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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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  • Originally posted by Gamble1 View Post
    In line now to vote. Apparently 2 to 2.5 hour wait in Danville. Lots of mask which is surprising.

    Lots of old people too which isn't surprising.
    Good news and a good way to separate cult followers as well, the more mask wearing people the better.
    @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

    Comment


    • https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/statu...37371460173825

      I'm not sure how to embed a tweet, so my apologies. But -

      Comment


      • ^it's just bad writing imo...oh well, it's not like the communications office in the nation's largest state needs to know how to communicate clearly

        Comment


        • Originally posted by dal9 View Post

          disgraceful. thanks for sticking it out.
          Not exactly sure why that is disgraceful?

          Lots of people out voting early sounds like people want to vote.

          It could be due to the amount of people there and the fact that this isn't election day so there is no way the board of elections would have all of the poll workers present.

          BTW, and I feel confident that Gamble will confirm this, lot's of people voting in Hendricks County is probably not going to be the way you would prefer for them to vote.

          https://www.co.hendricks.in.us/egov/...61380_5143.pdf


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

          Comment


          • https://www.wsj.com/articles/joint-c...19-11602004374



            WASHINGTON—Several of the nation’s top uniformed military officers have gone into quarantine after attending meetings at the Pentagon with a top Coast Guard commander who tested positive this week for Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

            Coast Guard Adm. Charles Ray, the vice commandant, tested positive on Monday after exhibiting symptoms over the weekend, the Coast Guard said. He has since been quarantining at home. Before his diagnosis, Adm. Ray had attended meetings with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a body that consists of the top commanders from each of the armed services.

            After officials learned of his diagnosis, the Joint Chiefs were tested and were negative but are quarantining at home, defense officials said.

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Peck View Post

              Not exactly sure why that is disgraceful?

              Lots of people out voting early sounds like people want to vote.

              It could be due to the amount of people there and the fact that this isn't election day so there is no way the board of elections would have all of the poll workers present.

              BTW, and I feel confident that Gamble will confirm this, lot's of people voting in Hendricks County is probably not going to be the way you would prefer for them to vote.

              https://www.co.hendricks.in.us/egov/...61380_5143.pdf
              i don't care who people are trying to vote for, it's disgraceful to make people stand in line for that long during an epidemic especially

              Comment


              • Going back to the ACB ceremony, I really find it hard to believe as a parent, that I could allow my 7 kids sitting in the front row be so exposed to a bunch of mask-less mouth breathers milling about, hugging and laughing. Any strong parent would have said in a nicest of terms, "I have my 7 kids here with me today. Kids put your masks on now....the rest of you sitting around my kids. Put your masks on or go mill about somewhere else." I mean what kind of weak judge is this? I thought she was supposed to have high character? I noticed none of her 7 kids had their masks up, nor did the father. A Federal Judge and head of a Law Firm, yet they somehow can't be bothered to set a good example for their children at an event around entitled politicians.
                You can't get champagne from a garden hose.

                Comment


                • Originally posted by dal9 View Post

                  i don't care who people are trying to vote for, it's disgraceful to make people stand in line for that long during an epidemic especially
                  I mean I understand but how would they change this? The paid voting staff of poll workers in Indiana anyway is very small, most of them are volunteer workers so they can only have so many people together. Plus they have to concern themselves about exposing the poll workers.so they can't just keep adding more and more staff in enclosed area's.

                  I'm not saying your wrong I'm just saying I don't know that there is a legitimate way to solve this.


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

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by graphic-er View Post
                    Going back to the ACB ceremony, I really find it hard to believe as a parent, that I could allow my 7 kids sitting in the front row be so exposed to a bunch of mask-less mouth breathers milling about, hugging and laughing. Any strong parent would have said in a nicest of terms, "I have my 7 kids here with me today. Kids put your masks on now....the rest of you sitting around my kids. Put your masks on or go mill about somewhere else." I mean what kind of weak judge is this? I thought she was supposed to have high character? I noticed none of her 7 kids had their masks up, nor did the father. A Federal Judge and head of a Law Firm, yet they somehow can't be bothered to set a good example for their children at an event around entitled politicians.
                    Yeh. ACB just isn't as smart as you libs. That's what it is. Only the smartest student in the history of ND law school. Or maybe she just has a different view.

                    Comment


                    • The other day I said Biden would easily win the popular vote. At the time I said at least by 4.5M... And 6-7.5M wouldn't surprise me... "maybe more".
                      I'm really starting to wonder about a double digit "million" win in the popular vote. When I originally was doing this calculation I was looking at 2016, 2018, Hillary vs Biden as a candidate, and Trump's record and campaign.

                      But I didn't factor he would actually lose voters with his debate performance. The debate for him was all about convincing a few moderate GOP or seriously right leaning independents to "come home". He didn't do that, and actually lost some "I always vote GOP and will hold my nose and do so again this time voting for Trump" voters (the ones he hadn't already lost). That should've been nearly impossible. But he did it.
                      Now add in this Covid-19 diagnosis and the Trump's Red Wedding event in DC that played out on cameras for all to see shortly before the outbreak news broke in the media. He's losing votes, and failing to bring any old voters back.

                      While there's still a few weeks left before election day, people are voting now. There's not much chance undecided voters will break toward Trump at the last minute this time, barring something seismic. Right now, Trump can't get out of his own way. And there might not be all that many voters left to change their mind on Nov 3rd if early voting remains strong.

                      At a certain point, if the popular vote is that bad for Trump, how would even a narrow path to victory be possible in the EC? And if one is, and he loses the popular votes by the margins it looks like he will... Oh my... There will be upheaval.

                      Normally, I'd say the VP debate is more sideshow than anything, but considering Covid-19 and the age of the candidates, this one will have some meaning I think. Although, if each just treads water then that shouldn't move the needle. But Pence has the problem of being tied to Trump in what he says and how he answers. So he can't always speak for himself. Harris will be much more free to discuss science, experts, and events.
                      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


                      • Originally posted by Peck View Post

                        Not exactly sure why that is disgraceful?

                        Lots of people out voting early sounds like people want to vote.

                        It could be due to the amount of people there and the fact that this isn't election day so there is no way the board of elections would have all of the poll workers present.

                        BTW, and I feel confident that Gamble will confirm this, lot's of people voting in Hendricks County is probably not going to be the way you would prefer for them to vote.

                        https://www.co.hendricks.in.us/egov/...61380_5143.pdf
                        To be fair the US would have invaded many countries if anything close to this was happening anywhere else.
                        @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by Peck View Post

                          Not exactly sure why that is disgraceful?

                          Lots of people out voting early sounds like people want to vote.

                          It could be due to the amount of people there and the fact that this isn't election day so there is no way the board of elections would have all of the poll workers present.

                          BTW, and I feel confident that Gamble will confirm this, lot's of people voting in Hendricks County is probably not going to be the way you would prefer for them to vote.

                          https://www.co.hendricks.in.us/egov/...61380_5143.pdf
                          Yeah no doubt this is a far cry from Pike Township and Marion county. I think the obvious solution is to make it easier not harder to vote. I mean I would do a mail in ballot or I think it would be really convenient to even just have wait times listed on the web.

                          Problem is Indiana is stuck in 1900s when it comes to technology. The county building does give you 1 hour of free wifi but after that you need a voucher of all things.

                          In 2018 I tried to early vote and at the brownsburg library it was a 2.5 hour wait time. In 2016 I voted early at the fire station and it took 10 minutes. Everyone I have talked to in line today said it has gotten progressively worse. Many of them looked to be in their late 60s.

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by Bball View Post
                            The other day I said Biden would easily win the popular vote. At the time I said at least by 4.5M... And 6-7.5M wouldn't surprise me... "maybe more".
                            I'm really starting to wonder about a double digit "million" win in the popular vote. When I originally was doing this calculation I was looking at 2016, 2018, Hillary vs Biden as a candidate, and Trump's record and campaign.

                            But I didn't factor he would actually lose voters with his debate performance. The debate for him was all about convincing a few moderate GOP or seriously right leaning independents to "come home". He didn't do that, and actually lost some "I always vote GOP and will hold my nose and do so again this time voting for Trump" voters (the ones he hadn't already lost). That should've been nearly impossible. But he did it.
                            Now add in this Covid-19 diagnosis and the Trump's Red Wedding event in DC that played out on cameras for all to see shortly before the outbreak news broke in the media. He's losing votes, and failing to bring any old voters back.

                            While there's still a few weeks left before election day, people are voting now. There's not much chance undecided voters will break toward Trump at the last minute this time, barring something seismic. Right now, Trump can't get out of his own way. And there might not be all that many voters left to change their mind on Nov 3rd if early voting remains strong.

                            At a certain point, if the popular vote is that bad for Trump, how would even a narrow path to victory be possible in the EC? And if one is, and he loses the popular votes by the margins it looks like he will... Oh my... There will be upheaval.

                            Normally, I'd say the VP debate is more sideshow than anything, but considering Covid-19 and the age of the candidates, this one will have some meaning I think. Although, if each just treads water then that shouldn't move the needle. But Pence has the problem of being tied to Trump in what he says and how he answers. So he can't always speak for himself. Harris will be much more free to discuss science, experts, and events.
                            Well for me it boils down to this....families all across the country for months on end where told to stay in their homes, don't go out to eat, local governments shut down their ability to earn a living, slow the spread, save the healthcare workers. People have had their entire world turned upside down, and the worst part is there simply isn't a clear path forward. If you were working a good paying job back in February, your earnings at the very least have been cut. Or you have been furloughed or laid off with no light at the end of tunnel, you can't even figure where your next job might come from. Maybe you are on welfare now, maybe your unemployment insurance is running out. You are probably way behind on your mortgage or rent. Maybe you are exhausting your savings, your retirement money? Its a bottomless hole of despair. The worst part is that most families are just one or two ladder rungs away from falling into homelessness. When is the next rung on the ladder going to break? Its only a matter of time.

                            You see that BS event at the Rose Garden, and everyone mask-less, hugging, laughing, acting like nothing has happened....who you gonna vote for? At least the Dems are passing relief bills. There is no leadership from the Republican Party on this economic tragedy.

                            If Trump wins the EC again by the slimmest of margins and Biden sets a popular vote record....well you might just see folks storming the gates of the white house.
                            You can't get champagne from a garden hose.

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by Gamble1 View Post

                              Yeah no doubt this is a far cry from Pike Township and Marion county. I think the obvious solution is to make it easier not harder to vote. I mean I would do a mail in ballot or I think it would be really convenient to even just have wait times listed on the web.

                              Problem is Indiana is stuck in 1900s when it comes to technology. The county building does give you 1 hour of free wifi but after that you need a voucher of all things.

                              In 2018 I tried to early vote and at the brownsburg library it was a 2.5 hour wait time. In 2016 I voted early at the fire station and it took 10 minutes. Everyone I have talked to in line today said it has gotten progressively worse. Many of them looked to be in their late 60s.
                              It got worse by design.
                              @WhatTheFFacts: Studies show that sarcasm enhances the ability of the human mind to solve complex problems!

                              Comment


                              • Read this. Look at the date they are talking about:
                                There are now 123 Legislative Branch employees or contractors who have tested positive — or are presumed positive — for COVID-19, according to Ashley Phelps, a Republican spokeswoman for the House Administration Committee. This total has increased by 20 since Aug. 28.

                                Full text: https://www.rollcall.com/2020/10/06/...pitol-complex/

                                ...And Trump and his administration are holding events, like the Red Wedding for the Contagious ACB, and not following their own CDC guidelines??
                                Needlessly, exposing secret service agents for a photo op? Trump back in the White House while clearly still symptomatic?

                                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

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