2015 Experimental Moderator Election Q&A - Questionnaire

How would you deal with a user who produced a steady stream of valuable answers, but tends to generate a large number of arguments/flags from comments?

The specifics would depend on the exact nature of the flags/arguments.. But say for example the cause of the friction appears to originate as some kind of deliberate provocation in the answers, then my first step would be to contact the user and ask why they are doing this. Depending on their reasons, I might explain that their contributions to the site are appreciated, but this behavior isn't acceptable on blender.stackexchange.

If the behavior persists, I'd probably consult another moderator and suggest a time out.

Of course, this is assuming a lot about the situation. In a real situation I'd want to know a lot more about what is going on before taking such drastic action as a ban.

How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc a question that you feel shouldn't have been?

I would contact the moderator in chat and ask why they took the action they did. After listening to their reasoning, if I'm not satisfied, I would explain why I think their action was unjustified. If they still disagree, then I would consult another moderator and see if we can come to an agreement between the three of us.

Following directions, working together and abiding by site policy are all important. How well do you follow directions?

I feel I'm good at following directions. But really, the people giving the directions are much more qualified to answer that ;)

What important contributions or actions have you not been able to do that moderator-ship will allow you to perform? (besides banning trouble users)

I see uses for "special" moderator-only tools quite often. For example I regularly see new users without the "comment anywhere" privilege writing their comments in answers. These usually get downvoted, which can be discouraging for new users writing what would otherwise be a perfectly good comment. As a moderator I'd be able to convert these as soon as I see them.

How much time can you currently commit, and are there other things that may come up in future that will limit your availability (i.e. intensive college or other studies, heavy workload)? This is important as the whole point of being a moderator is to care for and direct the site.

Currently I'm a little busier than normal, but I'll be around keeping an eye on reviews, flags, and question activity. A ping in the chat should reach me at almost any time. If any unforeseen schedule problems crop up, I'll still try to keep an eye on reviews and flags at least.

How would you treat duplicate answers or answers in comments then posted as an answer later by a different user? This happens fairly frequently if there is a question that is somewhat vague, someone will post a potential answer in the comments, and then will have to leave. Several hours later, the OP will respond, and someone else will add the answer. How would you handle this situation?

I would leave duplicate answers alone unless the duplicate is essentially a verbatim copy of the first answer, or very low quality, in which case it will be treated as such. As noted in a discussion about this very thing on meta, knowing the answer is only half of answering. You also must communicate it, and sometimes having different explanations from different people can throw a fresh light on an answer.

Regarding the exact scenario you describe, I'd leave a comment on the answer explaining that another user had already recommended this in a comment and suggest that in the future the answerer check to see if they would like to answer first. I'd also encourage the original commenter add another answer to explain the answer in their own way.

In your opinion, what do moderators do?

I agree with SE's theory of moderation after seeing it applied in practice on this site. There is little I can say that hasn't already been said there, but to briefly describe my own words:

On SE there is little difference between moderators and high-rep users who actively participate in moderator activities such as reviewing and closing questions. The purpose of a moderator is to handle (hopefully uncommon) situations which cannot be handled by such users, though there is no reason a user who is a moderator can't also be one of those users at the same time.

A diamond will be attached to everything you say and have said in the past, including questions, answers and comments. Everything you will do will be seen under a different light. How do you feel about that?

I've always tried to comment and write in what I think is a "moderator-like" fashion, but now more than ever I will try to set a good example and explain my actions. If anything the diamond will encourage me in this regard, as I too will be able to see what my words look like next to a ♦.

In what way do you feel that being a moderator will make you more effective as opposed to simply reaching 10k or 20k rep?

^{I really feel like the answer to this is the same as the fourth question.. But in the spirit of duplicate questions, not duplicate answers, I'll try to come up with another answer..}

One action which I thought seemed overly difficult to do as a high-rep user is suggesting tag synonyms, though because of the broad effect this action can have (I imagine that moderators merge tags directly and don't go through the suggestion process?) I'd likely ask at least another moderator first.

Being able to see flags again and go straight to spots which need attention will obviously help a lot.

How would you deal with a user who produced a steady stream of valuable answers, but tends to generate a large number of arguments/flags from comments?

If the flags have merit, then after acting on the specific comment flag, I would contact that user. In only extreme cases, and after multiple contacts with the user, I would put a time out on him.

How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc a question that you feel shouldn't have been?

I would first talk with the mod that I disagreed with. I have no doubt that among the three mods we would be able to come to an agreement, even if it is not what I think may be best. (there are many examples where I have done just that, such as a discussion about the 3d-view synonym)

Following directions, working together and abiding by site policy are all important. How well do you follow directions?

I follow directions quite well, and will be able to work together with the other mods (no matter who gets elected). SE has well documented features and clear polices in place, reading and understand what is expected to be done will be no problem.

What important contributions or actions have you not been able to do that moderator-ship will allow you to perform? (besides banning trouble users)

Tags.
I do a lot of work with tags, there are a lot of features about the tag system that are locked to only mods (such as this one).
Deleting bad posts.
For non mods it takes 3 votes to delete a post. There have been times when I find post and then put the link in the chat and ask for delete votes.
Question migration.
There has been many questions I CVed with a reason such as "This question is off topic because it belongs on _______.stackexchange.com" Mods can move questions to any SE site, there is no mechanisms to move questions for non-mods.

How much time can you currently commit, and are there other things that may come up in future that will limit your availability (i.e. intensive college or other studies, heavy workload)? This is important as the whole point of being a moderator is to care for and direct the site.

I agree that being active is very important. First as to will I be here: a definite yes. I have only missed one day on this site (camping) since March 24, 2014 (over 250 consecutive). I have made time for this site, and I will continue to be here, no matter what happens. How much time per day: Look at my activity I'm here a lot, minimum 2+ hours.

How would you treat duplicate answers or answers in comments then posted as an answer later by a different user? This happens fairly frequently if there is a question that is somewhat vague, someone will post a potential answer in the comments, and then will have to leave. Several hours later, the OP will respond, and someone else will add the answer. How would you handle this situation?

Answers in comments is a topic that has been well covered on meta. The issue is rather clear cut. There is nothing wrong with answering a question with an "answer" from the comments. Further the OC (original commenter) may not want to post an answer (I have done that).
What I do is to ping the OC and ask them to add an answer; if they do not respond then I will sometimes add the answer.

In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Moderators on SE or here to handle the exceptions in a well working system. Like any program, there will be exceptions, and errors. Mods are here to act mainly on those cases, the cases that the SE system can not handle.

A diamond will be attached to everything you say and have said in the past, including questions, answers and comments. Everything you will do will be seen under a different light. How do you feel about that?

I try to watch everything I do so that no matter what (whether posts, comments, chat, or meta), people can not see it in a bad light. However, there are a few of my first answers that I want to rewrite. Nothing "bad" just not very good answers. (please do not go look before I fix them :)

In what way do you feel that being a moderator will make you more effective as opposed to simply reaching 10k or 20k rep?

See my answer to question #4.

How would you deal with a user who produced a steady stream of valuable answers, but tends to generate a large number of arguments/flags from comments?

I message the user advising them to desist or try to find why the source of the problem (one case I remember was someone was getting aggravated about their answers being edited after). If they persist or refuse to acknowledge this warning, a reasoned number of days or so in the penalty box should suffice. If the user does persist, it would be handled accordingly with longer suspensions and could eventually result in a ban. As valuable as your answers are, if you are constantly hostile and disrespectful to the community we would rather not have you.

How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc a question that you feel shouldn't have been?

I would speak to that moderator and ask why, if their reasoning isn't solid enough I will ask another mod's opinion, if I'm still not satisfied. General consensus from user's in chat and or eventually raise it on meta for the community. Either way, I will not directly try to force what I think is right on someone else and the majority is usually always right. Anyone who has ever raised an issue with me knows that I don't shrug it off, I immediately assume I was wrong and look at it from that viewpoint before going back to my original reasoning then making a decision because we all make mistakes.

Following directions, working together and abiding by site policy are all important. How well do you follow directions?

As a moderator, I would say to the point, I follow the necessary steps in any case, leaving comments after editing, downvoting, rejecting edits etc. I know the people and I know exactly what my job requires.

What important contributions or actions have you not been able to do that moderator-ship will allow you to perform? (besides banning trouble users)

I'm already a moderator

How much time can you currently commit, and are there other things that may come up in future that will limit your availability (i.e. intensive college or other studies, heavy workload)? This is important as the whole point of being a moderator is to care for and direct the site.

I spend upwards of 6+ hours daily on the site and can usually be summoned via a ping in chat or a response on a post within the hour. Since launch, I have not missed a single day, currently at 749 consecutive days as of writing.

How would you treat duplicate answers or answers in comments then posted as an answer later by a different user? This happens fairly frequently if there is a question that is somewhat vague, someone will post a potential answer in the comments, and then will have to leave. Several hours later, the OP will respond, and someone else will add the answer. How would you handle this situation?

I see this all the time, answers posted in comments. Some users often don't want to write a fully fledged answer but I encourage them anyway to do so and the majority of the time this goes through, if not I will add it myself or if I'm short on time, ask another user.

In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Moderators from my experience are basically flag handlers and issue resolvers, someone at the helm to have an unbiased overview. Someone who is fair and strict in decision making, when a moderator stamps a question as a duplicate or off-topic this shouldn't be questioned as they should know the exact scope of their site.

A diamond will be attached to everything you say and have said in the past, including questions, answers and comments. Everything you will do will be seen under a different light. How do you feel about that?

I've always taken care to be as straight forward as possible and polite to users, since I've been a moderator, I've never had anyone retaliate or call me out on any of my posts.

In what way do you feel that being a moderator will make you more effective as opposed to simply reaching 10k or 20k rep?

I'm already a moderator

How would you deal with a user who produced a steady stream of valuable answers, but tends to generate a large number of arguments/flags from comments?

First I would contact them, and explain what the issue is. If they didn't change their behavior, or started an antagonistic argument about their conduct rather than a discussion, then extreme measures might become necessary.

How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc a question that you feel shouldn't have been?

I would first try to ping them in chat, or contact them in a similar way, and ask them why they did it. Quite likely I am not seeing it the same way, and they may be able to satisfactorily explain their actions.

Following directions, working together and abiding by site policy are all important. How well do you follow directions?

Generally fairly well . . . I can work with other people and follow guidelines, but sometimes I can forget specific instructions. A reminder is all that is necessary.

What important contributions or actions have you not been able to do that moderator-ship will allow you to perform? (besides banning trouble users)

I will be able to help mold the site, and take some of the workload off of our current only active moderator. Specific things I personally could do would be listed in this question.

How much time can you currently commit, and are there other things that may come up in future that will limit your availability (i.e. intensive college or other studies, heavy workload)? This is important as the whole point of being a moderator is to care for and direct the site.

A large amount. I am homeschooled, so currently i am very free. I may become more restricted later in the year studying for tests though.

How would you treat duplicate answers or answers in comments then posted as an answer later by a different user? This happens fairly frequently if there is a question that is somewhat vague, someone will post a potential answer in the comments, and then will have to leave. Several hours later, the OP will respond, and someone else will add the answer. How would you handle this situation?

I would comment on the answer notifying them that we try to, as a common courtesy, give someone who answers in the comments like that at least 12 hours to respond and post an answer.

In your opinion, what do moderators do?

They kind of fill in the cracks, continue where the average user leaves off. A moderator needs to be able to help settle disputes, enforce site policy, and make decisions with decisiveness and authority, while not being afraid to be taken to task if someone disagrees with them.

A diamond will be attached to everything you say and have said in the past, including questions, answers and comments. Everything you will do will be seen under a different light. How do you feel about that?

It is a big responsibility. I have always been dedicated to trying to contribute valuable and professional content, and I don't think I have anything to be ashamed of.

In what way do you feel that being a moderator will make you more effective as opposed to simply reaching 10k or 20k rep?

This is a good question, especially as 10k is not too far in the future for me. I think it is more what the site needs, rather than what I can do per se. The site needs dedicated professional moderators, and I think I could be one.