Q&A with the candidates in 2011 moderator election

Question

After the example of the Math.SE site I have some questions that I would love to see each nominee respond to in their nomination (if they choose to do so):

• Is there anything you would want to change on the site? And how would you plan on achieving this?

• How do you expect becoming a moderator will change or influence the way you use Super User?

• What's your stance on duplicates and how should they be handled?

• What's your opinion about the overlap between Super User and Apple.SE/Ubuntu.SE? And when should questions be migrated from Super User to any of these other SE-sites?

• Which three nominees do you think are the most suited to become the next moderators and why?

• Should we be afraid you'll burn out or become even more fanatic?

Answer 1

• Is there anything you would want to change on the site? And how would you plan on achieving this?

• From a technical & UI/UX perspective, I do think that Stack Exchange is quite possibly the best thing that has ever happened to Q&A sites.

• From a community POV, though we have a fairly large number of users, the active members who interact with each other ( esp: with my bias on Chat) and I'd love to see a greater number of users interacting with each other and building up the community.

• I agree with @TomWIj's point about the Interesting tab being made available for all -that should increase more questions to be answered based on the user's preferences & history.

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• How do you expect becoming a moderator will change or influence the way you use Super User?

I don't think being a Moderator will influence or change the way I use Super User. This is my general workflow while on Super User

• Check 10k Tools for existing flags/Vote to close questions and act on them if required
• Scan the questions on the first 2 pages
  • check for any offtopic/spam/Migration/moderation required posts and vote to close them / flag them respectively
  • check for any possible duplicate questions ( thanks to @TomWij for his excellent user script which makes finding dupes real easy). Understand the questions & see if are within reasonable limits to which Vote to Close can be applied. If so, close them.
  • Answer/comment on any questions/answers with my thoughts
  • Go through the remaining questions which I don't have an answer to, to see if they can be improved/retagged
• Repeat the above step every 3-4 hours, each time going back an extra page
• End of day
  • Check for 10k Tools - Recently closed questions and Vote to Delete any blatantly off-topic/incomprehensive questions which are atleast 3 days old.
  • Check for /review route and act upon the posts, if needed

I perform all of these whenever I take a break from work, and generally doesn't take long for me to finish them.

If I get sufficient votes and am elected as a ♦ Moderator, the workflow should remain more or less the same, except that I will need to be more careful about Voting to Close/Delete since ♦ Moderators votes are binding. Apart from that things should remain the same, w.r.t.: my involvement.

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• What's your stance on duplicates and how should they be handled?

Duplicate questions will continue to exist in the system due to variety of factors - different style of asking, users missing out on reading related questions, users in a hurry.

I believe that a duplicate question should be voted to close as a duplicate, if it in essence, asks the same question as the original question. It is important to note the question in contention should not be edited ( apart from spelling mistakes / grammatical errors) so that it becomes easier for someone to find it later on.

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• What's your opinion about the overlap between Super User and Apple.SE/Ubuntu.SE? And when should questions be migrated from Super User to any of these other SE-sites?

The overlap will exist - I don't think it's something to be worried about. Apple.SE, Ubuntu.SE exist because these are dedicated to Q&A on the particular topics.

Regd: Migration, I'll repost my answer when @ChrisF asked:

Q: Do we want to have an option to migrate to AskUbuntu

A: This is bit of a yes-and-no situation. The option to migrate would be handy, but this might result in all questions being migrated.

What I suggest is to let the question remain on Super User. If the question seems a bit tricky/convoluted , perhaps leave a comment stating that the OP might get better answers on Ubuntu ?

• Which three nominees do you think are the most suited to become the next moderators and why?

In alphabetical order:

• DMA57361
• nhinkle
• studiohack

Why ? Because they exhibit qualities that ♦ Moderator should possess - consistency, patience, helpfulness & a willingness to listen to others.

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• Should we be afraid you'll burn out or become even more fanatic?

No. I can understand the concerns about going all-guns-blazing if I get elected - that's not going to happen because I've overseen moderator election at another discussion forum (where I'm a moderator), and my first piece of advice to the newly elected moderators was:

Don't go at a full blast - wait for a bit, see how others handle things, get your feet wet and then apply the same.

I've approached the same tactic when I hit the various privilege stage - 500/3k/10k. And if I get elected, I will continue with the same.

Answer 2

Is there anything you would want to change on the site? And how would you plan on achieving this?

The site, its construction, its peripheral functionality, etc are all very well put together, and there isn't much from a technical standpoint that jumps to mind that hasn't already been suggested on MSO.

The focus now needs to be moved on the users, and the community is already starting to fill this area well - with recent the Superuser Blog and the Community FAQ drives. Further effort in this area is the way forward, potentially in more ways that provide "advertisement" of some form and activities that somehow energise the community as a whole.

How do you expect becoming a moderator will change or influence the way you use Super User?

At the moment, as a user, I tend to click open a question if it either look interesting (ie, I want to answer or read the info inside) or look problematic (ie, might need closing or the title is poor implying there may be a need to edit).

As a moderator I shall start going out of my way more often to open questions that don't immediately draw my attention. However, I've already been able to start doing this with thanks to the new \review pages, although at the moment I can only flag and not take action directly.

What's your stance on duplicates and how should they be handled?

Duplication is not always a bad thing.

If a duplicate exists but is difficult to find then it's not truly a duplicate, and merging for the sake of it reduces the quality of user experience as they try and follow a chain of several linked questions - it can look a bit shoddy sometimes. That said, clear and exact duplicates should be closed, too many duplicates have a similar effect as none.

What's your opinion about the overlap between Super User and Apple.SE/Ubuntu.SE? And when should questions be migrated from Super User to any of these other SE-sites?

I've said before that I believe some overlap is perfectly acceptable, desirable even, because the sites attract different audiences and will develop very different community identities - having both (even with some overlap) means Stack Exchange gets a wider audience overall, and that has to be a positive!

I think a migration in overlap cases is only necessary when the asker clearly doesn't align to our local identity and doesn't promptly receive a valid answer, and this is going to be fairly rare.

Which three nominees do you think are the most suited to become the next moderators and why?

This is a hugely difficult (and therefore excellent) question. I'm going to be cheeky and sidestep it (for now) because, frankly, there are so many strong candidates it's hard to make a decision.

I'll update this after having a short break from writing, I think.

Should we be afraid you'll burn out or become even more fanatic?

I don't see either as likely.

I've had a fairly consistent (and medium-high) level of contact with the site for several months now and foresee that continuing, although I have had a slight resurgence of answering since the new year (after having a short break over the holiday period).

Answer 3

• Is there anything you would want to change on the site? And how would you plan on achieving this?

I feel that a greater attention can and ought to be brought to Super User. I want to see a higher volume of users to enrich Super User. To bring this attention I feel that the use of the blog is one great resource. Other suggestions are possible "smaller" contests for Super User including perhaps a web "scavenger" hunt similar to dropquest.

• How do you expect becoming a moderator will change or influence the way you use Super User?

At first I will allow for little or no change. I will continue to edit, ask, and answer questions. I will try to help new users out to the best of my ability. I will continue to contribute to the blog. I will continue to answer and ask questions on the META site as well. As time goes on and I learn from other moderators I will enhance what I am already doing with the new tools that I have been given.

• What's your stance on duplicates and how should they be handled?

Duplicates are a tough thing to deal with. I feel that any question that is a Dupe and wasn't researched properly probably needs to be closed. However I do feel that some questions are tough to have a single "perfect" question as Jeff suggested. I feel that there can be power in duplicates as there are different views out there and different ways to ask and answer questions. This is also what make the community-faq such a powerful idea.

• What's your opinion about the overlap between Super User and Apple.SE/Ubuntu.SE? And when should questions be migrated from Super User to any of these other SE-sites?

I love how Super User is kinda the "Super" site when it comes to PC's, MAC's and Linux. I feel that questions related to these three and their usage belongs here. However, becuase we are a "melting" pot of sorts some questions deserve specific attention on a specific needs site like Apple.SE/Ubuntu.SE.

• Which three nominees do you think are the most suited to become the next moderators and why?

There are several canidates that are worthy, in my opinion, to be moderators, but if I had to pick they would be: Sathya, Nhinkle, and DMA57361. Here's why:

I see them on a consistent basis at Super User, and they are editing, voting, asking, answering and flagging all the time. Their activity did not noticeably increase with their nominations. In essence they have been doing the same thing they've always been doing.

• Sathya specifically has been editing, closing questions, and moderating all the time.

• Nhinkle has been always very kind and never once have I seen him get upset with another user.

• DMA57361 is just a great guy, who loves to help others and you can almost feel the constant happiness that he brings to the site.

• Should we be afraid you'll burn out or become even more fanatic?

A good moderator will have a sense of moderation in all things. I will continue my activity as I have always before. There will be times that I'm on more than others, as I still have a school to go to, a wife to keep happy, a job to do well in, and a workout buddy who won't let me miss a day. :)

Answer 4

Please feel free to use the comments to ask me any questions you may have!

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Is there anything you would want to change on the site? And how would you plan on achieving this?

I believe the current Q&A paradigm used on Stack Exchange sites works quite well, and there are no significant changes I would like to see implemented which haven't already been brought up on Meta.

What I would like to change is the tech community's awareness of Super User. This site is an amazing resource, and the more avid technology users we get here asking great questions and writing great answers, the better. I've been involved in some discussions already about ways to increase our visibility, such as user contests, blogging, etc. I will continue to be a part of those discussions, and will bring new ideas to the table as they come to me.

I have also been a huge supporter of the Community FAQ initiative, and believe this is a great way to enhance Super User's collection of knowledge. Eventually, I would like to see the Community FAQ turned into an official feature. My more detailed thoughts on this are on meta.

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How do you expect becoming a moderator will change or influence the way you use Super User?

Being a moderator will enable me to more efficiently do the assortment of tasks I do to help Super User, and will give me new abilities. Recently, I have focussed more on building the community and improving existing content than answering new questions, mostly because there are only so many questions I can answer. Being a moderator will give me more direct access to catching (and thus improving or removing) low-quality content, users who may need extra guidance, etc. I would also take advantage of the ability to edit any and all tag wikis, as I believe they are a useful but limited-availability (and hence underused) feature.

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What's your stance on duplicates and how should they be handled?

Some dupes are on topics which have been discussed so many times that closing the questions is the most logical solution. For questions like those, e.g. "How should I back up my computer?", "I have a virus, what should I do?", etc., I think Community FAQs are a great way to avoid unnecessary dupes. Some dupes are more nuanced, though. I believe near-duplicates are OK if they generate high-quality answers which address those nuances, and aren't just rehashes of the previous questions.

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What's your opinion about the overlap between Super User and Apple.SE/Ubuntu.SE? And when should questions be migrated from Super User to any of these other SE-sites?

If a question is specifically off-topic for SU and is on-topic for one of the other sites, of course it should be migrated.

If a user asks their question on Super User and it's on-topic, I think it should stay. If the question is esoteric and more likely to be answered well by one of those more specific communities, or has not received any answers on SU after a reasonable amount of time, I think the user should be given the option (by means of a comment by a mod or involved user suggesting they flag for a mod) of having their question migrated.

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Which three nominees do you think are the most suited to become the next moderators and why?

There are many qualified nominees, and it is difficult to single them out. I think nearly all of them would make great moderators. Here are a few of my top picks:

1. Sathya: Sathya is one of Super User's most dedicated members. He consistently provides high-quality answers, closes questions judiciously, edits appropriately, and leaves insightful comments for users. He is also active on Chat and Meta, and has been very involved in improving the Super User community. Of all the nominees, he is the most qualified and deserving of this position.

_{And in no particular order...}

• DMA57361: A dedicated user who has demonstrated responsibility, fairness, and good decision making
• StudioHack: Has done a lot to help the community, such as prolific voting, lots of editing and improving tag wikis.
• Kronos: Very involved with discussions about how to improve the community and move it forward. I particularly like his work with the SU blog.

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Should we be afraid you'll burn out or become even more fanatic?

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm good at managing my time. I've invested a lot of effort in the Super User community, so I doubt I would burn out. I can't afford to let myself become too fanatic (if there is such a thing) thanks to school work, and I have good friends who would kick me back in line if I did start spending too much time here, but it's never been a problem yet.

Answer 5

Q: Is there anything you would want to change on the site? And how would you plan on achieving this?

A: I like the way the Interesting Tab works for Stack Overflow, and would love to see it implemented on our site. While you can use it yourself I would love to see this implemented for everyone. As this is written with the purpose for high volumes sites, helping new users so that they return, maintaining the quality and promoting Super User are three things I can do to achieve this...

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Q: How do you expect becoming a moderator will change or influence the way you use Super User?

A: I will cycle through newest questions, mod tools (flags, close votes, ...), Meta.SU, and /review and handle them appropriately; furthermore this well help me see more questions pass that I could answer, getting more questions answerd. And keep myself refreshed outside of that cycle I will still help on community-building activities like wikifying reccurent topics, chatting in our rooms and more... :-)

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Q: What's your stance on duplicates and how should they be handled?

A: Some users (mostly new ones) don't tend to read everything before asking their problem, as they don't know that our site provides enough search functionality they will continue to ask their question. I think that this behavior is OK... Using my user script it doesn't take much effort to look if his question is a duplicate so it's easy to help him show the duplicate. There are no statistics about this, but I think that the majority of the users does use the duplicate finder. The ratio of new questions that are duplicate probably reveals that...

The way that I think it is appropriate to handle them: If it's clear that it's an exact duplicate, I will close the question (as there is no effort spend to search or check them) as such and ask to flag the question if the extra duplicate does not answer the question. If it's a possible duplicate, I will mention the duplicate and ask him if that resolves his question. I will maintain a check later list for questions awaiting user action...

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Q: What's your opinion about the overlap between Super User and Apple.SE/Ubuntu.SE? And when should questions be migrated from Super User to any of these other SE-sites?

A: The overlap is fine, people continue to find our site and we shouldn't send the users around the network if our FAQ allows the question. Questions could benefit migration if our site lacks the activity and expertise to answer the question, I would explain and promote this to the user and ask him to flag the question for migration if he wants his question to have more attention.

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Q: Which three nominees do you think are the most suited to become the next moderators and why?

A: In no particular order: DMA57361, nhinkle, KronoS, Sathya

Yes, that's one too much, but I see all four often on the chat and site.

It's a hard choice to remove one from that list... They are all four worth it.

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Q: Should we be afraid you'll burn out or become even more fanatic?

A: My guess is that I won't burn out as I love helping people (and thus the community), but I think nobody can tell without actually doing the work on a regular basis. Everyone burns out at some time, being it after several years due to a big change in life or when you get old...

Becoming more fanatic... Maybe. :-)

Answer 6

• Is there anything you would want to change on the site? And how would you plan on achieving this?

On a technical and functional basis I think the site works very well and I am especially impressed on how the site renders on portable devices. I have previously touched on how the site might encourage question setters to return to their submissions and offer feedback and closure, but there is not a universal answer for this. Any change should be initiated by consensus, with ideas being sought from the community and then reduced to a smaller set for community voting, with the final decision on the top ‘x’ being made by the admins and mods based on the potential benefit of the change to the site.

• How do you expect becoming a moderator will change or influence the way you use Super User?

I expect it will encourage me to be more regimented with my time on the site and to approach my visits on a more formal basis, ‘doing the rounds’ of the various sections which need attention, spending more time at the ‘back end’ on administrative tasks rather than with the questions.

• What's your stance on duplicates and how should they be handled?

Once a duplicate has been identified, the nature of the overlap should be assessed and if all the answers are completely valid for all of the questions then they should be merged into one master question, with all others having a referring link to it.

• What's your opinion about the overlap between Super User and Apple.SE/Ubuntu.SE? And when should questions be migrated from Super User to any of these other SE-sites?

There can be merit in having sites that are more focused on specific topics, but there is also a danger that this will fragment the user base into cliques that tend to stick to certain locations and won’t wander around bringing their wisdom to other areas. Overall, I think it would help to retain a more coherent community if the number of sub-sites was carefully controlled and limited, with questions relating to a specific category being flagged by the relevant tags. I would prefer that once questions are on one site they do not move elsewhere as this requires more mouse-work to get back to them later

• Which three nominees do you think are the most suited to become the next moderators and why?

This is a difficult question to answer as it depends on what criteria are considered to make a person ‘most suited’ – is it their ability to be present on the site for the most amount of time, the volume of answers they provide, the quality of answers they provide, their geological spread, their technical background, skill sets etc.? Without knowing the answers to all of the above, I will decline to answer this question, except to say that I think that this is a bunch of darn good candidates

• Should we be afraid you'll burn out or become even more fanatic?

No. You can rest easy on that one. I feel no compelling need to be on this site 24/7 and I come here to purely learn from others and share my knowledge, as others have done for me in the past, as a way of ‘giving back’ to the community at large. Being a moderator will not be an ego trip that compels me to live on the site so as to amass as much credit as possible, I have a personal and working life beyond SU and they will always take priority.

Answer 7

• Is there anything you would want to change on the site? And how would you plan on achieving this?

  I've noticed a lot of 2-3K+ users who do not take advantage of their editing and voting to close privileges. I'd like to implement something to encourage more users who already have the privileges to edit and close to do more of it. I would also like to see more users rewarded for their work to make Super User a better place, moderators included. For future ideas and proposals, I would discuss them with other moderators and bring it up on SU Meta and/or Meta Stack Overflow.

• How do you expect becoming a moderator will change or influence the way you use Super User?

  Ever since I hit 500 rep and received the privilege of retagging questions, I have been actively helping with cleanup and organization. I still do this today, by editing, flagging for moderator, and voting to close, among other things. As a moderator, very little would change beyond the fact that I would have several more tools at my disposal, thus being able to do my job more quickly and efficiently.

• What's your stance on duplicates and how should they be handled?

  Duplicates. I recently participated in a discussion about duplicates and why they were useful: Why Aren't Closed Questions Deleted?. Simply put, I think that duplicates should be closed and are in many cases useful, because everyone thinks differently, and most duplicates can act like a 'bookmark' to the original question. Also duplicated questions can produce some excellent questions that can be merged with the original question. If the question is very similar to existing, or is just low-quality in general, I believe it should be deleted.

• What's your opinion about the overlap between Super User and Apple.SE/Ubuntu.SE? And when should questions be migrated from Super User to any of these other SE-sites?

  Apple, Ubuntu, and Super User questions all overlap, but I've noticed that I/other users tend to have an "instinct" of what should go to the Apple/Ubuntu SE sites versus stay on Super User...If it is a specialized question and would probably get a lot better answers, I would move it to a more specialized site.

• Which three nominees do you think are the most suited to become the next moderators and why?

  My first choice would be Sathya. He definitely deserves to be moderator and has been making Super User a much better place for some time. He is fun, easygoing, and makes the moderation job look easy! As for second and third, I have to say that nhinkle and BloodPhilia tie...nhinkle is very patient and laid back (in a good way) with users; answering questions and dealing with issues without making them feel like they are less or not as knowledgeable than he. BloodPhilia has a good sense of humor and manages to do humdrum tasks with a cheerful attitude and stance...

• Should we be afraid you'll burn out or become even more fanatic?

  I don't think we have to worry about that. Like I discussed in the beginning of this post, I don't think my activity will change much, as I am already doing moderator activities on SU. Thus, becoming more fanatic or burning out is not likely to happen, as it would have happened sooner...

And there you have it. Q&A with studiohack! :)