With only 3 candidates at this point, a lot is going to come down to ordering on ballots. Though I guess it's possible some folks won't select 3 candidates

@Emrakul It's because a loss won't truly reflect on them that I won't feel bad. All three are excellent site members, and will be excellent site members even if they don't make it through.

There is a bit of psychological weirdness in the fact that only one of the three won't be chosen, but we hope people who throw their hat in the ring are prepared to deal with getting their hat handed back.

@BESW Picked last for dodgeball charlie brown music plays

@Emrakul That's just warmup for the guantlet of being a moderator. :) To be honest, I will feel fine about not being elected: on the one hand, I think I could do good work if elected, but on the other, not being elected would save me a lot of work and the flak mods draw. I only really want to take that on if people really want me to, so my losing will be "right" for everyone involved if that's how it goes, and if I'm elected that will be "right" in the same way.

I hate to do this, but I think this question is important, and there's only an hour left

this question is super-important and I would argue that some of our biggest existing moderation issues stem from the answer to it

@Emrakul no, there isn't... which is why it's all the more important to hear what prospective mods have to say

@Emrakul It could use answering, though. There's a deep issue in the RPG Stack community where a good chunk of the user base feels that the only active mod refuses to represent them

And a mod has to be able to represent all of the community

because I feel like the way in which they approach the answer to that question is going to affect a big part of how they operate as a moderator

and that's information that voters should have

Even the parts they don't like or agree with

@Lord_Gareth this is why I haven't nominated myself; I think there are more than a few who would not feel that I represent them well

@KRyan Indeed.

I'd like to think they'd be wrong that I wouldn't represent them well, but even I'm not 100% certain I wouldn't screw that up, and even if I didn't or could guarantee I wouldn't, them being worried that I wouldn't is reason enough for me to not be a moderator

@Emrakul The diamond is a powerful and altering thing. Sometimes there isn't a good out for a rough situation.

Though with the three candidates we've got, one of my personal worries has been alleviated.

Since all three candidates understand that once you're a mod, you're not a user. The things you say get read differently. They carry weight. The standards of the site are yours to represent and uphold.

@KRyan I upvoted but I think its entirely a case by case basis for those things

and referring to previous meta posts as a sort of legal precedent system

@JoshuaAslanSmith it's more about approach, not some weird impossible campaign promise to always fall one way or the other or whatever

@KRyan No New Taxes - Joshua Aslan Smith for Mod

[Nod-nods]

@Lord_Gareth @KRyan thats what I was going to say, not that a mod should represent all, but rather a mod should represent none. In my mind it should be more of a judicial branch type role for those sort of things.

But the source of my worry is our one mod left still insists on saying that he's allowed to be a user and not a moderator.

Which is wrong. And insulting. But mostly wrong.

But knowing our three candidates, even the guy I don't particularly like (sorry Seven) is better than that. Which is a great relief.

@JoshuaAslanSmith I feel like that's almost impossible to ask of someone who is also going to try to be an involved member of the site

the judiciary only works because they are separated from the prosecution or defense, not involved in their stuff

but mods here also ask and answer questions

get involved with the working of the site, and so on

to remain utterly impartial while doing that doesn't seem possible

@KRyan there are plenty of questions that are non-controversial and yes I feel like if I am elected as a mod I'll need to have some denial of self when it comes to some things

@JoshuaAslanSmith fair, I guess that to me isn't the same as being "representative of none"

(also, the definition of moderating in the election page does include being representative)

what I mean is if Im a mod its not suddenly 4e raw is king and I am its foot soldier

Aaah, where's @BESW when we need him. This'd be a great discussion to hear his voice on.

@Emrakul oh, I definitely did not mean "representative" in terms of which games they play

or even playstyles, or anything like that

just being someone that the community respects and feels supports the community and its upstanding members

Ill continue to answer questions but specifically for open-ended questions where the RAI vs RAW vs DM-fiat stuff crops up (for example) I would keep out as much as possible)

@Emrakul I suspect that may be due to not being familiar with some of the problems we're being too polite to mention

it'd be off-topic here, and honestly I don't think anyone wants to go through all of it again anyway

yes, we are avoiding names and specific questions et. al. because itd detract way too much.

@Emrakul Aye. There's, kinda...there's oceans of bad blood, essentially, which need resolving at another time. Preferably a time well after elections

When we've had the chance to de-stress

@kryan I see mod as executive and judicial in its different duties and that. If elected I should take point on community growth and outreach efforts (think of the 5e release stuff) but when it comes to community issues in terms of policy, I should not solely craft that policy, but rather let the community do it (legislative) and the review it in a judicial sense to make sure it meets wider SE guidelines and our own, previous guidelines.

@Lord_Gareth BESW is probably sleeping or soon to wake (not sure how early he gets up)

5am guam time

@JoshuaAslanSmith sure, but the question I proposed was specifically what happens when there's been a meta debate, with two different perspectives suggested, and they end up with even or near-even votes

which is a rough situation that, arguably, a moderator shouldn't really have to be in

but realistically, it happens

Id probably be fairly conservative, I think the community works pretty well for a very large percent of the time so it'd probably by default side with existing policy vs changing it (say a meta debate to overhaul a policy) or in the case you suggested implement neither side's argument.

@Emrakul Oh, I know. You can ask @KRyan about the thirteen shades of hell I've been through since I started writing & somehow became the semi-official PR guy for DSP. I know.

But if you can't hack it, if you're going to say "I can't be nice because this is too stressful"

It's time to bounce out and let some new innocent wade into the trench.

Heya Grace

lurkin

good question

time for a last minute nom lol

I didn't vote for any of you. You're all unfit to clean my cat's litter box. Electing any of you would be the death of the site.

Ok, so I voted for all of you. :p

haha

@JohnP I appreciate your vote for the office of Litter Cleaner. :)

hmm voting is live but we havent gotten to ze questions

Yeah, I was wondering about that.

@GraceNote Should we expect the question of questions for us candidates/nominees to answer in the near future?

I guess anyone who's waiting on answers to the questions is willing to hold off though. And votes can always be changed, apparently. (Just cast my votes. Surprisingly hard to decide how!)

@SevenSidedDie lol yes

@JoshuaAslanSmith It'll be up in a bit.

@GraceNote danke schon

Technically you literally delayed me from it by pinging me right while I was posting it. ♪

With three candidates, isn't the voting just a formality?

The election phases starting on my gaming night is somewhat inconvenient timing.

Aren't there just two positions?

@JohnP There's only 2 slots

@SevenSidedDie Everyone will understand that Gaming Night Has Priority.

@GraceNote I thought that might be the case lol

sorry, thank you as always for running things

@Anaphory Right then, my Answer will be Late. ;)

Ah, I thought there were three. My mistake.

Are we going to test which candidates are a witch?

@MadMAxJr aren't they all?

And I think I might be more inclined to vote for a witch than against.

I forget how the process goes. Do they have to defeat the dragon on the banner to take their moderator diamond from the treasure pile?

@MadMAxJr Neither. They have to beat BBS in RPG Jeopardy.

"And the answer is.. Save vs. Poison, death or 50 damage... Contestants?"

Arrow of Biting?

Oh, no I'm sorry.. Anyone else?

beep beep And the question was... Type E Poison. Second Edition. We'll be back with Final Jeopardy after a word from our sponsor.

@MadMAxJr That's not a question.

The correct form would be 'What is Type E Poison?"

It looks like I can vote, and I got a message asking me to vote, but I can't vote. Are we waiting on the answers to the moderator questions?

never mind, I'm dumb

herro

@DCShannon nothing of the sort, I myself have had similar questions throughout the whole process as I've never participated in an election before

questions were just collected and posted

Okay, so mine will be less late than I predicted, at the expense of the laundry.

And now I have a laundry pile staring at me accusingly, that I will go vanquish.

@SevenSidedDie Moderate the hell out of that laundry!

@Miniman I keep trying to delete the biggest pile and it's still there halp

@SevenSidedDie You should stick a flag in it I guess?

@Miniman No, that's for claiming it as your own.

@shaggy Hi!

@BESW OH... hello!

i thought i was keeping a low profile.... haha

The Stack chat interface makes that hard; new users fly in.

i suppose your right about that. i was just stopping by, checking out new rooms. seeing what this was all about. i saw the die icon so i figured it was d20 style/paper and pen. its been awhile for me!

@shaggy Yup, that's exactly what this Stack is about.