2018 Moderator Election Q&A - Questionnaire

Question

In connection with the moderator elections, we are holding a Q&A thread for the candidates. Questions collected from an earlier thread have been compiled into this one, which shall now serve as the space for the candidates to provide their answers.

Due to the submission count, we have selected all of our provided questions for a total of 5 questions.

As a candidate, your job is simple - post an answer to this question, citing each of the questions and then post your answer to each question given in that same answer. For your convenience, I will include all of the questions in quote format with a break in between each, suitable for you to insert your answers. Just copy the whole thing after the first set of three dashes. Please consider putting your name at the top of your post so that readers will know who you are before they finish reading everything you have written, and also including a link to your answer on your nomination post.

Once all the answers have been compiled, this will serve as a transcript for voters to view the thoughts of their candidates, and will be appropriately linked in the Election page.

Good luck to all of the candidates!

Oh, and when you've completed your answer, please provide a link to it after this blurb here, before that set of three dashes. Please leave the list of links in the order of submission.

To save scrolling here are links to the submissions from each candidate (in order of submission):

kandyman's answers

Chocolate's answers

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1. How would you deal with a user who produced a steady stream of valuable answers, but tends to generate a large number of arguments/flags from comments?

2. How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc a question that you feel shouldn't have been?

3. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

4. A diamond will be attached to everything you say and have said in the past, including questions, answers and comments. Everything you will do will be seen under a different light. How do you feel about that?

5. In what way do you feel that being a moderator will make you more effective as opposed to simply reaching 10k or 20k rep?

6. Do you have a strong enough grasp of both English and Japanese to recognize conflicts that stem from a misunderstanding in translation? What would be your approach in helping to resolve/prevent conflicts of this nature?

Answer 1

こんにちは、Chocolate です。

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1. How would you deal with a user who produced a steady stream of valuable answers, but tends to generate a large number of arguments/flags from comments?

まずはご本人に改善を促すことから始めるしかないと思いますが、数回の注意・警告の後、依然として改善がみられない場合は、他のモデレーターさんたちと相談して、しかるべき対処（サスペンドするなど）をとることになると思います。
(I think I'd need to start by talking to them and encouraging them to correct their behavior, but if there were no signs of improvement after several warnings, I think I would have no choice but to take a severe measure (such as suspending them) after consulting with the other moderators.)

2. How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc a question that you feel shouldn't have been?

今までにも、私一人の判断で閉じてしまったスレッドで、他のユーザーさんから「これは閉じなくていいと思います」といったコメントを頂いて、reopenしたことがありましたので、こういうことは今後もお互いに起こりえると思います。その都度、コメント欄やチャットルームで意見を出して、他のモデレーターさんたちや、ときには他のユーザーさんたちの意見も聞いて、話し合って決めていければと考えています。
(In the past, there were occasions where I closed a question and another user told me I shouldn't have, and I reopened the question. I think this kind of thing could happen to anyone, so when it did, I think the best way would be to exchange our opinions in the comments section or chat room, and we could solve the problem by consulting with the other moderators and participants.)

3. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

やったことがないのでまだわからないことだらけなのですが、サイト内のスパムや迷惑行為に対処することはもちろん、より多くのユーザーさんたちに気持ちよく参加してもらうこと、それから、このサイトの特質から考えて、サイトの質を少しでも向上できるようにユーザーさんたちに協力してもらうことも大切な役割だと思います。
(I've never worked as a moderator before so there are so many things I don't know. I would of course have to deal with spammers and troublesome behaviors. I hope that I could help more people take part in the site pleasantly. Considering the characteristics of this site, I also think it's moderators' important duties to improve its quality, cooperating with all users.)

4. A diamond will be attached to everything you say and have said in the past, including questions, answers and comments. Everything you will do will be seen under a different light. How do you feel about that?

今までもそうですし、今後も同様に、時には厳しい口調になったり、冗談を言ってふざけたり、人間ですので感情的になることもあるかと思いますが、私個人としては今まで通り、サイトに貢献できるよう努めていくだけだと思います。私に「他の模範となり・・」が達成できるかどうかわかりませんが、以前にも増して自らを律していくつもりです。
(I might occasionally sound a little harsh, might say some jokes, or get somehow emotional. But I am willing to do my best to contribute to the site, just as I have done so until now. I don't know whether I can be a perfect "exemplar to the others", but I am going to restrain myself even more.)

5. In what way do you feel that being a moderator will make you more effective as opposed to simply reaching 10k or 20k rep?

日本語母語話者のモデレーターにしかできないことが、多くはなくても、きっとあると思います。今後もますます日本語話者のユーザーが参加してくれると思いますので、その方たちのサポートもしていければと思っていますし、望むことではありませんが日本語での揉め事などが起こった際に、より迅速に対処できるのではと考えています。
(There would certainly be the things only native moderators can do. I think we will have more Japanese members on this site in the future. I hope that I can support them, too. And in case a dispute arose entirely in Japanese, I think I could deal with it more quickly.)

(@ajsmartさんの質問) Do you have a strong enough grasp of both English and Japanese to recognize conflicts that stem from a misunderstanding in translation? What would be your approach in helping to resolve/prevent conflicts of this nature?

大抵のことなら多分わかると思いますが・・読み間違えることもあるかもしれませんし、英語に関して他のモデレーターさんの助けを借りることもあるかと思います。 そういった揉め事を「予防」するためのこれといった方策はないと思いますが、そういう事が起こったり、また起こりそうな時に、仲介に入っていくのもモデレーターさんの仕事だと思いますし、他のユーザーも何かあればフラグを立てるなどして協力していくことが大事だと思います。
(I think I can understand pretty much everything written in English... but I might misread the intent, or might need to ask for the other moderators' support.
I don't think there's an overall method to prevent conflicts, but it's moderator's duty to mediate when a conflict occurs or is about to occur. I think other users' cooperation would also be essential.)

Sorry for my bad English. I hope I'm making sense. Thank you!

Answer 2

This is kandyman - these are my answers:

1. How would you deal with a user who produced a steady stream of valuable answers, but tends to generate a large number of arguments/flags from comments?

As a moderator, I would first try to carefully evaluate the tone of the arguments/flags. I don’t see arguments over interesting or contentious issues as a problem in itself. It’s important to allow a discussion to follow its natural course. Some of the most interesting issues will generate the most vigorous argument. However, if I felt that the tone of a post or comment was becoming personal, I would consider this an appropriate time to step in. I believe that people generally only flag something which they genuinely believe to be some kind of transgression of the rules. If I agreed, I would contact the user (assuming this is possible) and emphasize that while their contribution to the site is extremely valuable, doing so in a friendly, non-confrontational way is the most appropriate method for the site. If it is a ‘first offence’, I would ask the user to review the rules.

2. How would you handle a situation where another mod closed/deleted/etc a question that you feel shouldn't have been?

I would contact the mod who deleted the question and voice my opinion that I felt the thread may have been appropriate. Hopefully, they give a reasonable answer. However, even if I did disagree, I would lean towards deferring to a more senior moderator’s opinion as they are likely to have more experience with deciding what should be deleted. I would only object strongly if I believed that the moderator was being deliberately unfair or biased to another user.

3. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

The role of the moderator is to keep discussions on track and maintain a level of decorum between the users, in the spirit of the ethos of the community. A key part of this is not getting in the way unless there is an obvious need for it. Allow the discussion to flow back and forth and allow everyone to take part. Ideally, a moderator’s presence is rarely noticed.

4. A diamond will be attached to everything you say and have said in the past, including questions, answers and comments. Everything you will do will be seen under a different light. How do you feel about that?

When answering a question or commenting, I always try to maintain a standard which I can look back on and feel assured that I have tried my best to be clear and concise, and to fully back up my answers with supporting examples, book references, links to websites, etc. Having a diamond attached to my name will not change this process for me going forward, as I already believe it is vitally important to be as thorough and clear as possible when answering. I would, however, review my past posts to make sure they maintain that high standard. If I felt that my past answers were somehow incomplete, I would formulate a revised version which I felt was more appropriate. I also believe that as a ‘representative’ of the community, I would feel an even greater obligation to help other users, particularly if they are new to the site.

5. In what way do you feel that being a moderator will make you more effective as opposed to simply reaching 10k or 20k rep?

My honest answer is that I don’t know if it will make me more effective or not. I currently give each of my answers careful thought and as mentioned above, I always try to offer comprehensive and easily understandable responses. Whether having a diamond or having a 20k mark attached to my name would produce a greater influence is something I do not know how to infer. For me, my desire to be a moderator is less about generating influence about myself and more about being an integral part of this community. This is one of the best Japanese resources on the internet. It’s one of the few places online where it is rare to see unpleasant exchanges breaking out. That kind of mutual respect between users should be preserved and promoted. In addition, the range of knowledge that the users possess is genuinely amazing. This community has tremendous potential and is already a great resource. If I can play a part in maintaining and growing it further, I would be honored to do so.