat. I don't think that's helpful either. Many people will react better with a warning or a softer approach for a first infraction. For a second infraction, I can understand a threat being added. Again, JMHO.
    Last edited by BlueNGold; 03-09-2014 at 06:36 PM.
    LeWade are going down.


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    03-09-2014, 08:06 PM #245
    Sollozzo
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    Originally Posted by Mourning
    Sure, if you feel like someone on Pecks board giving an admin in here a nickname with "Nazi" is hilarious and want to call that critical...


    And I guess fully enjoying the "unrest" is really showing you appreciate this place and is in fact a way of showing you're being critical...
    As with the rest of your nonsensical posts, it is time to show some sources, quotes that support what you are saying other then the oneliner from Bird without reference of the whole convo, where was it posted by a credible source he stopped rehabbing? where was it said he is lazy? it is time to put an end to this nonsense.
    I unequivocally state you are misrepresenting the truth here on purpose, prove me wrong!


    http://www.pacersdigest.com/showthre...=1#post1795887


    That post from able is an example of why some of us have a problem. Look, I get that this is able's joint and he can say whatever he wants. No one has ever challenged the fact that this is his place and he has the freedom to say what he wants when he wants. All of us appreciate the fact that able has hosted this site for so long, and for that I say thanks to him. But over the last couple of months, the admins here have been on a binge about how we don't need to make things "personal" with other posters. There is red font left and right. That's fine and all, but the post of able's that I quoted directly flies in the face of the new rules. If another poster called someone else's posts "nonsensical", then I guarantee you it would be edited out with red font in no time. Vnzla gets an infraction for a "heart and soul" comment about David West which ultimately leads to his demise, yet the host of the website calls other posters nonsensical? Sorry, but that's just incredibly inconsistent and honestly kind of hypocritical.


    I get that this is able's place and he can do what he wants, so there's no need to remind me of that. But you're liable to lose some respect when you don't "practice what you preach". I think that this forum cares very much about what posters feel about it, otherwise there wouldn't be a feedback forum and we wouldn't have this 10 page thread. The admins here certainly don't want to lose long tenured posters, that much I am sure of. When admins don't follow the rules they enforce, respect is quickly lost. And that post I quoted is a perfect example of how biases creep in. Able obviously likes Granger and there's nothing wrong with that. But I guarantee you that if the poster he was responding to had been trashing Lance instead of Granger, able would have been thanking the post instead of calling the poster "nonsensical". He's free to like whoever he wants, but I think that this is a textbook example as to how biases creep in.


    As to the reddit....we were told in the vnzla thread to go talk to him somewhere else since he wasn't welcome at PD. That's what we did. Instead of continuing to complain and fight with people about the vnzla ban, a place was created where those who wanted to talk to him could. This was the best solution for everyone once it was obvious that he wasn't going to be allowed back. Those on PD who hated him didn't have to hear about him anymore, while those who liked him were still able to engage with him. Most of us kept posting at PD. Peck has taken way too much grief in this thread for simply finding a diplomatic solution that was working fine for everyone until this thread erupted.
    Last edited by Sollozzo; 03-09-2014 at 08:17 PM.

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    03-09-2014, 08:54 PM #246
    able
    Grumpy Old Man (PD host)
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    Re: new reddit forum..
    I think the true perspective with Granger is he will never get close to where he once was, yet he is only 30 yrs. old. If you say that he isn't lazy in the off season and that he didn't want to stop his rehab conditioning even tho his doctors wanted him to continue, you are not only lying to yourself and to me but to Larry and the Pacers FO. Who is fooling themselves here? truthfully, I'm not hating on Danny and I hope he continues a wonderful career, but I have a lot of doubt in him. The writing is on the wall and I didn't put it up there.




    my post above was in reply to this from pacers fan, where did I veer in my answer?
    Why not refer to the posts in answer to your own posts?
    why not post where I called you a Vnzla sidekick?


    Joining your pal in calling me a nazi does you no favours in fact it makes you lose and makes trying to alter perception by posting something without context even more constructed than it already was.


    i called out a poster that was obviously making up his own truths and like every other poster I as entitled to that, independently of where my loyalties are vested.


    it takes a mere backseat to what you are calling some of us on other forums
    So Long And Thanks For All The Fish.


    If you've done 6 impossible things today?
    Then why not have Breakfast at Milliways!



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    tried to make it readable

    A
    So Long And Thanks For All The Fish.

    If you've done 6 impossible things today?
    Then why not have Breakfast at Milliways!

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: the reddit forum thread

      Well one thing is certain from this thread. abel is the new PD record holder for longest post ever.

      Sadly, that's probably the best thing about this thread...

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: the reddit forum thread

        I find this threat supremely humorous and tragic at the same time.

        Honestly, Able. You can be one harsh admin but honestly I kind of respect/like the grumpiness...and the humanness. I consider it personality. No poster on this site is perfect or fair all the time. But there are a lot of interesting personalities in this forum and quite frankly most of the posters in this thread qualify.

        Personally, I think V was one of them too. He may have been irritating and combative but he was both entertaining and insightful as well. No, he was not perfect but he had value. You killed a brother my man...

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: the reddit forum thread

          Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post
          I find this thread supremely humorous and tragic at the same time.
          Ameliorated to make post less threa"t"ening

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