Forum - View topicWelcome, new Mods (announcement on page 9).
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16939 |
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I think Alan might pull a SA and disappear if we nominated him lol. But thank you for your support. And thank you also Blood, Owly, Alan, and others. I also think nbahn and errinundra would make fine mods and I would be honored to join their company should I/we pass the test. |
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 9855 Location: Virginia |
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No need to disappear, I'd just quote Sherman from the time some people recommended he run for political office (the presidency I think). "If nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve".
I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think I would qualify. A moderator, as is shown by Tony K.'s avatar, needs to be able to take names and kick ass. Politely, in an even handed manner, but firmly. I'm not real good at the kicking part. I was not a good supervisor when I worked, popular, but not good. Also, judging from the comments some people have made, I have a greater than normal tolerance for the chaos that is the Talkback forum. I find it more amusing than horrifying. |
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Sentire
 Posts: 981 |
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Well, I would have to add my vote for Psycho, who fits all the criteria. I know in the position of being a moderator he would be impartial, since I have seen it in action in other areas of his life (i.e. being a manager). I think that for Tony and Tempest to strongly consider him shows a lot. When you are just a poster, there aren't restrictions - you are allowed to show bias. But in a moderator position, you can't - you just enforce the rules - and I'm confident that Psycho can do that, and I'm guessing Tony thinks so as well, since he nominated him.
I think the site can use at least two, maybe three additional moderators, so my other vote would be for errinundra. Like Pyscho, he's visible, well written, and knows the rules. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6532 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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Thanks, Sentire.
As a willing nominee I've avoided giving opinions on the other nominees. Having said that I hope more women are nominated. The new female reviewers have transformed this site for the better, making it more repesentative, with a wider range of opinions, and more welcoming. Hence it's good to see Dessa nominated. To that end I nominate willag. She's articulate, sharp as a tack, and has a unique and valuable way of presenting ideas. Her approach to issues and her sense of humour would hold her in good stead as a mod. While she has largely restricted her posts to to the community forum in recent times she has demonstrated her leadership skills there by organising several activities. |
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5120 |
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In the interests of gender equity I, too, will endorse both Dessa and willag.
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Mr. Oshawott
 Posts: 6773 |
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Oh, yes, I'm endorsing Dessa and willag as well. This website really needs more females.
Last edited by Mr. Oshawott on Fri Dec 26, 2014 8:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
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Just as a note, I don't want to be voted on just to fulfill a quota or role (i.e. needs more girls). I only want to be considered if people feel I would actually be able to do the job well.
I really do appreciate the nomination, errinundra, and your arguments for me. Honestly, I considered nominating myself, but I didn't have the guts to, and I really do feel that you, nbahn, and Psycho would be better nominees for different reasons. You and nbahn are already very much involved in the regular forums, what with your articulate, thorough reviews of shows you watched (that I enjoy reading) and nbahn's very pleasant and welcoming attitude going out of his way to greet people and show them the rules. Psycho is clearly passionate about the forums and I think he would do well getting crap done. However, I still gratefully and humbly accept the nomination. This forum is probably the first forum I've really integrated into - it's definitely the first one I've ever paid to join and support and I also now leave some ads present to click on every once in a while (having been made more aware of how my actions can hurt those I'd rather help support). I really like the people here and I really like hanging out. Even though I don't post as often in the Anime, Manga, Retail, and Talkback sections, I'm always there reading things (more than I probably should). I enjoy observing people, and online that translates to reading the posts people make. I like knowing and understanding people's thoughts. So if the question is whether or not I'll actually be a presence on ANN to do my moderating duties, the answer is yes. I'm on every day even if I don't always post. I have some prior moderating experience at another forum, responding to complaints (there ended up not being many) and creating posts on different series to discuss. But I had to drop that after half a year, because I felt the forum would be better served to have someone who wasn't going through their senior year in college and stressing out over that and finding a job. I still have one more year of graduate school left, which will create some low and high points as it always does, but since I already have a stable job and I'm only taking one course each semester it won't be like before. But I still want to put that out there as a consideration. If I do become a mod, I'll do my best to post more often in forums outside of the Community. Making the type of posts I want to post requires quite a bit of forethought, consideration, and organization and oftentimes I just don't want to put in the work or effort, and other times I feel like the opportunity is lost because I don't want to revive a thread that's already a week+ past in the Talkback section. In the Community section I feel like I can relax more and be more informal. Post funny crap, whine about things, or whatnot. ANN is a place where I can unwind. I do recognize I won't be able to unwind as much if I become a mod... but, I don't know, kinda like Psycho I want to give back to the community. Also, I would like to be more involved in the community. Even if it's just cleaning up posts, organizing, and doing background work, which is where I feel my strengths more reside. Overall, I feel that errinundra, nbahn, and Psycho are stronger candidates because of how active they already are and how much they participate in the forums regularly. However, if I am selected as a mod, I will take the position seriously. ---- EDIT: And, well, I've avoided the issue, but I might as well broach the subject. I like Dessa. I enjoy reading her opinions and hanging out with her in the Community forums. She does also post often in different anime threads and is an active member. So I want to throw a vote her way, but I am hesitant for a few reasons. I have noticed that she occasionally lets her emotions get the better of her and has made a few inflammatory posts with personal attacks (which violates forum rules). Additionally, there's been an ongoing feud in the community forums between her and another member that was personal and a grudge is still clearly present on both sides. I guess I just want some reassurance that personal feelings wouldn't get in the way of her doing the job she needs to do. Last edited by Crisha on Fri Dec 26, 2014 12:27 am; edited 3 times in total |
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Dessa
 Posts: 4438 |
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Sorry it's taken me a while to get to this, I'm distracted with taking care of my mother, who has the flu.
I do accept the nomination, and I'll speak on my capabilities. I am a member of the community for over 10 years now (holy crap, I didn't realize it's been that long!). I primarily post in the Talkback, Encyclopedia, Anime, Manga, and Community forums. I also do have experience with moderating (and admin) in the past, also on an anime-related board (which, sadly, no longer exists). In general, I try to post calmly and respectfully. As I am only human, this does not always happen, and as everyone else is also human, things can come across wrong. In my knowledge, I have only had to have one post edited by a moderator, and, in retrospect, I had no business being in that thread in the state of mind I was in at the time. As Tony especially can attest to (since he sees most of them), I am very active in reporting posts. Not all of them are removed or otherwise dealt with, but I am diligent in reporting those that the mods may overlook, or simply that are clearly problematic. I also know that I am not well-loved by everyone I interact with in these forums (many, especially those in the community forum, know full well that there are those I have problems with). When at all possible, I do not interact with those I have problems with. Through my previous experience, I know that it is not always possible to avoid people you are uncomfortable with, and sometimes you will be personally involved in threads that need moderating. However, that is the point of having a team, so that no one moderator is left in a position where they may have personal stake or bias affecting their ability to do their job. I feel, as well, that I should explain the approach I take to moderating. Whether the post is discovered on my own, or is something that is reported, the first question that needs to be asked is "does this post need to be taken care of immediately?" Posts that need to be taken care of immediately would include (but not be limited to) posts that include or promote illegal activity, or clear and blatant harassment of another user. These posts should (ideally) be taken care of as soon as possible, by the first moderator available (unless, of course, said moderator has a conflict of interest). For posts that don't need to be taken care of immediately, you break it down into two further categories: should they be taken care of immediately (such as spam posts), and ones that should be discussed (such as arguments not including harassment). For the former, it's a simple matter of removing the posts. For the latter, the ideal action is for the discussion to be moved into the staff forum, so that a consensus on the action can be made before actions are made. I have noticed that, while accurate or not, there seems to be a perception that each moderator interprets the rules in their own manner, and moderates based on that, rather than it being a team. That's something I want to avoid and change, and discussion before moderating posts that are not cut-and-dry helps that. Regardless of the action that is taken, solid documentation needs to be kept as well. That way, if there's objection to what action was taken, documentation of what was done, and (if the post was edited) what was originally posted is available to counter any objections. Finally, I am on the boards quite a bit, even when I'm not posting. In general, I check the site and forums before I go to work, right when I get home, and then sporadically throughout the afternoon/evening until I go to bed. I also know better than to try to moderate on a tight time frame (such as before work), or when I'm under a lot of stress (either from work, or from anything else). If you're under a time crunch, or being affected negatively by outside stimuli, it's the same as moderating while emotionally or intellectually involved in something: you can't and won't do your best, and it may not even be appropriate for you to get involved in an official capacity. On the subject of gender, I believe most, if not all, of the current mods are male? This should not be taken as any sort of sexism, but I feel that having a mix of genders (and of cultural backgrounds, for that matter) is good to have in a moderator team, as people will look at things from different perspectives, and it helps keep the moderation balanced. On a side note, whether I get accepted as a moderator or not, I do believe that the perception that each moderator works alone does need to be changed. Through discussion and perhaps a solid moderator guidelines document, I feel that all of the moderators need to be on the same page, and, while not needing to be in the same manner as each other, at least have the same consequences for actions as each other (i.e. what gets removed, what gets edited, etc). If anyone has questions for me, feel free to ask me here, or via PM. |
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Crisha
Moderator
Posts: 4290 |
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Ah, I see that my request was answered as I was editing my previous post. And you have mentioned and addressed the areas where I have concerns, Dessa. You've also elaborated on what you could bring to the table well.
In that case, I will provide a vote of support for Dessa. Also, in regards to moderating alone vs. in a team, in the forum where I was previously a mod, we would get together on Skype once a month to discuss strategy and problems / improvements that could be made on the forums. Additionally, it was a chance to get to know each other better. There was also a moderator-only section of the forum where these things could get discussed on a regular basis or where people asked for opinions on posts or problem members. It was very much a team environment. Everyone had certain sections they had personal responsibility over, but we all worked together. Perhaps we might be able to incorporate some of that into moderating at ANN. Having not been a mod here, I don't know how the background work is accomplished or how often each mod discusses things with each other. EDIT: I also want to apologize to getchman and Spastic Minnow, who have nominated themselves and offered to help. The only reasons I haven't thrown additional votes your way is because I don't feel like I know you guys as well as the others, not because I don't think you wouldn't do well at the job. The same goes for jl07045. |
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nobahn
Subscriber Posts: 5120 |
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mdo7
 Posts: 6268 Location: Katy, Texas, USA |
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Ah Dessa, I was waiting for your response and I really like your post BTW.
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Crisha
Moderator
Posts: 4290 |
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Dessa has since made a post that has addressed my concerns (and since she posted before I even made my edit to the post, she acknowledged it without even reading my concerns prior to posting). I will admit, I'm not as familiar with grudges or inflammatory posts Psycho101 has made in the past, therefore I couldn't make a comment on it.
I do feel, however, that for a mod it is important that they're able to put aside grudges in order to be able to do their work. No one is perfect, so there will always be mistakes in regards to inflammatory comments or getting more emotionally involved than one should be. However, I think it's important for a mod to be able to acknowledge their mistakes and to know when to back off when they need to. --- Also, while I do feel like it would be a good thing to get more female mod representation (which was also a personal concern I had seeing that almost all previous nominations were for guys), and while I feel I could do a good job, I don't want to be voted for if that's the reason people are going to vote for me. "More females! +1 for willag." Errinundra's nomination is more of what I'm hoping for, being recognized for the qualities I could bring to moderating. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Just want to make things clear. I've already said I supported Spastic Minnow, errinundra and nbahn, and I also support getchman, Dessa and willag to be mods as well.
(Like willag, I'm not against jl07045 being a mod, I just don't know him well enough. If he's made a mod I'd have no problem with that.) ---------- I don't think ANN should choose some women to be mods simply to have a better gender balance. Conversely, I don't care what the gender balance is as long as the best people for the job are picked. So basically, I don't look at gender at all. Heck, I don't even know the gender of most of ANN's regular users so it couldn't possibly bother me. For a long time I thought Dessa was a man and errinundra was a woman. When I found out differently it didn't change my opinion of them. Anyway, I've got no problem with either Dessa or willag and I think that on their own merits they easily meet the standard. Dessa is honest, passionate and considerate (at least I've found her to be), while willag is witty, articulate and can laugh at herself (a great skill to defuse a situation). Neither needs a handout, they're both good enough in their own right to be a moderator. ---------- I admit I don't know getchman very well outside the guessing games and various series discussion threads but I think he'll do okay. I've never seen him get into a pissing match with someone and that means he either has a level head on his shoulders to know when to stop, or he avoids unnecessary conflict before it even begins. Either way, that's a good skill to have. And I think he is definitely articulate enough to be a mod. Everyone makes the odd one-liner, that's not something I'd hold against him.
I get the point you're trying to make, but please don't drag my name any further into this. My comments on Psycho 101 are just that; my personal thoughts and opinion on that one specific user. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar Posts: 16939 |
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The difference between Willag's criticism and DTM's is the relationship between them and the user they are criticizing. In willag's case she is not the user Dessa has had issues with as of late that willag is referring to. She is a 3rd party and not part of the issue she commented on. Ourtside of the equation so to speak. In DTM's case his issue is in fact personal and he is part of the equation. He's not simply a miscellaneous 3rd party like willag. His criticism is from a personal stand point as opposed to being a simple concerned 3rd party. That is a difference. At least I see it as one. Plus our situation is different anyways and long standing. I'm not going to comment further on it. He doesn't like me, I don't like him, the world is round, the sun will rise tomorrow, we can move on. I understand your concern but comparing willag's issue/situation to DTM/myself is comparing apples to oranges. As for your question though I'll flat out answer it for you, and any staff members who are curious. So there's no need to beat around the bush. If I were a mod and there was a report against DTM I would handle it no differently than any other user here. Whether I like them or loath them it would make no difference. In his case I would more than likely run any actions I would implement past Tony first just to cover my bases anyways. Or just let him do it himself altogether. Hell I once fired my best friend from a job I was a manager at because he was unreliable and late/called out too often, So if I can do that I think it's safe to say I can be impartial on ANN's forums if in a moderator position. And let's say for argument's sake I did act with personal malice, Let's say I fall off the wagon so to speak and go after a user, any user, from a personal motivation of disdain. I severely doubt I'd continue to be a moderator for very long after that. I have zero doubt Tony would not allow it from me or anyone else. As admin neither would Zac or Tempest for that matter I would wager. I would bet all the tea in China if a moderator did that than regardless of who they are they would not be one for much longer. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23824 |
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I do like the idea of more gender balance when it comes to mods. And I don't write that out of some vague namby-pamby sense of social justice - I believe organizations are strengthened by diversity and wide representation.
In the specific case of willag and Dessa, I think either or both would make great mods. |
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