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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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Links on possible Pacer move

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  • #61
    Re: Links on possible Pacer move

    Originally posted by TroyMurphy3 View Post
    Sorry poor grammar on that one.
    You better hope they can fix that at UofIndy.

    Comment


    • #62
      Re: Links on possible Pacer move

      Originally posted by duke dynamite View Post
      You better hope they can fix that at UofIndy.

      I'm a pretty good writer. I don't know how I messed that one up.

      Comment


      • #63
        Re: Links on possible Pacer move

        Originally posted by TroyMurphy3 View Post
        I'm a pretty good writer. I don't know how I messed that one up.
        Don't feel too bad, I've had some pretty ugly grammar errors on this board that would make an illiterate person seem Ivy League educated.
        ...Still "flying casual"
        @roaminggnome74

        Comment


        • #64
          Re: Links on possible Pacer move

          Originally posted by Roaming Gnome View Post
          Don't feel too bad, I've had some pretty ugly grammar errors on this board that would make an illiterate person seem Ivy League educated.
          The problem was that I didn't proofread what I wrote. I was in a rush so I posted it and logged off.
          Last edited by Trophy; 05-15-2009, 05:17 PM.

          Comment


          • #65
            Re: Links on possible Pacer move

            Originally posted by Bball View Post
            Heck, I just had another thought...
            Since the Supersonics are gone maybe that translates to potential better support and numbers for a Vancouver franchise this time around. At least it could be the deciding factor in the planning process for an owner thinking about a Vancouver NBA team.

            ...Assuming Vancouver is even the destination...

            Interesting thought.

            However, I would think Seattle fans would be too bitter to support any non-Seattle team at this point (as I would be if I were in there shoes). I bet most of them will wait until Seattle has a team (which will be the Sonics) again before they care about the NBA.

            Of course, if there were a lot of Sonic fans back in the day that lived in Vancouver and didn't switch allegiances when the Grizz came then your point might be spot on.
            Last edited by Sollozzo; 05-15-2009, 05:29 PM.

            Comment


            • #66
              Re: Links on possible Pacer move

              Originally posted by Adam1987 View Post
              Interesting thought.


              Of course, if there were a lot of Sonic fans back in the day that lived in Vancouver and didn't switch allegiances when the Grizz came then your point might be spot on.
              I was leaning this way with my thought as well.
              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

              Comment


              • #67
                Re: Links on possible Pacer move

                I believe this is all horse-hockey as well.

                But another article popped up today. Considering it actually names "The Bleacher Report" as a source, I don't think we should put any weight into what it says, but I think it's worth keeping in the thread.

                http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Sports...893/story.html

                Vancouver's NBA dreams not dead yet


                CANWEST NEWS SERVICEMAY 15, 2009

                Former Vancouver Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley sings the national anthem before a game in Vancouver in October 2000. The Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, the following year.
                Photograph by: John Lehmann, Reuters


                Vancouver has been without a National Basketball Association franchise for eight seasons since the Grizzlies packed up for Memphis prior to the 2001-02 season, but the rumour mill is suggesting the city might not be a graveyard for the world's finest professional hoops league forever.

                The latest talk this week had Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini reportedly interested in purchasing the Indiana Pacers and moving them to GM Place, the home of the Grizzlies from 1995-96 through 2000-01.

                Aquilini could not be reached for comment, but insiders, like the Internet sports site The Bleacher Report, say he has expressed an interest in bringing a second major team into the building which he also owns.

                The Indianapolis Star reported this year that the Pacers will lose $30 million US this season and also said that under the terms of their agreement with the Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board, are operating the home court at Conseco Fieldhouse at a cost of $15 million US per year.

                The two sides are attempting to negotiate new terms on a deal that started in 1999.

                Forbes magazine has valued the Pacers at $300 million US.

                © Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
                “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

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

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                • #68
                  Re: Links on possible Pacer move

                  To steer this in a different direction... Does anyone have any suggestions on how the CIB can make the coin to cover it's budget?

                  Personally, I do like the idea of regional taxing authorities, but it is extremely unpopular for the people that live outside of Marion County.

                  We all know that expanding gambling into Marion County is a non starter as far as the statehouse is concerned.

                  User fees alone are not enough to cover the amount as BillS and I covered earlier in the thread.

                  It goes without saying that anything from the property tax rolls will get any politician run out of town or the state... on a rail.

                  As a Marion county taxpayer, but a fan... I don't care how the money is levied, but I can very easily say that I have 12 neighbors that would rather see the Pacers leave then squander a nickel to support them.

                  What's left? It's easy for me to ***** about the lack of financial planning to cover Lucas Oil, but that doesn't change the fact that Lucas Oil is here and the CIB is short. My question is, how does it get fixed?
                  Last edited by Roaming Gnome; 05-16-2009, 02:00 AM.
                  ...Still "flying casual"
                  @roaminggnome74

                  Comment


                  • #69
                    Re: Links on possible Pacer move

                    Originally posted by Roaming Gnome View Post
                    To stir this in a different direction... Does anyone have any suggestions on how the CIB can make the coin to cover it's budget?

                    Personally, I do like the idea of regional taxing authorities, but it is extremely unpopular for the people that live outside of Marion County.

                    We all know that expanding gambling into Marion County is a non starter as far as the statehouse is concerned.

                    User fees alone are not enough to cover the amount as BillS and I covered earlier in the thread.

                    It goes without saying that anything from the property tax rolls will get any politician run out of town or the state... on a rail.

                    As a Marion county taxpayer, but a fan... I don't care how the money is levied, but I can very easily say that I have 12 neighbors that would rather see the Pacers leave then squander a nickel to support them.

                    What's left? It's easy for me to ***** about the lack of financial planning to cover Lucas Oil, but that doesn't change the fact that Lucas Oil is here and the CIB is short. My question is, how does it get fixed?
                    I still say, unless the NCAA nixes the idea, gambling will eventually be what they go to for this. I personally think they already KNOW it and it's just a matter of time as they cover their bases between now and then. This shortfall cannot be a surprise.

                    Sure, politicians will say "not on my watch"... yada yada yada... And the ones that are still in office when it happens will be smiling wildly for the cameras at the ribbon cutting and talking about how this is another step in solidifying Indy as the "gaming" capital of the world (as they spin 'gaming' (which itself was spin for 'gambling') to include college and pro sports).

                    We already have land-based, full-fledged casinos in Indiana. That hurdle has been crossed. French Lick doesn't even pretend to be a boat any longer. No boat-like facade (for those that haven't seen it since it opened, they've remodeled to simply look like a building (and match the hotel), no more fake paddle wheels or the like).

                    In fact, I believe it's held up more now by the existing casinos and racinos in the state not wanting the competition than it is by politicians truly taking a stand against it. Their opposition to the expansion of gambling is just a convenient excuse for many of them to use until it becomes more politically safe to back a casino than to raise more taxes and fees to support pro sports (and sports in general) in the city.... as opposed to losing a pro sports team.
                    Last edited by Bball; 05-16-2009, 01:28 AM.
                    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

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      Re: Links on possible Pacer move

                      Rumor has it that Vancouver is getting an MLS (Major League Soccer) franchise, which could possibly stop any move there for now since having two new teams in the same year is probably not good for sales. I think that if this still happens, it will probably be a year or two down the line.

                      Comment


                      • #71
                        Re: Links on possible Pacer move

                        Sports betting just passed in Delaware, which means its just a matter of time before the surrounding areas pass it. Will it creep to Indy in 10-15 years?

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          Re: Links on possible Pacer move

                          Originally posted by BBall
                          I believe it's held up more now by the existing casinos and racinos in the state not wanting the competition than it is by politicians truly taking a stand against it.
                          This is certainly right. But I think this is sufficient reason to keep gambling out of Marion County. All those other counties' legislative strength exceeds that of Marion County.

                          To answer Gnome's question, aren't user fees and higher taxes on food and accommodations about the only short-term option? In the long-term, the state needs to shift tax burdens in several ways, and once that dialogue begins it will be possible to consider a regional taxing district or a commuter tax. It may take 150 new state legislators to get to that, though.
                          And I won't be here to see the day
                          It all dries up and blows away
                          I'd hang around just to see
                          But they never had much use for me
                          In Levelland. (James McMurtry)

                          Comment


                          • #73
                            Re: Links on possible Pacer move

                            Originally posted by JGray View Post
                            Rumor has it that Vancouver is getting an MLS (Major League Soccer) franchise, which could possibly stop any move there for now since having two new teams in the same year is probably not good for sales. I think that if this still happens, it will probably be a year or two down the line.
                            Not a rumor, it's confirmed. http://vancouvermls2011.com/

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              Re: Links on possible Pacer move

                              The Kings have a better chance of moving than we do.

                              I never really knew why did the Grizzlies leave Vancouver for Memphis?

                              Comment


                              • #75
                                Re: Links on possible Pacer move

                                Originally posted by TroyMurphy3 View Post
                                The Kings have a better chance of moving than we do.

                                I never really knew why did the Grizzlies leave Vancouver for Memphis?

                                I don't think they got much support in Vancouver. Of course, they aren't getting much support in Memphis either (but they did get a brand new arena, which enticed them to the city).

                                Comment

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