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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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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.

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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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Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

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  • #46
    Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

    Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post
    Once our government decides to stop destroying the country with its immigration and trade policies and our people decide to place a higher value on family, fatherhood, personal responsibility, education, and morals, these problems will dissipate.
    In other words; "Don't hold your breath".
    “It is what we learn after we know it all that really counts” - John Wooden

    Comment


    • #47
      Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

      Originally posted by dlewyus View Post
      In other words; "Don't hold your breath".
      LOL. No kidding. I must be dreaming or something.

      In any event, that's what it will take. The trade and immigration policies are not helping our poverty situation in this country. That goes to DC's point. ..and yes, Indiana, particularly run by pro-business Mitch Daniels is not going to start a war on poverty.

      But the war on poverty is not one person's responsibility. Both our government and our own culture has caused this mess. Both need to work together to clean it up.

      So, I really think DC is on target, but there are really two targets. One is public policy. The other one is directly related to culture and how some segments of society put down education, put down family, don't live up to personal responsibilities, etc.

      Until both are corrected, the status quo will continue or grow worse.

      Comment


      • #48
        Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

        Originally posted by dcpacersfan View Post
        And businesses do have a responsibility to contribute to the well being of the community. Have you ever taken a course on business ethics? With all the corporate welfare the Colts have recieved it's really the least they could do.
        I agree the Colts got a handout from the state...and I am totally in agreement with some of the goals you seem to have in mind.

        However, you have been listening to the professors for too long. Businesses are in it to make money and are not responsible for the public welfare. Just because it seems fair for the Colts to "pony up", you just cannot base societal interests on such a whim. It's government's (ie. the general public) responsibility to reign them in by enacting laws and regulations.

        Our immigration and trade policies would be my place to start.

        Comment


        • #49
          Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

          In the United States, it's really all about the bottom line of businesses, and it always will be. Whether or not that is a good thing is something that we can debate, but it really doesn't make that much of a difference what we say because in the end our government is going to enable businesses to reap as much profit as possible, even if it is at the expense of a large number of citizens.

          The reason I am so in favor of development through investment in rough areas is for one thing it works, and for another thing many people win because it really cleans up some areas. But it doesn't really address the core issue of the problem, instead of stopping poverty it just moves it.

          Getting back on topic, this thing will either blow over or it will really, really kill the Pacers in terms of PR. My Dad is always panning me how JT is a thug and that the Pacers are a "bunch of thugs" (even though I don't really think that is true at all) and although most of the people on this board who follow the Pacers closely can argue against this, this is all the average fans sees and all he cares to see. He/she isn't going to partake in some crazy in depth analysis, they'll simply pull their support from this team and do it quickly.

          Comment


          • #50
            Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

            Hey, if nothing else, Bird can buy JT an old, used, Chevy Cavalier
            or something similarly non-descript. Club-9 or whatever at 3:40
            a.m. is bad enough. But leave the damn Rolls at home.

            Comment


            • #51
              Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

              Originally posted by dcpacersfan View Post

              Getting back on topic, this thing will either blow over or it will really, really kill the Pacers in terms of PR. My Dad is always panning me how JT is a thug and that the Pacers are a "bunch of thugs" (even though I don't really think that is true at all) and although most of the people on this board who follow the Pacers closely can argue against this, this is all the average fans sees and all he cares to see. He/she isn't going to partake in some crazy in depth analysis, they'll simply pull their support from this team and do it quickly.
              I think it blows over. For goodness gracious, it's just another shooting. lol

              I don't even care. I have already learned it will take at least rape or murder by a player for me to stop tuning in. I think that must go for the majority of the Pacer fans who are left. In fact, we might even pick up some new fans from certain segments of society. lol.

              Comment


              • #52
                Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

                Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post

                However, you have been listening to the professors for too long. Businesses are in it to make money and are not responsible for the public welfare. Just because it seems fair for the Colts to "pony up", you just cannot base societal interests on such a whim. It's government's (ie. the general public) responsibility to reign them in by enacting laws and regulations.
                I think we agree way more than we disagree, I just wish the Colts as a whole had an owner who was a bit more of a humanitarian like Abe Polin, who by the way is amazingly wealthy but totally revitalized a whole area of DC in the process. I am a huge Colts fan but I think even a lot of us in Indianapolis can agree that the Irsays (Robert especially) are some of the more heartless owners in professional sports.

                From what I remember the area around the Fieldhouse was kinda shifty to say the least before the Fieldhouse itself was built. I may be wrong about this.

                Comment


                • #53
                  Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

                  8 seconds saloon
                  Cloud 9

                  The only logical explanation is that Tinsley is huge numbers fan and is planning his next "incident" at club TEN (yes, the lesbian bar at 12th & Penn).

                  One would also expect that after that there will only be one more occurrence after TEN since the Tin-man sports the number 11 on the court.

                  Does Jamaal have plans to open his own club 11 thus sealing the fate of this numbers game?

                  Stay tuned!


                  --------------

                  Seriously though,


                  I'm in support of Jamaal Tinsley, at this point he's the victim no matter what his past is.

                  I'm stoked he keeps a place downtown, the burbs are no place for a young rich man... ok yeah, the cornfield might provide a little more privacy

                  Also Tin-man is playing out of his MIND right now.. I love it and I want him to stick around as long as possible. He's keeping it really interesting!

                  Comment


                  • #54
                    Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

                    Originally posted by dcpacersfan View Post
                    I think we agree way more than we disagree, I just wish the Colts as a whole had an owner who was a bit more of a humanitarian like Abe Polin, who by the way is amazingly wealthy but totally revitalized a whole area of DC in the process. I am a huge Colts fan but I think even a lot of us in Indianapolis can agree that the Irsays (Robert especially) are some of the more heartless owners in professional sports.
                    I know we agree on goals. I am simply older and more jaded.

                    As for the Irsays, you have them pegged. They are not the prototypical generous corporate citizen. There are people like that, but its not the norm...and more to the point, you cannot hold anyone to it without wielding a statute or two.

                    Comment


                    • #55
                      Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

                      to hell wit PR
                      just glad he's okay
                      if you stop supporting a team because of something like this you're not a basketball fan and we don't need you

                      Comment


                      • #56
                        Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

                        Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post
                        I agree the Colts got a handout from the state...and I am totally in agreement with some of the goals you seem to have in mind.

                        However, you have been listening to the professors for too long. Businesses are in it to make money and are not responsible for the public welfare. Just because it seems fair for the Colts to "pony up", you just cannot base societal interests on such a whim. It's government's (ie. the general public) responsibility to reign them in by enacting laws and regulations.

                        Our immigration and trade policies would be my place to start.
                        If the enormous challenge of changing these "segments" of culture and trying to improve impoverished and undeprivileged situations and their accompanying problems are all on the gov't, I don't have a lot of faith.

                        I would argue that your assertion that businesses are in it to make money and have no public responsibility is actually a symptom of the broader cultural problem. This really just communicates to the lower class that those with wealth and power don't care and that our culture does not support any shared attempt to help pull up people.

                        Of course, it has to be a two way street. People have to do their part to improve themselves, as well. No argument there. But what is the likliehood of someone buying into that when the overarching message is nobody cares they are just out to make money. Everyone should be responsible for public welfare to the extent that we all form the community in which we reside.
                        I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.

                        -Emiliano Zapata

                        Comment


                        • #57
                          Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

                          Originally posted by The Jumpshot Still Money View Post
                          to hell wit PR
                          just glad he's okay
                          if you stop supporting a team because of something like this you're not a basketball fan and we don't need you
                          To hell with PR? We're 28th in attendance and we need all the fans we can get.

                          Comment


                          • #58
                            Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

                            I wanted to drop in to say, Aw Heck, that avatar is classic.

                            Secondly, and more importantly, from what I've read so far it sounds like Tinsley's only mistake was being there at all. Aside from that, he sounds like the (would be?) victim here.

                            I still think people will hate him (not on PD, but in general) for this because they won't bother to read the stories. They'll only read "Jamaal Tinsley involved in shooting".

                            Comment


                            • #59
                              Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

                              Originally posted by Shade View Post
                              I really don't understand why rich athletes, who work so hard to get out of the ghetto, always manage to find themselves back in there.
                              "When keepin' it real goes wrong."

                              Comment


                              • #60
                                Re: Jamaal & The Tinsley brothers involved in shooting

                                Originally posted by The Jumpshot Still Money View Post
                                to hell wit PR
                                just glad he's okay
                                if you stop supporting a team because of something like this you're not a basketball fan and we don't need you
                                ...and you were appointed as the supreme opinion on this by whom?

                                Comment

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