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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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Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

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  • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

    Also Grats to Crean at win #300

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    • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

      Crean isn't going anywhere anytime soon regardless so I'm going to enjoy this win.

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      • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

        Man, IU fans kill me. Solid win vs Butler and all I read anywhere is how we should view it as a negative result...

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        • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

          Originally posted by Dr. Hibbert View Post
          Man, IU fans kill me. Solid win vs Butler and all I read anywhere is how we should view it as a negative result...
          No positivity allowed here I am one of the few here who was happy with the win and actually want the current program to do well vs just wanting Crean gone and wanting us to lose every game we play in order to do it..

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          • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

            Originally posted by BlueCollarColts View Post
            No positivity allowed here I am one of the few here who was happy with the win and actually want the current program to do well vs just wanting Crean gone and wanting us to lose every game we play in order to do it..
            No doubt. From what I've read on this forum, I thought IU was horrible now. Just started watching them this year and there is a lot of talent on that team. Lots of athleticism and shooting ability. They gave Louisville all the can handle and beat Butler. Give them some credit....jeez.

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            • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

              Originally posted by BlueCollarColts View Post
              No positivity allowed here I am one of the few here who was happy with the win and actually want the current program to do well vs just wanting Crean gone and wanting us to lose every game we play in order to do it..
              Oh, I want them to do well. But I want them to do well long term and as an elite multiple NCAA winning program that isn't just living on past glory alone. I want IU to be UK, Lousiville, etc. in expectations that meet reality. It's glaringly obvious that isn't going to happen with Crean. The best hope for long term success is short term pain to get Crean out of here sooner rather than later, before he sets the program back any more than he already has.

              IU fans shouldn't have to hear a Louisville sportscaster saying IU was able to upset the "Butler Bears". Not only did this guy get the team name wrong of the Bulldogs, but technically IU winning was actually an upset of a team he couldn't even remember the proper name of! I don't want to take anything away from Butler, but rare indeed should be the narrative ever that IU needs to 'upset' Butler.
              Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

              ------

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

              -John Wooden

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              • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

                Originally posted by presto123 View Post
                No doubt. From what I've read on this forum, I thought IU was horrible now. Just started watching them this year and there is a lot of talent on that team. Lots of athleticism and shooting ability. They gave Louisville all the can handle and beat Butler. Give them some credit....jeez.
                Not only is there a lot of talent (that is young and dumb and will shock some teams but flop against others), but there is a lot of 3-4 year talent. If Crean makes the tourney this year, it's absurd to want to jettison him and hit the reset button again.

                This is the first core I've felt good about in a few years. It obviously proved problematic that the Zeller-Oladipo-etc. core had so many players go pro or graduate, without answers in place. You had that weird Vonleh-and-everyone-who-transferred era afterward, and yeah, Crean definitely deserves blame there.

                But I look at this core and see a lot of guys who will be at IU next year, and the year after, probably playing at a high level. There is an actual sense of forward direction with the program. I know some fans expect more and I totally understand all criticisms of Crean, but I don't think nuking the program back to Square One, at this stage, makes any sense at all, unless Crean just totally under-delivers with this group.

                I don't get the (disturbingly large) contingent that roots against Crean more than they root for IU.

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                • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

                  Originally posted by Dr. Hibbert View Post
                  Not only is there a lot of talent (that is young and dumb and will shock some teams but flop against others), but there is a lot of 3-4 year talent. If Crean makes the tourney this year, it's absurd to want to jettison him and hit the reset button again.

                  This is the first core I've felt good about in a few years. It obviously proved problematic that the Zeller-Oladipo-etc. core had so many players go pro or graduate, without answers in place. You had that weird Vonleh-and-everyone-who-transferred era afterward, and yeah, Crean definitely deserves blame there.

                  But I look at this core and see a lot of guys who will be at IU next year, and the year after, probably playing at a high level. There is an actual sense of forward direction with the program. I know some fans expect more and I totally understand all criticisms of Crean, but I don't think nuking the program back to Square One, at this stage, makes any sense at all, unless Crean just totally under-delivers with this group.

                  I don't get the (disturbingly large) contingent that roots against Crean more than they root for IU.
                  This is where i am too. Is Crean a great coach? No. However I really don't look at Crean and see him as an absolutely awful coach. What has Crean messed up so far for this program, he underachieved with the best team we had, and lost to Syracuse in the sweet 16. Is that it? The guy has brought IU back from being under. 500 in the B1G and struggling to get any solid recruits to getting 4/5 stars pretty much every year now. I'm not saying Crean is great and is going to lead IU to being a powerhouse national championship team again, but I am just saying I wouldn't be on board with firing him now. I just really don't see enough there to say yea this guy sucks and needs to go, I just really don't.

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                  • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

                    I'll admit Hanner's development is intriguing enough to not completely be against Crean at the moment. Right now my big question is can he avoid the roster turnover this spring and will Troy Williams be an idiot and try to go pro. This should be a tourney team this year. Probably 5 or 6 seed. You have the talent obviously. If you do that and can retain the core for another year, you're probably looking at another preseason top 15 ranking.

                    I'm not saying Crean has saved his job, but if he beats Georgetown this weekend, he would be 11-2 and in the top 25 heading into Big Ten season in a year where the Big Ten looks pretty up in the air outside of Wiscy.
                    Last edited by Trader Joe; 12-22-2014, 12:48 PM.


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                    • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

                      Indiana received 11 votes to be ranked in the most recent AP poll.

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                      • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

                        Indiana improved to 10-2 with a win over New Orleans

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                        • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

                          Originally posted by Trader Joe View Post
                          I'll admit Hanner's development is intriguing enough to not completely be against Crean at the moment. Right now my big question is can he avoid the roster turnover this spring and will Troy Williams be an idiot and try to go pro. This should be a tourney team this year. Probably 5 or 6 seed. You have the talent obviously. If you do that and can retain the core for another year, you're probably looking at another preseason top 15 ranking.

                          I'm not saying Crean has saved his job, but if he beats Georgetown this weekend, he would be 11-2 and in the top 25 heading into Big Ten season in a year where the Big Ten looks pretty up in the air outside of Wiscy.
                          Yes, the Big Ten is there for the taking outside of Wisconsin, and sadly I think we will end up in the top 3-4 in the conference, saving Crean's job, lauding him for turning things around in the face of adversity, and probably buying him two more years. *sigh*

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                          • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

                            Mosquera-Perea is really starting to look like a legit big man though. His recent play is very encouraging.

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                            • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

                              Is it possible that Tom Crean is great as an underdog but not so much with talent? In the right circumstance he could thrive IMO.

                              I attended Bowling Green and I think he would be a very good MAC level head coach.

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                              • Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2014-15

                                Originally posted by joew8302 View Post
                                Is it possible that Tom Crean is great as an underdog but not so much with talent? In the right circumstance he could thrive IMO.

                                I attended Bowling Green and I think he would be a very good MAC level head coach.
                                i don't know about that. i mean iu lacked talent last year and they were awful. he just won't get the most out of the talent he has.
                                i think he can recruit well enough that he could pull a team in the mac out of the cellar dweller status and put them in the upper echelon of the conference.
                                being an underdog that gets those upsets usually requires good coaching.

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