This is the first in a series of postings about the problems with behavior on the Napoleon Series Forum. Hopefully these messages will put to rest any concerns.

1. The Napoleon Series was started in December 1995 by Fons Libert. The Forum has been part of it since the beginning.

2. The rules governing behavior on the forum have evolved over the years, but have not changed significantly in the past 15 years.

3. The rules probably need updating; however the spirit of the rules about behavior does not. Contrary to the assertions some individuals have made about no rules covering “Rude and Insulting Behavior”, the first rule clearly does do so. It is: “Never make a personal attack; be respectful. Stay focused on the subject, not the participant. Insulting another poster is not permitted.”

4. Another misconception is that there are only 106 posters on the forum. If you click on the “Profiles” Link, it will show you all posters who have posted a message on the current Forum. The system will only let you see those who have posted since the last time I archived messages (which was four months ago.) As of this morning (30 December 2013) there are 956 registered profiles. Only 11% of those who use the forum have an active posting on it.

5. To post on the Forum, you must have a profile. Your user name must be your first and last name. When an individual sets ups a profile he is automatically placed in a moderated status. The forum moderator will then approve the profile or deny the request. About 50% of the requests are denied because the user did not provide his first and last name. When this occurs, the profile is deleted and an e-mail is sent to the individual stating why it was deleted and that his user name must be his first and last name. About 75% of them will comply with the request and are immediately taken off moderated status.

6. In the past 15 years, only seven individuals have been placed in moderated status due to bad behavior. This is less than 1% of all users. Unfortunately four of those seven have been permanently banned. These include:

a. A well known British author who believes that he should be allowed to say anything he wants, insult whoever he wants, and despite numerous warnings to change his behavior, and even when on a moderated status has refused to do so.

b. A well known German author who also has the same behavior but with the additional habit of threatening to sue people.

c. An Australian who in his initial posting tried to engage others in debates on current world political issues. He also made sweeping statements that were insulting to many people (including two former moderators and me.)

d. A 13 year old American student who lied about his name, his age, and made personal attacks on others. When informed that he was being placed on moderated status and why I was doing it, he cussed my out and then threatened to tell his father we were picking on him. This may not have been the most immature behavior on the forum, but it was pretty close to it!

7. In the past two months there are three individuals who have been on moderated status. They have been posting on the Forum almost as long as it has been in existence. They are among the most prolific posters. Contrary to what someone has posted about no individual posting many messages, these three individuals have posted 37% of all messages on the active board (which includes messages posted in the past four months. The number of messages they posted is actually higher, because this figure does not include their messages that were deleted. The three individuals include:

a. An American who posted 844 messages (23% of the total). What many people do not realize is that this individual had been on moderated status numerous times over the years and had been for eight months in 2013. During that time I would allow him to post, but all messages would have to be approved by me. He sent me over 1500 messages. I took him off moderated status on 22 November with the warning that if he violated the rules again he would be banned from posting any messages for a month. He behaved for 31 days and then he lost it. He actually accused another poster of beating his wife. Upon finding that he was back on moderated status, he went on the Forum and deleted about 50 of his recent messages.

b. Another American who posted 314 messages (8% of the total). Many people have problems with what he posts. Instead of responding with documentation to support his views, he would provide it along with insulting comments about the other individual’s research.

c. A German who posted 223 messages (6% of the total). He would tag team with the first individual to bully the other. He provided some well documented and thought out responses to the second individual’s postings, but then would close the posting with an insult. He has been on moderated status since 10 December. All of his messages have to be approved since he was placed on moderated status. Interestingly since then his messages have been brilliant and he overwhelms his opponent with extremely well written research. Most importantly he lets his research speak for itself and has not insulted the other individual.

8. Now you may ask why I include all the statistics. It is simple. I put in about 20 hours a week on the Napoleon Series. It is something I enjoy doing. However, many of those hours are spent reading those three individuals’ messages to ensure that they do not violate the rules. It comes down to me spending a large amount of my time on less than 1% of the people. Among the Napoleon Series Team, I refer to them as the problem children. Interestingly, all three have demonstrated that they can post without insulting and rude comments when they are moderated status. It is time they grow up. The burden is now on them. I refuse to waste any more of my time on them. If they can not behave, they will be banned forever.

Bob Burnham
Editor
The Napoleon Series