May 2014: Who should our pro tem moderators be?

Question

If your meta site does not have a post to nominate Moderators, start one now! Pro Tem appointments will begin about two weeks after the site is created. The more guidance we receive, the more informed our choice. Moderator Pro Tempore

• Each nomination should be a separate answer. Link the name to the user’s profile (parent and meta) so we can see their activity.
• The nominee should indicate their acceptance by editing the answer, adding that they accept the nomination. Optionally they can write something about themselves.
• Self nominations are okay, and even encouraged. Most sites have not had sufficient time for many users to stand out. Self nomination is simply a way to say, “I’m interested. Let my record speak for itself.” Links to other activities may be helpful: Area 51 participation, participation in other sites, blog posts reviewing or announcing the site, etc.

We're looking for members of this site who:

• Have a reasonably high reputation score to indicate active, consistent participation.
• Show an interest in their meta’s community-building activities.
• Lead by example, showing patience and respect for their fellow community members in everything they write.
• Exhibit those intangible traits discussed in A Theory of Moderation.

It's also good if the moderators:

• Are members with participation in both the meta and main site.
• Participated in Area 51, generate social network referrals, or blog about the site.
• Are members who have already shown an interest or ability to promote their community.

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_{Shamelessly copied from meta.space.}

Answer 1

I would like to throw my name in as a nominee.

Why do I want to be a moderator? The answer to this is actually very simple: I love watching communities grow, and truly enjoy doing what I can to keep a community on-track.

As a moderator, I would:

• let the community decide wherever possible. It's important, particularly durimg betas, to let the community make as many decisions as possible. There are, however, some cases the community can't handle, or for which it would just be an inconvenience to do so - this is where moderators are useful.
• speak less and think more. I'm a person who frequently has strong opinions, but as a moderator, I recognize that my views would carry more weight. As a result, I would be more careful about publishing my opinion with binding votes, Meta posts, etc. where there isn't clear community precedent.
• post on meta when in doubt. Whenever I encounter a situation I'm unfamiliar with, I'm not hesitant to ask another moderator, or on Meta. After all, quorum in the community probably knows better than I do, especially if I'm unsure.
• guide the community in constructively refining questions. I'm of the opinion that most of the questions we've seen are on-topic in spirit, but maybe need a touch of refinement to be truly so.
• have the time to dedicate. Pretty simple point: I have time in which I could monitor the site.
• focus on finding site audiences. As a moderator, I would have more weight with my voice inviting other communities to participate.

Other qualifications

• I've moderated (decently-sized) IRC channels on and off for the past few years. I recognize that IRC isn't the same as Stack Exchange, but many of the same problems are relatable.
• While I haven't moderated Stack Exchange before, I'm very familiar with the theories of moderation SE employs. I'm active on the SE Meta, and have gained 15K-ish rep there.
• I've been active on this site, both on the main and meta.
• I'm looking for ways to draw knowledge to the site, and am preparing a post for the Twisty Puzzles Forum. I've asked there, and this has been cleared by their moderators.

Addressing concerns

• I'm young. There's no way I could post a moderator nomination anywhere without addressing my age (17), so I'm going to be open about it. I recognize that I'm young, comparatively. If it helps alleviate concerns, I've never told anyone my age on the IRC channels I on-and-off moderate. Additionally, hopefully openness with my philosophy and intents will help.
• I've answered a lot of questions. While it's nice to answer questions, I can't and probably shouldn't keep up this volume of answers. I will still answer questions, but leave far more to the community.

I want to see the community succeed, but also recognize that I am not the community. I think this community does have a future, even if it will take us a bit more refinement than normal to get there. Appointed or no, I'm excited to see the community grow.

I know the other candidates would be deserving as well.

Answer 2

I'll go ahead and nominate myself as a pro-tem moderator for Puzzling.

This site:

Other sites:

Why do I want to be a moderator? What would I do as a moderator?

• this is an interesting topic to me and many others that I know, and I'd really like to help the site succeed
• I will let the community guide the way, but I will enforce policies when necessary
• I will act both as a janitor, handling flags and cleaning up low quality posts, and an exception handler, stepping in on those exceptional cases where someone has to take control
• when confronted with a difficult decision, I will always make sure to consult with other moderators first and I will think through my actions carefully
• I'm happy to accept advice and constructive criticism, and I will do my best to do what is right for the community

What other qualifications do I have to be a moderator?

• active on Area 51 during the commitment phase, and on Puzzling main and meta
• moderator on Programming Puzzles and Code Golf
  • nominated by unanimous agreement of the users of PPCG
  • have only been a mod for a few weeks, but I do have some experience, both from being a mod and being active in chatrooms with other mods
• active across the SE network, including on meta SE

Good luck to all other candidates (many of which are probably going to be far more qualified than me), and hopefully whoever the new mods are can help the site succeed!

Answer 3

I'd like to help moderate here on Puzzling (though we already have a lot of excellent candidates and I know it will be a tough choice!)

I'm a moderator pro tempore on ELL, so I know my way around the mod tools and what it takes to help build a community from the early stages of beta. It is important to help guide the community, but also to listen to it: if the community comes to a consensus on meta, a moderator's job is to enforce that policy (whether or not they personally agree with it).

I'm also a very responsive moderator. I actively monitor meta and comment replies, and do my best to guide users in all situations where there's confusion. If there is disagreement with one of my actions, I'm more than happy to discuss it on meta (and reverse it if the community deems it appropriate). If anyone ever has a question about a stance I've taken or a decision I've made, I more than welcome discussion of it. I think I have a fair and open-minded approach to moderation, and I'd love to help the community make Puzzling one of the best SE sites around! :)

The fact is, I'm having a ton of fun on Puzzling so far. I've got a ton of activity on meta (and I've been reading every meta post) so I think I've got a good idea of where the community is right now. There are definitely some scope concerns to solve as we grow, but that's part of the process and I'd love to help guide it. We're posting a lot of interesting questions that really make me think (and we've had some fun in chat!)

I know my reputation level isn't very high yet, but I've been very active. I've read every question that's been posted to the site so far, trying to process exactly where we're at and where we want to go. A lot of our questions are self-answered "chestnuts" right now, which is something we've been talking about on meta. I think once we iron out that issue and open up to a broader audience, I'll find more unanswered questions to answer. In the meantime I'm having a lot of fun reading other questions and answers and participating in meta discussions. I think Puzzling has huge potential to be an amazing site, and I'd love the opportunity to help get us there!

Answer 4

I'll throw my hat into the ring.

I'm a moderator pro tem on The Great Outdoors and elected on Science Fiction & Fantasy. I (re-)created the proposal for this site, was the first to follow it (obviously), first to commit when it hit commitment, and first to register when it hit beta (uid 4, behind 2 devs and a CM), and have been active on both main and meta (still the only convention badge) since it started.

Answer 5

Since the chestnut problem seems to have died down a bit, I think I'll throw in a self-nomination as well, as a possibility more than anything.

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_{(source: stackexchange.com)}

Like TheDoctor, I'm a member of PCG.SE and have contributed a lot of good puzzles to that site, which it appears this site will be a cousin of. I'm very interested in puzzles and their creation and solving – I can't think of anything else I'm actually more interested in, more than even programming or mathematics.

I've also been relatively active in the meta for this site (although the user list puts me down as 5th most active, which I can scarcely believe) over this period, discussing the issues that have occurred in the private beta. Although people have not always agreed with my opinions, I believe I'm generally well respected among the members of this community.

What would I do as a moderator?

In the administrative roles that I've performed using the moderation tools on PCG.SE and elsewhere, I've mostly been involved with fixing tags, editing posts for formatting and grammar, and other such maintenance work – I'm what Wikipedia would call a WikiGnome. You can see this in my activity on the review queue – I've voted more on the suggested edits than anything else, and suggested edits are what I tend to concentrate on.

As a moderator, I'd continue to do more of the same – the stuff that moderators can do that normal users can't that I would concentrate on are the following:

• create and approve tag synonyms
• merge and rename tags
• edit tag wikis and approve others' tag wiki edits
• merge duplicate questions

I would definitely still be involved in all the other roles required of a moderator, such as implementing community-derived policies, officially asking for input, and stepping in where the community can't reach a conclusion.

What qualifies me to be a moderator?

Although I haven't been a moderator, pro tempore or not, on any other Stack Exchange website, I have helped direct small communities in the past. Most recently I helped moderate a stream of Twitch Plays Pokémon (with about 100 watchers and 10 active players at any given time while it was still running) in which we decided that play would be cooperative instead of anarchic (and thus had to weed out a lot of troublemakers when they arrived), and I have also been a volunteer counselor at math camps.

I am also a strong believer in community moderation the way Stack Exchange's A Theory of Moderation states it, and have a good idea of what not to do coming from communities where moderation is more dictatorial and serves as a status symbol instead of just a responsibility.

What concerns might you have about my behaviour?

I tend to be somewhat finicky with the way I use any powers that might be bestowed upon me. I don't like misuse of power from anybody, and this applies especially to myself, as that weighs on my reputation as a leader and a person.

I've also participated a lot on this site (I have one of the highest reputations on the site, second only to Emrakul), and this may cause me to have some personal interest in certain decisions; however, I believe that the role I would generally take on would mitigate conflicts of that sort.

Any final thoughts?

There are definitely people here who are more qualified than I am, and I'm not sure my introduction has given the best of impressions. That's okay. I'm content with being a contributory member of the community, and am more nervous about receiving the role, should it fall upon me, than not receiving it.

Answer 6

I wish to be a moderator to contribute even more to the community than now. I made an Android and iOS app that helps with flagging/closing, and I'm online a lot.