2022 Moderator Election

nomination began
Mar 14, 2022 at 20:00
election began
Mar 21, 2022 at 20:00
election ended
Mar 29, 2022 at 20:00
candidates
8
positions
1

On Stack Exchange, we believe the core moderators should come from the community, and be elected by the community itself through popular vote. We hold regular elections to determine who these community moderators will be.

Community moderators are accorded the highest level of privilege on our community, and should themselves be exemplars of positive behavior and leaders within the community.

Our general criteria for moderators is as follows:

  • patient and fair
  • leads by example
  • shows respect for their fellow community members in their actions and words
  • open to some light but firm moderation to keep the community on track and resolve (hopefully) uncommon disputes and exceptions
  • signed the Ubuntu Code of Conduct, 2.0, and link to your Launchpad.net page showing you have signed.

We encourage everyone who has contributed to the success of Ask Ubuntu through all moderation tasks - flagging, editing, Meta Q&A, chat discussions etc. to put their names forward.

Every election has three phases:

  1. Nomination
  2. Primary
  3. Election

Please participate in the moderator elections by voting, and perhaps even by nominating yourself to be a community moderator!

Nominees, please consider placing your answers to questions you deem helpful to your nomination inside your Nomination post.

Additional Links

Questionnaire
The community team has compiled questions from meta for the candidates to answer.
  1. 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?

[Answer 1 here]

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

[Answer 2 here]

  1. This may be a little far-fetched - but I'm giving it a shot anyway: In which ways do you feel, that you as a moderator will be able to invoke and enhance the underlying philosophy of "Ubuntu" (in the meaning "I am because we are" or "humanity towards each other") on the Ask Ubuntu site?

[Answer 3 here]

  1. If anything comes to mind, please share a positive experience you have had in relation to the work of moderators (on Ask Ubuntu, or any other Stack Exchange site).

[Answer 4 here]

  1. Will you be active in chatrooms after becoming a moderator? There have been various users who became inactive in chat after becoming moderators. In rooms like the Raiders of the Lost Downboat, a presence of moderator can be extremely helpful to new users (as you can guide them how to review). I know that it's not obligatory for a moderator to be active in chat but I would love to hear your take on this.

[Answer 5 here]

  1. If anything comes to mind, please link to one or two or three meta posts that you like (by other people, but if you want to include one of your own that might be good).

[Answer 6 here]

  1. How will you condemn inappropriate behaviour of high reputation users (including moderators)? There have been various instances when users spoke in a rude way in chat, or in comments of posts in meta and in some cases, no real action was taken against them. How will you deal with such kind of issue? Is suspension your only option?

[Answer 7 here]

  1. Before the diamond, reviews would require several people's votes before the system decides on the outcome. With the diamond, your vote will be the definitive one. Would that spook you into skipping reviews?

[Answer 8 here]

  1. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

[Answer 9 here]

  1. 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?

[Answer 10 here]

Kulfy

I'm Kulfy, a pug who is as sweet as Kulfi. I joined the community in April 2018 while looking for answers to the issue I had in my newly installed 18.04. So, apparently I will complete my 4 years of joining next month. As I got more reputation points, I started participating in user level moderation as well.

Currently, I'm one of the owners of Raiders of Lost Downboat, a room dedicated to moderation and sometimes I'm available in Charcoal HQ as well observing/flagging spam posts across Stack Exchange communities.

Talking about the numbers here are some stats:

  1. Flags: So far, I have raised 2633 flags

    • 2583 were marked helpful (~98%)

      • 5 were raised for mod attention when I observed violation of CoC.
    • 18 were retracted (<1%)

    • 16 were declined (<1%)

    • 11 were disputed (<1%)

    • 4 were aged away

  2. Edits: I have 2304 posts so far.

  3. Votes: 3256 (upvote+downvote)

  4. Review Queues:

    • Close Votes: 4542

    • Reopen: 868

    • Low Quality: 4104

    • Suggested Edits: 6918

    • First Posts (retd.): 3196

Kulfy in launchpad

Questionnaire
  1. 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 of all, the primary objective of the community is to help people and make other users feel safe. The users are the primary assets of any community who keeps a particular topic alive.

The arguments/flags can be positive as well as negative. I'm more concerned about the weight of their argument. If a veteran user generate a large number of arguments/flags, first we need to validate the applicability of that before making any decision. Nothing can be better than having a good discussion over the chat to understand the viewpoint of that user. If needed, that chat can be private. Every comment has to be evaluated separately before arriving to any conclusion.

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

Well, as a normal user I have been in that situation. There were some 8 years old Q&A which were deleted by mods. I was doubtful if they actually qualify for deletion since there were very good answers. So after having a discussion in the chatroom, I started casting undelete vote. Some of them actually got undeleted by the community. Couple of days later I was told by a mod that after some investigation they were deleted because the main purpose of that Q&A was to generate reputation points while violating Code of Conduct.

So, if I encounter this situation again, I'll do some investigation by myself and would reach out to the mod who deleted that to understand their view point before making any decision. If I still feel, it should be undeleted, I'll discuss with other mods as well.

  1. In which ways do you feel, that you as a moderator will be able to invoke and enhance the underlying philosophy of "Ubuntu" (in the meaning "I am because we are" or "humanity towards each other") on the Ask Ubuntu site?

Collaboration is the main thing which is keeping humanity alive. What can be a better example of collaboration than an open source project. Collaboration here on Ask Ubuntu is in the form of community trying to help self and other people. As a moderator, it is important to regulate things and ensure smooth conduct of every possible action. If in order to regulate things, some harsh decisions are to be made, then they should be made. It might eventually make people feel more welcomed and collaborate in efficient manner.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please share a positive experience you have had in relation to the work of moderators (on Ask Ubuntu, or any other Stack Exchange site).

I have always admired the work of mods especially terdon, Zanna and Thomas Ward. I always appreciated their calmness while making decisions as a mod. The best thing is I don't have any bad experience with any mod.

  1. Will you be active in chatrooms after becoming a moderator? There have been various users who became inactive in chat after becoming moderators. In rooms like the Raiders of the Lost Downboat, a presence of moderator can be extremely helpful to new users (as you can guide them how to review). I know that it's not obligatory for a moderator to be active in chat but I would love to hear your take on this.

I'm currently one of the owners of mentioned room :)

Although from past year, I have been less active on the site but still I visit chat rooms at least once in everyday and perform any action if I feel is required from my side, for example, flagging, commenting.

So, after being moderator, I'll re-evaluate my priorities and try to be in chat more often.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please link to one or two or three meta posts that you like (by other people, but if you want to include one of your own that might be good).

I have many. Listing some of them below:

  1. Moderators are *not* the Software Police! (Read for details!)

  2. Ten tips to handle your question in the worst possible way

  3. Please stop posting half answers and bad advice as comments

  1. How will you condemn inappropriate behaviour of high reputation users (including moderators)? There have been various instances when users spoke in a rude way in chat, or in comments of posts in meta and in some cases, no real action was taken against them. How will you deal with such kind of issue? Is suspension your only option?

Before being a high reputation user/moderator, everyone here is a part of the community. Every user is as important as a high rep user or a mod. The worst part of the written communication is that it is very difficult to interpret the tone of statement. The tone makes a lot difference while reading any set of statements.

If I or another user feels that the statement was rude, I will surely discuss the situation with the user and if I feel they were still rude, I'd condemn the way they presented their views. If the situation gets heated up, I'll involve other mods as well. And if they deny to improve the behavior than I think temporary suspension for cooling is the best way.

The best way of making decision is to have a good discussion and understand every view point.

  1. Before the diamond, reviews would require several people's votes before the system decides on the outcome. With the diamond, your vote will be the definitive one. Would that spook you into skipping reviews?

I have been very careful while reviewing and same thing applies if I become a mod. Skipping reviews is not the best way to avoid them. There might be n number of users having more insights of a topic. So, skipping review item once in a while, may be. Skipping everytime, not acceptable by me as a user.

  1. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Moderators are the regulators. Their main work is behind the scenes which very few people notice. They work according to A Theory of Moderation and Our Theory of Moderation, Re-visited and enforce Code of Conduct. Here site specific rules are made democratically and is to implemented ensuring everyone is adhering to it.

  1. 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'm very much neutral in this regard. Since I have been always a user who welcomes constructive criticism as long as they are within limits of words (without being rude or going out of the way using inappropriate words), everyone is free to disagree what I have said in the past or would say in future. And if I feel I'm wrong, I'm happy to change my standpoint reflected in questions, answers and comments.

12

Abhijit N

I am active in Ubuntu community since many years as user and contributor on IRC channels.
I would like to be part of moderator team so that I can extend the same help I received from Ubuntu community. Throughout all these years I have experienced and understood Ubuntu + FOSS values.

Click here to visit my launchpad profile:
Click here to see signed code of conduct.

Questionnaire
  1. 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?

This user should be given few chances first along with explanation on rules and reasons, before taking any strict action.

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

First directly contact that moderator and try to have a discussion on personal level and find out their reasons for deleting that question. If not satisfied then escalate to higher level.

  1. This may be a little far-fetched - but I'm giving it a shot anyway: In which ways do you feel, that you as a moderator will be able to invoke and enhance the underlying philosophy of "Ubuntu" (in the meaning "I am because we are" or "humanity towards each other") on the Ask Ubuntu site?

After being a user for so many years, share that experience and knowledge with community.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please share a positive experience you have had in relation to the work of moderators (on Ask Ubuntu, or any other Stack Exchange site).

All are common experiences. No specific experience of Stackexchange moderators.

  1. Will you be active in chatrooms after becoming a moderator? There have been various users who became inactive in chat after becoming moderators. In rooms like the Raiders of the Lost Downboat, a presence of moderator can be extremely helpful to new users (as you can guide them how to review). I know that it's not obligatory for a moderator to be active in chat but I would love to hear your take on this.

My chatroom activity will be limited but not completely zero.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please link to one or two or three meta posts that you like (by other people, but if you want to include one of your own that might be good).

Not active on meta stackexchange.

  1. How will you condemn inappropriate behaviour of high reputation users (including moderators)? There have been various instances when users spoke in a rude way in chat, or in comments of posts in meta and in some cases, no real action was taken against them. How will you deal with such kind of issue? Is suspension your only option?

Everyone needs to be given a chance first with explanations. After following a procedure if behaviour of user is still against community guidelines, then with approval from concerned authorities the user needs to be suspended/banned as last option.

  1. Before the diamond, reviews would require several people's votes before the system decides on the outcome. With the diamond, your vote will be the definitive one. Would that spook you into skipping reviews?

Being spooked into skipping reviews will be against the very nature of being a diamond moderator. Even if diamond moderator, reviews should be quickly read and a summary should be understood before deciding any action. Any of the moderator task needs to be handled with patience and by following all the due processes only.

  1. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Help community grow, enforce community rules, instill the right mindset in users and resolve disputes in a proper mutually agreed method.

  1. 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?

Increased responsibility in what I say.

3

BeastOfCaerbannog

Hi! I'm BeastOfCaerbannog, the white killer bunny from Monty Python and the Holy Grail! I'm an Ubuntu user since 2008 and I'm using Ubuntu as my main system for several years now. I am an active Ask Ubuntu user for about 3 years now, and have answered more than 200 questions. However, most of the work I do on the site is behind the scenes. I am one of the most prolific editors of all time on Ask Ubuntu, as well as an active user and one of the owners of Raiders of the Lost Downboat, our moderation-related chatroom, and its spin-off chatroom, Island of castaway thoughts (thanks @Zanna).

While I'm not a high reputation user, I think that I have enough moderating experience to be part of the Ask Ubuntu mod team.

Here is my Launchpad profile.

Questionnaire
  1. 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 first thing I'd do is see if there is a justified reason for those flags. If there is, I would comment to them, reminding them of the expected behavior of the site's users. I would then look if there is a pattern behind the user's behavior, so that we could perhaps avoid such arguments from them in the future. I would also bring the matter to the other mods and seek for advice and guidance from them.

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

I would talk to them to try to understand the reason of their action, and present them my view on the matter. I could very well be wrong, as could they. So having a conversation would probably make clear what the correct (perhaps least wrong) action would be.

  1. This may be a little far-fetched - but I'm giving it a shot anyway: In which ways do you feel, that you as a moderator will be able to invoke and enhance the underlying philosophy of "Ubuntu" (in the meaning "I am because we are" or "humanity towards each other") on the Ask Ubuntu site?

As I have said in the past, the reason I started participating actively to Ask Ubuntu is to give something back to this community that has helped me in the past and continues to help me so much! The reason I'm nominating myself is exactly to be able to help the community more, through the mod privileges and tools.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please share a positive experience you have had in relation to the work of moderators (on Ask Ubuntu, or any other Stack Exchange site).

The most recent positive experience I had regarding moderation was related to editing. To be more specific, I was really happy to see the huge progress of the editing skills of @someone after several conversations we had regarding the formatting of his posts! Also, working closely with @Zanna is always a pleasure! :)

  1. Will you be active in chatrooms after becoming a moderator? There have been various users who became inactive in chat after becoming moderators. In rooms like the Raiders of the Lost Downboat, a presence of moderator can be extremely helpful to new users (as you can guide them how to review). I know that it's not obligatory for a moderator to be active in chat but I would love to hear your take on this.

You bet I will!

  1. If anything comes to mind, please link to one or two or three meta posts that you like (by other people, but if you want to include one of your own that might be good).
  1. How will you condemn inappropriate behaviour of high reputation users (including moderators)? There have been various instances when users spoke in a rude way in chat, or in comments of posts in meta and in some cases, no real action was taken against them. How will you deal with such kind of issue? Is suspension your only option?

High reputation is an indication of a user's participation and involvement on the site, but does not necessarily mean that the user can't be rude or abusive or have inappropriate behavior towards other users. This can be true for moderators too. In such cases, I would talk to the user, to try to make them understand what's wrong. I would also bring the issue to the other mods, as they are far more experienced and see what they would also suggest as the best course of action. In no case I would single-handedly suspend the user, as I think that in such matters the decision should be collective.

  1. Before the diamond, reviews would require several people's votes before the system decides on the outcome. With the diamond, your vote will be the definitive one. Would that spook you into skipping reviews?

Well yes! I'm already skipping reviews that I'm not very certain if my decision is correct. However, I would try to use this "super power" to decrease the burden of the queues, especially the Close votes one, also taking advice from people in RotLD.

  1. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Moderators handle flags, help users decide the best course of action in edge cases, set an example of behavior, define policy with the help of the community. In many cases a moderator is the voice of the community. A moderator is not a dictator, but a user with more moderating tools in their disposal.

  1. 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 wouldn't feel bad for my past activity, but I would definitely feel a burden for my future actions.

6

Tejas Lotlikar

Helping and learning from folks from askUbuntu for more than three years, and been using Ubuntu/ Linux-based systems since 2011. Always focused on consistency and helping people.

Questionnaire
  1. 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?

It depends on what type of flag requests has been pulled on the user's comments. If the user is only trying to win some argument against someone without facts/evidence, it may cause unnecessary disturbance and care should be taken not to entertain such non-fruitful arguments. Also, if the user is a new user, they should be motivated to read the FAQ for betterment of community.

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

The best solution will be to discuss with the moderator and find out the reasons for the action. It is not right or wrong. Either the action was not desired, or the community can learn something new

  1. This may be a little far-fetched - but I'm giving it a shot anyway: In which ways do you feel, that you as a moderator will be able to invoke and enhance the underlying philosophy of "Ubuntu" (in the meaning "I am because we are" or "humanity towards each other") on the Ask Ubuntu site?

Humanity towards each other can be achieved by promoting healthy behaviour, not abusing new user or closing question, Instead a chance should be given to the users by giving a comment or edition the question/answer so that community is friendly for newcommers.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please share a positive experience you have had in relation to the work of moderators (on Ask Ubuntu, or any other Stack Exchange site).

I didn't have a bad experience even when I was a newcomer on askUbuntu. Also would to to hope the same for all of you :)

  1. Will you be active in chatrooms after becoming a moderator? There have been various users who became inactive in chat after becoming moderators. In rooms like the Raiders of the Lost Downboat, a presence of moderator can be extremely helpful to new users (as you can guide them how to review). I know that it's not obligatory for a moderator to be active in chat but I would love to hear your take on this.

I've not been much active in chatrooms but rather have been active on the site itself. But it will be a priority when I get the responsibility when more and more people start joining the chatrooms.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please link to one or two or three meta posts that you like (by other people, but if you want to include one of your own that might be good).

    How does Ask Ubuntu work? is a very good post for begineers in my opinion

  2. How will you condemn inappropriate behaviour of high reputation users (including moderators)? There have been various instances when users spoke in a rude way in chat, or in comments of posts in meta and in some cases, no real action was taken against them. How will you deal with such kind of issue? Is suspension your only option?

If some moderators demonstrate inappropriate behaviours, it should be taken as a serious offence because not only does it create a bad environment for people who want to help and get help but also discourages new users from taking the maximum out of askUbuntu. The moderators need to be suspended for a time depending on the frequency of such behaviour.

  1. Before the diamond, reviews would require several people's votes before the system decides on the outcome. With the diamond, your vote will be the definitive one. Would that spook you into skipping reviews?

It is said that "with great power comes great responsibility" but "With great power... comes great need to take a nap..." Yea, it will spook me sometimes, so taking a decision from the community would be a great option.

  1. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Moderator votes are binding, and this helps to guide the community by following the best practices and keeping the community welcoming and respecting each other. They can also comment and make aware users about any additional info to the answer or any community-related behaviour and best practices.

  1. 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 would have to be really responsible as users will trust my answers more since they might see me as a credible member of the community and will also ensure that the content posted is factually true and free from any bias.

0

matigo

As a relatively recent returning user to AskUbuntu, tossing my hat into this election is probably a little premature. That said, it would be a privilege and an honour to give a little more back to the community.

Legal Bits:

As for other details that are not part of my bio, I've been using computers since 1994 and Linux since 1995. I first started playing with Ubuntu shortly after Warty Warthog was released, and it became my primary desktop OS in June 2006 with Dapper Drake. Ubuntu Server has been my OS of choice for all web projects for almost 20 years. As a result of all this experience, I have a "Notebook of Ubuntu Fixes" that contains several thousand notes on how to resolve issues, many of which are seen in my answers on AskUbuntu.

Like some of the other candidates, I've reached a point in my life where it has become better to share knowledge rather than simply use it. This is why I invest so much time at AskUbuntu.

And now on to the questions ...

Questionnaire
  1. 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?

Are there people who meet these criteria on AskUbuntu? A person who adds genuine value, answering questions and helping people solve problems, is someone the community would benefit from retaining. However, what sort of arguments are they engaging in? Opinions such as ZFS vs Ext4 or KDE vs MATE? Or is it Twitter-like name-calling and other shenanigans? The former can be informative or educational when delivered in a respectful manner. The latter has no place on here or anywhere else.

Naturally, my actions would have to take several contexts into consideration:

  1. Are the arguments/flags reasonable?
  2. Are the participants in the arguments breaking specific community guidelines?
  3. (Depending on the severity) What do other moderators say about the situation?

As a new moderator, it would be inappropriate to act too swiftly without a great deal of communication between the actor(s) and the moderation team.

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

There is already a process for this: communication. I would ask about the reasons behind the decision, state my case, and discuss it like an adult. Even if I do not agree with a final decision, it does not mean I cannot better understand the reasoning that went into the action.

  1. This may be a little far-fetched - but I'm giving it a shot anyway: In which ways do you feel, that you as a moderator will be able to invoke and enhance the underlying philosophy of "Ubuntu" (in the meaning "I am because we are" or "humanity towards each other") on the Ask Ubuntu site?

Invocation of the philosophy is performed with every act on the site, whether we are asking a question, requesting details, providing a solution, or going through the various review queues. I am here because we – as a community – exist to help those in need of support regardless of any biological, social, or historical attributes a person may have. As someone who works in education (albeit no longer in a classroom setting), being able to provide people with the tools they need to solve a problem is one of the core propositions required to build a better tomorrow.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please share a positive experience you have had in relation to the work of moderators (on Ask Ubuntu, or any other Stack Exchange site).

Zanna has often been incredibly quick to respond to questions and follows a consistent philosophy to moderation. The moderation teams on some of the other SE sites I belong to would benefit a bit by following her example.

  1. Will you be active in chatrooms after becoming a moderator? There have been various users who became inactive in chat after becoming moderators. In rooms like the Raiders of the Lost Downboat, a presence of moderator can be extremely helpful to new users (as you can guide them how to review). I know that it's not obligatory for a moderator to be active in chat but I would love to hear your take on this.

I have generally stayed away from the chatroom as it's easy for me to become too chatty, resulting in walls of text and an over-numerousness of Jason Fox avatars. That said, it's certainly important that a moderator be available in chat should an issue arise. To this end, I would dedicate some attention to the chatroom to help the community and to interact more with the people who invest their time in making AskUbuntu a better place.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please link to one or two or three meta posts that you like (by other people, but if you want to include one of your own that might be good).
  1. Cocomac asked if translating posts using Google Translate was acceptable, and terdon's excellent answer) allowed me to save a few hours every week by not translating messages from German, Russian, or Japanese into English.
  2. mickmackusa asked for an explanation around why some of his suggested edits were rejected, some of which were rejected by me. The conversation allowed for a better understanding of the nuances around appropriate edits, which later played a role when I asked this meta question.
  1. How will you condemn inappropriate behaviour of high reputation users (including moderators)? There have been various instances when users spoke in a rude way in chat, or in comments of posts in meta and in some cases, no real action was taken against them. How will you deal with such kind of issue? Is suspension your only option?

Suspension would not be my immediate decision. As a new moderator, I should have the least amount of say in such a drastic measure. However, I would approach the situation the same way I do at work when colleagues or students are harassing – or are being harassed by – others. Communication first, bump it up the ladder, deal with repeat incidents as a group.

  1. Before the diamond, reviews would require several people's votes before the system decides on the outcome. With the diamond, your vote will be the definitive one. Would that spook you into skipping reviews?

Skipping? No. Making decisions before my second coffee? Yes. 🤐

  1. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Some of the answers from the other candidates are far better than anything I can put into words, but I see the role of the moderator as that of a mentor. They guide a community towards expected behaviours through consistency and communication. A moderation team that is harsh and unforgiving will create a harsh and unforgiving community. A moderation team that is lax or wholly absent will create a ghost town.

Of course, as vidarlo has already said, moderators handle the exceptions that take place throughout the course of a day. This would include conflict resolution, cleaning up questions/answers in ways most people cannot, responding to flagged items, and other details I am likely ignorant of.

  1. 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?

The language I use on here can certainly come across as terse at times, but there is nothing – to the best of my knowledge – that would be considered rude or disrespectful. As such, I do not believe having a diamond next to my name would cast the moderation team in a bad light. Similarly, I do not believe that I would need to change my language or self-censor should I be granted the privilege to moderate AskUbuntu.

If you've read this far, thank you for affording me the time. Do let me know should you have any questions or concerns.

7

Satoshi Nakamoto

First of all, I didn't invent Bitcoin...[proceeds]

Let's make this community like years ago. To the core satisfaction of stackoverflow.com. Respecting everyone's individual liberty and self freedom. No more bullies here. Or exaggerated harsh punishments for self-expression. A couple of moderators inspired me to be here today and I'll keep to the end.

Questionnaire
  1. 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?

One cannot fit another, if you're valuable to the community you're valuable. I would close the case. And observe what can be improved next and talk to that person accordingly to that specific issue in particular.

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

First I'll observe if my actions are correct, if so, and only if I'm correct I'll proceed, I'll bring proves to the table, correct them and inform well to that person for what he did was wrong.

  1. This may be a little far-fetched - but I'm giving it a shot anyway: In which ways do you feel, that you as a moderator will be able to invoke and enhance the underlying philosophy of "Ubuntu" (in the meaning "I am because we are" or "humanity towards each other") on the Ask Ubuntu site?

Only the union makes the force.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please share a positive experience you have had in relation to the work of moderators (on Ask Ubuntu, or any other Stack Exchange site).

I learned to be resilient, very patient, and to never give up.

  1. Will you be active in chatrooms after becoming a moderator? There have been various users who became inactive in chat after becoming moderators. In rooms like the Raiders of the Lost Downboat, a presence of moderator can be extremely helpful to new users (as you can guide them how to review). I know that it's not obligatory for a moderator to be active in chat but I would love to hear your take on this.

every day I check stackoverflow.com. Whenever is possible I'll chat when necessary.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please link to one or two or three meta posts that you like (by other people, but if you want to include one of your own that might be good).
  1. How will you condemn inappropriate behaviour of high reputation users (including moderators)? There have been various instances when users spoke in a rude way in chat, or in comments of posts in meta and in some cases, no real action was taken against them. How will you deal with such kind of issue? Is suspension your only option?

Talking is the only option. Hate doesn't generate good people in the world. We need to understand which other at some level but never let any personal issues get in the way.

  1. Before the diamond, reviews would require several people's votes before the system decides on the outcome. With the diamond, your vote will be the definitive one. Would that spook you into skipping reviews?

Never.

  1. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

As someone once said:(in my own words) "they are like the old school janitor, everyday cleaning, inspecting so that the kids don't run over the place, they do all the necessary hard work; the work that no one wants to do"

  1. 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 feel nothing. With power comes corruption. Maybe one day we will not have moderators anymore. And things could be different. Everyone makes this website with every single particle inside their souls and every soul accomplishes a unique part in society. Especially here.

7

andrew.46

Would I be a good moderator? Well, I think so :).

I have long experience with Linux, with Ubuntu (starting with Hoary Hedgehog) and with Ask Ubuntu having joined Ask Ubuntu over 9 years ago. I have hopefully been useful to others in this great question and answer site in this time.

But more importantly I have reached a time in my life, now being retired, when I can devote significant amounts of time to such pursuits as being a moderator. I also have the experience and maturity that comes with the passage of years to undertake such work in a calm and measured way.

Andrew Strong (andrew.46)
Ubuntu Launchpad
Andrew's Corner...

Questionnaire
  1. 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?

It is always important to nurture such a user and thus continue to allow Ask Ubuntu to benefit from this user's expertise. However if a pattern of arguments/flags has developed there would be a need for some gentle investigation and perhaps some equally gentle correction.

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

Communication is the key and if I believe another moderator has made a decision that I disagree with I would always be ready to discuss the point. Bearing in mind that there will always be differences of opinion and it is not always a binary right or wrong!

  1. This may be a little far-fetched - but I'm giving it a shot anyway: In which ways do you feel, that you as a moderator will be able to invoke and enhance the underlying philosophy of "Ubuntu" (in the meaning "I am because we are" or "humanity towards each other") on the Ask Ubuntu site?

As a moderator I would like to advance Ask Ubuntu as not only a place to get good questions and answers but as a place where kindness is be a feature. And kindness is always the better part of our 'humanity towards each other'.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please share a positive experience you have had in relation to the work of moderators (on Ask Ubuntu, or any other Stack Exchange site).

To tell the truth I have almost never bumped into (or against!) a moderator on Ask Ubuntu. I remember a brief encounter with Zanna where we discussed the merits of changing a question's wording to avoid it being closed; and this was a positive experience as Zanna was very courteous but firm nevertheless :).

  1. Will you be active in chatrooms after becoming a moderator? There have been various users who became inactive in chat after becoming moderators. In rooms like the Raiders of the Lost Downboat, a presence of moderator can be extremely helpful to new users (as you can guide them how to review). I know that it's not obligatory for a moderator to be active in chat but I would love to hear your take on this.

The chatrooms many years ago were very active and I miss the 'live time' experience of the various chatrooms that have now become very, very quiet. I would be keen to be part of a revival...

  1. If anything comes to mind, please link to one or two or three meta posts that you like (by other people, but if you want to include one of your own that might be good).

I have not been very active on meta with perhaps my most useful post here. But this one caught my attention a while back:

Why are there so many helpful people?

And I love the answers, varying from 'I'm here for the badges' to a quite scholarly dissertation on the 'commons'. Some deep thought and some outright humour!

  1. How will you condemn inappropriate behaviour of high reputation users (including moderators)? There have been various instances when users spoke in a rude way in chat, or in comments of posts in meta and in some cases, no real action was taken against them. How will you deal with such kind of issue? Is suspension your only option?

I believe that there is no place for rudeness in any place where humans deal with each other. However people by nature are kind and will almost always respond to gentle correction. So a personal approach will almost always be the initial approach rather than a heavy resort to the ban hammer.

  1. Before the diamond, reviews would require several people's votes before the system decides on the outcome. With the diamond, your vote will be the definitive one. Would that spook you into skipping reviews?

I am accustomed to responsibility and the need for measured thought and calm decision. So no, I would not be spooked into skipping reviews. However I would seek out assistance from the more seasoned moderators if I was at all uncertain.

  1. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

I believe that moderators do as little as possible! I have read the following carefully:

A Theory of Moderation
https://stackoverflow.blog/2009/05/18/a-theory-of-moderation/

And I believe that this spells out the basics of moderation but doubtless there will be significant variations that I would have to learn from the existing moderation team.

  1. 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?

Well, I had a quick look at my old work just to make sure!! And it looks like I am in the clear for that at least :).

As for the future: In my working years I was a Clinical Nurse Educator in a busy Intensive Care Unit. I was told then that everyone would be watching me and I would be an exemplar for how things should be done. I managed this for many years in Intensive Care and I am confident that I will also manage this in Ask Ubuntu.

5

vidarlo

I've been a Linux user for... 25 years. Mostly Debian, Ubuntu and SuSE. I've got some technical knowledge in the field.

I'm active on some SE sites, including Server Fault, and Security SE and AU. I've over time built up some feeling of the mechanics of the communities involved, and believe I can contribute to the site, and help develop it further.

I've signed the CoC

In additions to questions answered below, the previous election Q&A may be relevant to read as well.

Questionnaire
  1. 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?

A general answer is difficult. It depends on what the flags are. Is it about the content, or simple issues such as formatting? Generally guiding the user in the right direction in less severe cases. In severe cases? Well, community above individual users.

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

I would discuss it with the mod. If the mod was the sole user behind closure, I'd probably urge the moderator to leave it up to the community, e.g. open the question, or possibly post about it on Meta. If it was a 5-user closure where a moderator happened to cast the final vote? Then I'm probably wrong, and it's truly off topic.

  1. This may be a little far-fetched - but I'm giving it a shot anyway: In which ways do you feel, that you as a moderator will be able to invoke and enhance the underlying philosophy of "Ubuntu" (in the meaning "I am because we are" or "humanity towards each other") on the Ask Ubuntu site?

I believe in the communityOk, not far fetched, but a difficult question to answer nevertheless. First off all, the community is what makes AU great. We have a diverse set of people, with different sets of knowledge, overlapping and able to provide great answers.

The community is what makes any SE site tick, and I believe AU has a large and vibrant community providing good resources for both novices and professionals. I've learnt things researching answers. I've learnt things posting wrong answers.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please share a positive experience you have had in relation to the work of moderators (on Ask Ubuntu, or any other Stack Exchange site).

I've not interacted very much with moderators on this site; probably too well behaved. I've interacted a bit in chat, and nothing really strikes me as positive or negative. They're humans, like all of us. Most of all I respect the kindness, patience and knowledge they have, especially Zanna - whom I often disagree with, but also have a deep respect for as she takes time to explain viewpoints really well, and is open to input.

  1. Will you be active in chatrooms after becoming a moderator? There have been various users who became inactive in chat after becoming moderators. In rooms like the Raiders of the Lost Downboat, a presence of moderator can be extremely helpful to new users (as you can guide them how to review). I know that it's not obligatory for a moderator to be active in chat but I would love to hear your take on this.

I've been active before, and will probably be more so. Recently I've invested more time in some other SE sites than AU, but that will obviously change a bit if elected.

  1. If anything comes to mind, please link to one or two or three meta posts that you like (by other people, but if you want to include one of your own that might be good).

Policy Change Proposal: "End of Standard Support" for ESM releases is effectively the "Not Supported" date for a release on Ask Ubuntu Reasoning: This started out as a problem lifted by a relatively low rep user, yet moderators took it seriously, and lifted it to an official discussion about policy for the site. This shows the value of moderators bringing the users voice forward.

  1. How will you condemn inappropriate behaviour of high reputation users (including moderators)? There have been various instances when users spoke in a rude way in chat, or in comments of posts in meta and in some cases, no real action was taken against them. How will you deal with such kind of issue? Is suspension your only option?

Chat is less formal than the main site. A single occurrence? People can have a bad day. If repeated I would bring it to the attention of the person involved. If needed, other moderators would be invited to discuss the topic. As a new moderator I'd be vary of taking action, but not vary of bringing it up.

Suspension would - as per question #1 - be a last resort. Hopefully it can be resolved without suspending.

  1. Before the diamond, reviews would require several people's votes before the system decides on the outcome. With the diamond, your vote will be the definitive one. Would that spook you into skipping reviews?

Yes! If an issue has 3-4 votes; sure. I'd probably go with my gut feeling. But I'd be more hesitant on casting the first two votes - with good reasons. A lot of closures I've voted for I've been the sole voter for something, which indicates I'm wrong about the question. I'd be more hesitant in the cases where I know I'm on the edge of community consensus, as it would be binding.

I believe that the normal moderation should be left to community. Unlike some other SE sites, AU has enough active highrep users that questions that are truly off topic gets closed quickly, so I don't see any major issues on that front.

  1. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Exception handling. All the stuff that falls through the cracks, and also - as hinted in what I picked from Meta that I thought important - lifting and giving voice to other people.

Picking up changes in the community, and vetting changing tides against policy. Handling the things that community moderation failed at handling, or can't handle efficiently. Lubricating the things that doesn't work.

  1. 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'm aware of it, and I believe my contributions stands on its own legs - even though there's a diamond attached. If I've written something that's not defensible, then that's a problem whatever there's a diamond next to my nick or not.

I've held moderator positions elsewhere (not SE), and generally tend to separate moderation duties from discussions.

7

This election is over.