Dear Participants,

As we descend into another season of brotherly love, fraternity, equality, and continued peace on earth with good will to men, women, children, and small animals (BTW, Happy Holidays to everyone), the occasion seems to have arisen to remind participants pointedly of the rules of conduct on this Forum.

The moderators have deleted several posts over the last week or two, usually without comment, for falling afoul of the rules. Still, several "discussions" seem determined to drag whole threads down into the mire.

Please allow us to draw your attention to some highpoints of these rules:

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Certain standards of behavior have emerged, meant to ensure its smooth operation, particularly with the diverse array of international users who may not be using their primary language.

Chief among these customs is that each person uses his or her own name and email address when posting a message. This is to encourage open, honest discussion in which individuals remain accountable for their statements and their conduct. Anonymous postings are considered rude and are not permitted.

The Forum is a dialogue, a venue for the lively exchange of ideas, information, and opinion. That means everyone has to at least respect each other's right to post. Dialogue needs more than one side in order to thrive. It must permit room for questions to be posed by newcomers and veterans alike, as well as for well-intentioned responses. Users can disagree without being disagreeable. The Forum welcomes participants of all levels of interest and knowledge. Well-informed enthusiasts all had a starting place, and we hope the Forum may nurture new beginnings, as well as deepen the knowledge of the more advanced.

Acknowledging that participants come from a wide array of backgrounds, nations and cultures, please be sensitive to the sensibilities of others. Although it may seem obvious to state it, please champion values of mutual respect and intellectual integrity while presuming them in others, however much such behavior may seem to be unreciprocated by someone else. Disagreements may be robust, but descent into personal attacks upon other participants (including in regard to their opinions, level of knowledge, race, gender, religion, nationality, political beliefs, education, or personality) rarely lead to a constructive outcome, but rather are indications when a dialogue has reached its particular limits and merits termination. Ideally, the Forum is self-policing, requiring tolerance of disagreeable opinion and restraint in the face of perceived behavior of others. Assertions that are polite and well documented usually stand the test of time and are of the greatest value to all visitors. All questions posed courteously and in good faith are always welcome.

Not all postings require a response; sometimes ignoring a post is more effective than responding. If you wish to explore a contentious issue outside of these guidelines, doing so off-Forum, in a direct communication may be a better choice. Equally, if you should wish to pursue a subject unrelated to the Napoleonic period, or delve into aspects of a theme you feel does not cater to general interest (although the range of interest in what each participant has to say may be surprising), then direct communication off-line may, again, be preferred.

The following are the few rules that govern our Forum. Strict observance is required.

1. Never make a personal attack; be respectful. Stay focused on the subject, not the participant.
2. Do not use improper language (if you have to ask, assume it is).
3. Be tolerant of dissenting opinion. Everyone has the right to say their piece.
4. Do not advertise.
5. To be able to use the forum you must set up a profile. Your profile must contain your real name and a valid e-mail address.
6. Avoid Copyright Violations: While welcome (even invited) to share information about sites offering relevant publications available for download, in your posts do not encourage, arrange, or otherwise facilitate file-sharing of copyright-protected materials from other than their legitimate sources (please see FAQ below). All works are protected by copyright until 70 years after the death of the author / creator of the object or if the author is not known, than the copyright is from 95 years from date of publication.

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In some instances it has been difficult to decide whether to delete individual posts, whole threads, or simply hope that vicious disagreement will sort itself out. We lean as often as possible to the last choice, but the tone on several threads makes it challenging. Rest assured, that a number of large threads will never make it to the archive - which will be unfortunate, for some of the contributions lurking in them are fascinating.

Newer visitors are often unaware of the past histories and backgrounds of long-term participants; similarly, long-termers often forget that new-comers cannot be aware of past histories shared on the Forum. These oversights sometimes lead to unintended clashes as well.

Please recollect that the Forum is a venue for exchanging ideas, developing information, and exploring sources, not conducting crusades. Ideally, the Forum is a place for a collegial, virtual gathering of shared interests. Debate is welcome - but debate is more successfully advanced when objectives are clearly stated and supporting evidence/reference is supplied. But if the objective is to "win" a debate by "scoring points" off someone else, the overall result is often that we are all losers, not least because the information tends to be terribly skewed in the process, while the tenor tanks.

Please take a moment to think about your own interactions and how they may be experienced by others on the Forum before you next post.

Thank you for your consideration. Season's Greetings to one and all.

Respectfully - Howie (on behalf of the Series Team)