In connection with the moderator elections, we will be holding a Q&A with the candidates. This will be an opportunity for members of the community to pose questions to the candidates on the topic of moderation. It's similar to the Town Hall Chat done previously, but as a standalone question rather than a chat event. Participation is completely voluntary.


Here's how it'll work:

  • During the nomination phase, (so, until Monday, February 1st at 20:00:00Z UTC, or 3:00 pm EST on the same day, give or take time to arrive for closure), this question will be open to collect potential questions from the users of the site. Post answers to this question containing any questions you would like to ask the candidates. Please only post one question per answer. It is not required, but it would also be helpful to stick to inline link syntax for links in your question.







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Stack Exchange has a structure and rules unlike what most new users have experienced elsewhere. Unfortunately, new users tend to post questions and answers that don't fit in that structure. As a moderator, it will be a part of your job to close or remove those posts. How will you do that but still encourage the new user to "stick out the learning curve"?

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  • I just want them to implement my idea : meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/q/2004/67 . – Joe Jan 29 '16 at 18:50
  • @Joe I'm waiting for you to throw in your hat and make this election interesting! – Jolenealaska Jan 29 '16 at 18:56
  • But I've been a moderator. And I'm still a moderator on OpenData.SE. Besides, I've done enough elections to last a lifetime (was a town commissioner for 3 terms) – Joe Jan 29 '16 at 19:08
  • @Joe OK, you're excused :) – Jolenealaska Jan 29 '16 at 19:09
  • More useful perhaps would be answer to question conversion. I think the mods have always been totally happy to have those things end up as questions, and we can make it happen reliably via flagging without needing to tune a classifier. – Cascabel Jan 30 '16 at 3:52
  • @Jefromi : shouldn't that be an answer to the meta-question linked? Now you're answering questions in comments, but not even in the same question. – Joe Jan 30 '16 at 14:33
  • @Joe Um... it was a reply to your comment, I just forgot to @ you. I think it makes as much sense here as yours does? I've tried to push for it before on global meta though (where the original request is status-declined). – Cascabel Jan 30 '16 at 16:04

Moderation can sometimes take up time and energy that might have been spent on regular site participation. Additionally, that regular participation sometimes has to be more careful; for example, users may tend to take everyday comments as absolute moderator judgment. How do you feel about this?

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  • (This is sort of a different take on the "diamond attached to everything you do" question.) – Cascabel Jan 31 '16 at 6:09

Imagine that you wake up and see a question which should be closed, either because it is too broad or because it is out of scope (e.g. a nutrition question). However, it is immensely popular, with many upvotes and already has several well-written answers. How do you handle the situation?

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  • Or if it doesn't have answers yet but you know people will post them if it's not closed... – Cascabel Feb 1 '16 at 17:36

When you spend lots of time on the site, you interact with the users and form an opinion of them. In a few cases, there will be users towards whom you build up animosity, in others, you will feel respect for their knowledge or friendliness and a general liking.

Imagine that you see problematic content posted by somebody who is not just "one of the crowd", but somebody you either like or dislike a lot. How do you act to ensure fairness in that case?

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What are your thoughts about the current level of Meta discussion on this site? Does it need improvement, or is it good?

What are your thoughts on the importance of Meta and how it helps contribute to the site and its policies?

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Moderators often end up as the bearers of bad news, for example deleting newer users' posts or letting more experienced users know about a problem, which can lead to unpleasant or hostile reactions. How do you feel about taking on this role, and how would you deal with it?

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  • In your opinion, what do moderators do?
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