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Steve Bird
Steve Bird
15:41
Do people think that it's a benefit for a History SE moderator to have a broad interest in history in order to moderate the site effectively? Do professional historians have an advantage in that respect over history buffs (and the casually interested)?
T.E.D.
T.E.D.
Honestly, I could almost make a case for a moderator not needing any knowledge of history, because the stuff we have to deal with typically has very little to do with that.
Most important I'd say is being good with people, and being able to express yourself well.
However, it is quite helpful to be knowledgeable enough about the subjects being discussed to spot a crank, or at least to know how to check into the matter.
For instance, I think of the mods we've had that I'm aware of, the closest we've had to a professional was probably sempaiscuba.
However, the killer skills sempai had that made their moderation the most badass IMHO was not historical knowledge, but rather a background in cyber-defense.
We have a regular Nazi troll, and Sempai has kept them (tempted to use "it" for Nazis) almost completely stymied for the last year.
That being said, @semapiscuba's extensive knowledge in certain areas particularly around archeology has made them an invaluable user, and I dearly hope that continues in the future.
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Mark C. Wallace
Mark C. Wallace
15:58
While I agree with and endorse everything that @T.E.D. just said, I lean a bit more towards formal training in history being useful. (Note: I am a dilettante not a historian).
I think that my moderation would improve if I had a stronger grounding in historiography.
I think formal training helps ("professional" might set the bar too high).
Does that answer the question/help?
T.E.D.
T.E.D.
Sometimes I am a bit wistful that I didn't take any History in college (did take some Anthropology), just so I'd have an idea of what school teaches about Historiography. Pretty sure I've learned more about it just following my whims here than I would have taking classes though.
Steve Bird
Steve Bird
Mark & T.E.D., thanks for the answers. The opening remark mentions that the candidates are "committing a significant amount of their time", have you found that you need to spend more time on the site now that you're moderators than you did as (humble) users?
T.E.D.
T.E.D.
"need to" is a good word there. It isn't necessarily that more time ends up getting spent. Its that I now have a responsibility to be logged and check in. That can take a lot of the fun out of the experience, if you aren't careful.
Semaphore
Semaphore
16:14
@SteveBird Aside from what's been said, definitely useful for helping users figure out how to ask questions. Not inherently a moderator thing though.
Also useful when it comes to dealing with the occasional user who blatantly made things up, but that's a rare problem.
Mark C. Wallace
Mark C. Wallace
I feel obliged to spend more time. Recently I've started reserving some time when I refuse to sign on and moderate, just to keep myself from being obsessive. (mirrors what T.E.D said). And Semaphore's comment is apt! wish I'd said that.

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