@StuartPegg Hi Stuart, we asked for three additional moderators. The existing moderators will stay on (unless something went wrong :-o ). I won't speak for the other mods but I would like to step down at some point, probably when the new mods have settled in. I have been doing it for two years now and I think it's time for somebody else to come in, I hope with fresh ideas.

@DrFeelgood Just to be clear; it is not the job of the moderator to judge the accuracy of the answers - that is for the community and it is why voting is so important. I agree that if you know nothing about SharePoint it would be difficult to decide if an answer was an answer (as opposed to a comment, spam etc.), but I don't think it is essential to be an expert.

Hi guys, only me. One thing I have to say for all moderators and reviewers is that I understand people are trying to "Win" this election, but I have seen the quality of reviewing drop considerably since the start of the election. I would be sad myself and stop using SharePoint StackExchange if new users aren't being guided well enough into correcting their own posting errors. Guidance over correction.

@SPDoctor Ok, thanks.

@HughWood I haven't seen any myself, but it's unsurprising. Meta suddenly got lively last time round too.

My personal view on choosing a moderator: have they invested time contributing to the site? Have they helped build the community or have they behaved badly in some way? (unfortunately it does happen)

@SPDoctor @ StuartPegg I wish that you could review reviews so you could see the quality of peoples work :) At the moment you just have to notice people. At the moment there are only 2 who have a high quality of moderation history. While others who are active are mediocre from what I have seen of their guidance. I feel this s will be my guiding factor in the winners.

@SPDoctor On that front, part of the election Q&A that caught my eye was: "A diamond will be attached to everything you say and have said in the past..."

@HughWood Ha! Who reviews the reviewers? ;)

@SPDoctor I agree @SPDoctor some candidates may have motivation for making the SP.SE a better community, but their motives are somewhat tainted at times.

@StuartPegg I really like the gardener vs growing the fruit analogy. There are a few people I would recommend/nominate for moderator, although it isn't possible; one would be @StuartPegg

@Mike Yeah, c'mon @StuartPegg - get your name down :-)

@Mike @SPDoctor Ha! Thanks guys, that's really appreciated. Unfortunately I don't spend a lot of time on the site at the moment, and that will become less as I go to my new (non-SharePoint) job in December.

I haven't really been very active since my daughter arrived a year and a half ago, to be honest.

One indicator of moderator material for me is the number of helpful flags raised: It shows a good understanding of what belongs on the site, and large numbers can only be achieved by long-term contribution.

With that in mind, there's a few nominees that're clearly sniffing around my Marshal badge. ;)

@StuartPegg I agree. Flags and revisions are two really clear indicators to me.

Also

How well can you work with others?

@StuartPegg LOL. So we're discussing the marshal badge again, Stuart. And you're still the only one with that precious badge.

@StuartPegg Kids tend to draw a lot of attention, especially in younger ages. Fortunately, my daugthers are old enough to leave daddy alone with his computer. And the son moved out to campus studying to be a nurse, so the 4G network here have room for browsing the web without interfeering with online gaming. :)

@KitMenke Hi there! I read you'll stay on as mod, and that this election is about adding three more moderators. If it's true there will be faster response time (for users) and a knowledge transfer from experienced mods to new mods. That's Great News!

@BennySkogberg Yep that's the plan!

I think the site has grown quite a bit and it will help to have a couple more mods to handle the volume.

A really helpful Election tool I just found out about: elections.stackexchange.com/#sharepoint.stackexchange

@KitMenke Nice! The site has grown a lot, and it's good news for several reasons. The most important one higher rank on Google, which I've noticed have increased the last year. Second, SharePoint users may turn here before they use Google!

Super tool! Looks like hunting badges down finally pays off :)

Haha yes... elections are one instance where having the badges can really support your cause.

@RJCuthbertson Yes, chat is hard to get started here for some reason...

Seems like it could be a really helpful thing while you're coding

That might be a good question to add to the list to ask nominees...

I feel the same way, but it feels odd to add a question to ask nominees, when I've nominated myself :-S

Chat is an important tool, and it would help to lower the ribbon for new users. However, there is a risk of spam if new users (bots) start posting chat messages at random.

Another question, close at heart, is getting new users to stay on the site. We have a lot of "one time" users and I think we need to focus on attracting new users to return to the site. It would (probably) grow the community further...

@BennySkogberg You should post it... it is a good question. You might have to be prepared to answer it along with the other nominees though. :)

@KitMenke So there is a possibility to lower the ribbon to 1 rep?

@KitMenke That's what I'm afraid of :o)

@BennySkogberg Possible? Probably. Likely? No. It only requires 20 rep to chat. That's like answering one question and getting some upvotes.

But OK, I'll post it in a second

@KitMenke True. But upvotes are hard to come by here (compared to UX.SE).

Well upvotes are another problem... :)

@KitMenke Posted Q meta.sharepoint.stackexchange.com/a/913/6382

@BennySkogberg Cool, we have a pretty good list going

@KitMenke Yep! Seven answers as of now. We need a couple more to have "8 top questions"

I wonder how long time it will take before someone gets awarded the Silver Badge Outspoken

Probably once we get chat going.

Yep. I havn't chatted this much in my 1 year 9 months I've been a member of this site. I registered here 2 days after I signed a contract to become a SharePoint consultant :)

How do you like being a consultant?

I live in the corporate world right now but have been approached a couple times for consultant jobs.

@KitMenke I love it! Both for the possibility to gain knowledge in Microsoft Technologies and to help organisations get the most out of their SharePoint Server. Every project I've participated in have had an angle of politics in it. Answering questions like "How will we change the way we work collaboratevly" and "Who should do this task" is always a mind blower. Customers are not really prepared for the impact Sharepoint can have on an organisation...

I've been in corporate before, which helps me understand their everyday tasks. And if you havn't tried consulting - you should. Unless you have a great position at the moment, which you don't want to leave.

@BennySkogberg Yea, my problem is that we are migrating away from SharePoint. :)

@KitMenke Uh oh. We'll there is your one-liner to your boss: "Sorry - I just love SharePoint" :)

@BennySkogberg Haha that's not really an option...

@KitMenke It never is. But it feels good just thinking the line and smile the next time something unexpected happens!

Well, time to pick up my wife at the pub. Nice chatting with you @KitMenke

@BennySkogberg You too! Talk to you later

@BennySkogberg I'm going to draw attention to it as much as possible until I eventually have to share it. :D

great keep this SharePoint community growing :)