@JackBNimble Nope. But then I've been more active than you in the recent past (last few months), so maybe more people know about me already and don't need to browse to my profile.
I am running for moderator in the EL&U election.
I can vote for myself in the final stage of the election. I couldn't vote for myself in the primaries. Is this a feature or a bug?
Just in case anybody else has concerns, here's a copy of an email I sent to Stack Exchange. Given how popular rand al'thor is, and how he's been careful to segment his behavior, I didn't see a point in campaigning against him, but I won't hide my concerns either. Think of it what you will.
Hello,
There is a realistic chance that rand al'thor will be elected moderator of Science Fiction & Fantasy, a position of responsibility for which he is clearly not fit.
On Puzzling, I had the misfortune of witnessing rand al'thor's behavior. Not only was he part of a clique who bullied the people who disagreed with them off the site, but he was a specialist of using underhanded tactics and being two-faced — looking good in one venue while pouring out hate in another. That second aspect is what concerns me.
@Gilles Tell me about this part, please? "private data to which he will have access, should he be elected a moderator" What sort of private data do moderators have access to?
@Gilles Thank you from me too. Online communities are rife with the sort of things you described, and I appreciate that you took the time, and subject yourself to the potential fallout, of trying to see that the right thing is done, and keep us informed.
@EllieKesselman Your profile, essentially. If you can see it in your profile, so can we, for the most part. I think there are a couple of fields we can't, but generally we can.
Of course, our use of this information is bound by the Moderator Agreement, however... even if it were enforced by court orders, if someone decided to flout it, you can't really unpublish it.
@ArtOfCode In the user history, we can see “add openid” events, with the openid that was added. AFAIK those entries aren't scrubbed if the openid is removed.
Y'all have been great. Thank you so much for answering my questions, @jimsug @ArtOfCode and @Gilles Agreed, Jim, the Moderator Agreement is a checks and balances but once information is released, it can't be undone.
I think Stack Exchange logs all accesses — they log pretty much everything — but that only lets them catch misuse after the fact. It could be too late for the victim.
@Gilles Yeah, any access of private info is logged. That means both viewing info and looking at the edit profile tab. I just tested that one, and it pops a history event: "moderator accesses personal identifying information". (On a sock, I hasten to add.)
I'm not aware of any case where a moderator knowingly revealed private information (but maybe it's happened and Stack Exchange quietly revoked the moderator).
(“knowingly”, because I think it's happened that someone posted a screenshot of a user profile and they hadn't noticed that PII was included; since then PII is hidden behind an extra click)
@Gilles I'm truly sorry that you feel this way. I'm not going to argue the details of what I did or didn't do on Puzzling, because I did say some indefensible things there, but I have greatly changed over the last year or two, due to a variety of factors: changes in my personal life, less time spent in bad company, more experience with SE, a greater appreciation of the kind of crap mods have to go through, ...
on a more lighthearted note, I like the "legally useless" summaries of the privacy policy
> Your web browser tells us stuff like your approximate location and how you use the site. It also bakes us yummy cookies. > We try to use this non-personal info to help make better Q&A sites, and to destroy spam. We eat the cookies.
Most importantly, I would never misuse anyone's private information. Not only would that be in violation of the moderator agreement, it would also be morally wrong. I respect other people's privacy (as a deeply secretive person myself); although sometimes I can be curious, bordering on nosy, I never spill other people's secrets. Some of the Mos Eisley crowd, who've trusted me with some non-public information, would be able to confirm this.
As for any personal animosity you feel may exist between us, @Gilles (though I promise I bear you no deep ill-will), this probably isn't the right place to discuss it. Feel free to email me at [see this message's revision history for email address] though.
@ThaddeusHowze Thanks for your careful response. Your attitude is admirable, and I've recently made a similar decision regarding my participation in the site. Summing up, could we say that BOTH your promotion to mod status AND your decision to stop answering so much were triggered by the same motivation, rather than one being a consequence of the other?
@ThaddeusHowze Speaking of which, have you seen any particularly award-worthy answers from new players lately? I'm giving more bounties these days; going to give one to Wad for his spaceship answer, but it's also nice to encourage new people ...
Relax. Be at peace. Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy both the process and your answers. Once you get the hang of it, you will enjoy it more. Work to your strengths.
Find your fandom or your technique which makes answering questions fun for you.
I am running for moderator in the EL&U election.
I can vote for myself in the final stage of the election. I couldn't vote for myself in the primaries. Is this a feature or a bug?
2016 Science Fiction & Fantasy Modera…
2016 Science Fiction & Fantasy Modera…