#Skooba reporting in!
- The site has core cadre of 'die hard' members and, because of the popular subject material, attracts a lot of casual passing users. How would you use the role of moderator to encourage new users to contribute to the site more?
Of course this all starts with “Be Nice” and further emphasized by SE’s new Code of Conduct. The role of a moderator in this sense is not much different than any other user. First Post Reviews are good way to interact with new users and engage them early. This is the internet after all and most people are looking for quick responses. Typically I prefer a quick welcome message that is followed by constructive feedback based on the quality of the post. Links to the tour and help center, small edits if needed, and voting, are common and I strive to keep them positive. If I see a post/user struggles I offer encouragement for them to stick around and let them know that SE can operate differently than forum type sites, but if they are patient they will likely receive the answer they seek (or recognition if they are providing answers) and it will be worth it.
- Being a moderator you will be able to close questions on your own and override other community votes. Will this change how you vote to close questions?
The community has many members with the privilege to close questions, I would let them do the majority of that moderation since this site does not have problem with review queue backlogs. I would only instantly close questions that were rude/offensive or blatantly off-topic. Other than that, if I was reviewing a question for closure I would wait to be the final vote if I agreed that the question needed to be closed (the same would be true for reopen votes).
- A user has posted a question that was quickly closed as being Trivia. The user however disagrees believing the question is valid, on-topic and not "trivia" and proceeds to post their frustration in the comments and on Meta, dismissing the opinions of others trying to help, etc. How would you determine if the question is Trivia or not? How would you defuse the situation?
Trivia can certainly be sticky subject, especially since the Meta topics linked in the close reason are short and old. The “general reference” and “too localized” close reason have gone away, and we are supposed to embrace the “non-googlers”.
To determine if the question is trivia or not it must be evaluated properly. A good question will always explain why they are asking the question and what research they have done which allows for a clearly defined problem to emerge. As much as the phrase “I know it when I see it” is often mocked there are signposts to poor questions. Since a question takes 5 users with sufficient reputation to close, generally the right decision is being made. Every case will different and I would make a determination on a per each basis.
Defusing a situation on Meta can be difficult as well. The key is be involved early before anything can get out of hand, but obviously moderators cannot be on site every minute of every day. If the user is not listening to reason the best we can do is state our case based on the site rules and guidelines, stick to the facts, and offer support in line with those. If necessary a moderator needs to keep the established users in check as well from not bullying a new user. The goal is to maintain order and allow a user to make their case in support of their question.
- 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 SE Network already has a progressive disciplinary program in place. This would need to be followed regardless of the content the user is providing, the Code of Conduct applies to all. I would try to reason with the user to attempt to stop the behavior and explain that if continued would lead to account suspension.
- How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc. a question that you feel shouldn't have been?
Generally, I would hold another moderator to the same standard I would any other user, so if I would undo the action of regular users that performed an action I would do the same to the moderators. The only difference might be that I would discuss this with the other moderator in a private setting first (whereas normal user interactions are in public comments, Meta, or chat). What we have to keep in mind as well is that even moderator actions can be undone (as long as the post is not locked) by the community, so if I could not come to terms with the other moderator, the community can decide on its own the best course of action (with some light handed guidance if needed).
- If you got the hypothetical power to change anything about this site without any repercussions, what would you change and why?
As easy as it is to say “nothing”, that is what I am going to go with. The community changes itself as users come and go, and right now I feel the community is in good shape. Just because we have the (hypothetical) power to do something doesn’t we need to; change for the sake of change is often no change at all.
- How are you going to cope with the additional workload of being a moderator in comparison to your activity as a normal user asking and answering questions? To which degree do you feel your new moderator duties might decrease your rather content-wise contributions to the site? How will you balance that if necessary?
Being a lower-rep user obviously means I am not as active as many (full disclosure, if you look at my answers you will notice what particular show I am into), but to put a positive spin on this… My site workload will not be affected by my moderator duties!
- What area do you feel the site could use the most improvement in and do you have any possible ideas for trying to tackle that issue?
More questions! Every site needs more questions! The best way to do is to attract and retain new users, which is accomplished by providing high-quality answers. It is not a simple fix, and I see myself contributing more in the future to make this a reality.
- Somewhat recently there was a policy change in which Identification Requests were made off-topic, however a group of users were not happy with the decision citing concerns of not having a say in the matter. As a Moderator you will be seen as a part of the team implementing and enforcing new policies such as updating help pages and/or close reasons, mod closing and/or deleting questions and answers. To ensure that the community is on board with proposed policy changes, what would you do to get more people to "have their say" in such discussions? Do you believe that this was missing in the Identification Request policy change debate?
I do not feel there was a lack of users having their say. I myself had a say in the discussion. There were numerous discussions over months if not years about this issue. It seemed to me that the majority of the outcry came after decision was already made, and major changes are always going to upset a certain number of users.
Policy changes need to be featured on Meta for a sufficient amount of time which can be determined by the number of responses and voting trends. The issue needs to be clear on why the change is being proposed, when it will take effect, and what is constituting a “majority” opinion. Engage, engage, engage… make sure to provide comments, have an open chat room (possibly dedicated solely to the proposed change), and try solicit as many response from the community as possible.
- In what way do you feel that being a moderator will make you more effective as opposed to simply reaching 10k or 20k rep?
Since I do not even 10k rep on this site being a moderator would greatly expand my privileges. But the difference between a 20k user and a “diamond” is really not that much. The only visible difference is to make instant actions (close, delete, etc.) and lock posts. These actions are typically rarely needed so moderators act as that “human exception handler”. Behind the scenes I feel moderators act more as custodians rather enforcers, making sure flags are addressed as needed, providing input where it is warranted, and generally keeping the site a tidy pleasant place to interact.
My final thought is that if you have to “swing the hammer” the system has broken down to where that is the only option left. My goal would to limit that to a next to zero event and basically blend in as normal user.
TLDR; When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
