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?

If I came across a user like this, I would try to invite the person into a chat room and explain that the community greatly appreciates the contributions they give and explain that their comments have been damaging the site.

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

In this situation, I would try and have a civil discussion with the mod, listening to both of our reasonings, and then decide whether the question should still be closed or not.

3. A fellow moderator takes an action the community disagrees with, and the community takes it to meta. You also disagree with the moderator's decision. What do you do?

I would try to discuss what I disagreed with in a chatroom with the other mods, and try to talk over why I and the community believe that what the specific mod was doing was incorrect. Then, I would try to hear their side, on their reasoning for taking that specific action.

4. What would you do if you were the moderator who took action the community disagreed with in the situation described in question 3?

It's essentially the same. I would listen to what my fellow moderators and community say. If I realized I was incorrect, I would apologize to everyone in the community within a meta post.

5. You (a moderator) and another community member both answer a question on the main site. The other answer is well written but (objectively) incorrect, and has gathered a similar amount of upvotes to yours. What do you do?

I would simply just politely explain in a comment that the answer is not entirely correct for these reasons. If they fix their answer, that's great, but outside of that there is nothing I can do. It is simply in the community's hands.

6. Which moderation tool do you use most often during your average day on Arqade? Which do you use least often? Do you see that changing in case you get elected?

I would say that I use the "low quality posts" tool the most, and use the "suggested edits" the least. I would say that this most likely wouldn't change very much, unless I saw a large amount of suggested edits and more helpers were needed.

7. Moderators are not selected because they are domain experts in certain tags, but it so happens that you are an expert in one such tag. You see that several members of the community have elected to close a question as a duplicate, but you see that the duplicates don't actually answer the question as stated, nor do they provide a useful signpost for the asker. How do you proceed?

I would edit the question that has been causing trouble to show that it is separate from the other questions and is not in fact a duplicate. Then, I would attempt to explain to the community members why it is not a duplicate in a chatroom or a meta post.

8. There is a high-rep user who is very active on the site, but frequently uses strong language which violates the Code of Conduct in their comments. When you warned them, they replied stating that the questions are of low quality which is why they left those comments. They also threatened to quit the site. Despite the warning, they continue to post similar comments. What steps, if any, will you take in order to address this situation? What if the comments were on Meta instead of main? Does that change your approach at all?

I don't know if mods have this power, but I would try to disable their ability to comment on the site. If that isn't an option, I would try to address them in a chatroom again and give them a warning that they are directly violating Stack Exchanges guidelines. If they continue violating, I would chat with the other moderators and take the necessary steps.

9. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

In my opinion, moderators make sure that the site stays in proper order, by removing posts that cause problems, making sure that there are no conflicts between users, moderate the chatrooms and the meta, and enforce the guidelines of Arqade.

10. 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?

I feel absolutely fine with that. I have always tried to be kind when commenting, answering, or asking questions.

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?

Good posts don't negate bad comments. Not every flag or argument is serious enough to take action, so I'll look at each case individually and act accordingly. Only if the user fails to behave multiple times I'd escalate the matter to a warning or a (comment) ban as a last resort.

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

Talk to them. They have a reason for their action and I am sure we'll find a consensus.

3. A fellow moderator takes an action the community disagrees with, and the community takes it to meta. You also disagree with the moderator's decision. What do you do?

This is something we have to resolve as a team and not as a single mod or person. In no case I'd post on meta without having a chat with the team. Going it alone could damage the reputation of the fellow mod or the entire team.

4. What would you do if you were the moderator who took action the community disagreed with in the situation described in question 3?

Pretty much the same. It might end up with an apology, but the steps taken are the same.

5. You (a moderator) and another community member both answer a question on the main site. The other answer is well written but (objectively) incorrect, and has gathered a similar amount of upvotes to yours. What do you do?

I'd post a comment stating the error the other user has made. Everything else is up to the community. They have the votes and tools to take proper action.

6. Which moderation tool do you use most often during your average day on Arqade? Which do you use least often? Do you see that changing in case you get elected?

Most often: Close votes

Least: Reopen votes (because they're just very rare)

Yes, that will change as I do not want to unilaterally close questions, unless it's spam or very obvious.

7. Moderators are not selected because they are domain experts in certain tags, but it so happens that you are an expert in one such tag. You see that several members of the community have elected to close a question as a duplicate, but you see that the duplicates don't actually answer the question as stated, nor do they provide a useful signpost for the asker. How do you proceed?

I would reopen it. Moderators are trusted people and have their powers for a reason, so why not use them when needed? This is why the golden tag bagde comes with that power as well. They have earned it. When I am sure the duplicate is wrong I have to take action. Only then the asker can find the help they are here for.

8. There is a high-rep user who is very active on the site, but frequently uses strong language which violates the Code of Conduct in their comments. When you warned them, they replied stating that the questions are of low quality which is why they left those comments. They also threatened to quit the site. Despite the warning, they continue to post similar comments. What steps, if any, will you take in order to address this situation? What if the comments were on Meta instead of main? Does that change your approach at all?

Regardless of main or meta, the action would be the same. Constantly violating the CoC is a no-go and the CoC aren't just for new people. Frequent violations, even after warnings, will lead to a comment ban or even a suspension. Reputation or activity does not matter. If they want to quit, that's their choice. I'd miss their good content, but if the user can't behave there's no alternative.

9. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Other than trolling each other in chat? Clean up the flag pile, watch over meta and animate users to be nice and active.

10. 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?

Oh, Shiny!

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?

I'm presently unaware of the typical repercussions for such offenses, but I would begin by educating myself on the appropriate repercussions based on the length of time of contribution/number of noted offenses. Being a young moderator, I would make every attempt possible to consult with more seasoned moderators for guidance on the issue until I became more comfortable with taking initiative with such actions.

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

I believe the best approach to this is to reach out to the community on Meta to get feedback on my opinion in the matter. Just because my opinion is that the question shouldn't have been closed/deleted/etc., doesn't mean that my opinion is correct. A community consensus on my opinion would not only benefit me however, it could also potentially benefit the moderator that closed the question, if my opinion aligns with the correct stance.

3. A fellow moderator takes an action the community disagrees with, and the community takes it to meta. You also disagree with the moderator's decision. What do you do?

I would begin by consulting with other more seasoned moderators to determine if there's a conflict of interest, as a moderator, in sharing my stance on the action, along with what the typical course of action is in such cases. As with the closure question above, just because I disagree with something, doesn't mean I'm correct. My primary responsibility as a moderator however, would be to ensure the community doesn't get out of hand with such a delicate situation.

4. What would you do if you were the moderator who took action the community disagreed with in the situation described in question 3?

I would begin by reflecting upon the community consensus on the matter as it develops. As the post on Meta is growing, I will consult with other moderators to get their opinions on the matter so that I can make as informed of a decision as possible. Perhaps the action requires undoing, or an apology is in order. Whatever the appropriate action is for the situation is, I would attempt to determine it, and take said action.

5. You (a moderator) and another community member both answer a question on the main site. The other answer is well written but (objectively) incorrect, and has gathered a similar amount of upvotes to yours. What do you do?

In my opinion, well formed answers are welcome on Stack Exchange, so long as they are useful. If the community consensus (displayed by votes in this situation) is that the answer is useful, then there's no reason to take rash action. I believe the best course of action is to place a downvote, explain the reason for my downvote, and if, the community member takes action to correct their answer so that it is objectively correct, I would follow up by removing my downvote. An objectively incorrect answer is still incorrect, no matter how useful. It's best for the answerer, and future readers, to be aware that it's objectively incorrect.

6. Which moderation tool do you use most often during your average day on Arqade? Which do you use least often? Do you see that changing in case you get elected?

I haven't had the chance to on Arqade yet, just because there's not typically anything in the queues I have access to currently. On StackOverflow and Puzzling however, I've performed around 140 total review tasks, most of which were during 2019. Unfortunately, COVID hit my social presence pretty hard during 2020 and the first half of 2021, so I mostly stayed focused on work during that time. Recently, I'm trying to become more active again, and the Arqade has only fueled that fire. If elected, I would certainly be in the edit queue as often as possible because there are often long wait times for suggested edits (I've seen one of mine pending for more than half a day).

7. Moderators are not selected because they are domain experts in certain tags, but it so happens that you are an expert in one such tag. You see that several members of the community have elected to close a question as a duplicate, but you see that the duplicates don't actually answer the question as stated, nor do they provide a useful signpost for the asker. How do you proceed?

If the community has elected that the post is a duplicate, then as the post currently stands, it needs adjusting to provide clarity and display that it is not, in-fact, a duplicate. I would begin by editing the post, if possible to help clarify that point. If it's not possible for me to (with >= 90% assurance) infer how to edit the question to reach this point, I would comment on the question, ensuring I point out this situation, to attempt to get the OP to participate in this process.

8. There is a high-rep user who is very active on the site, but frequently uses strong language which violates the Code of Conduct in their comments. When you warned them, they replied stating that the questions are of low quality which is why they left those comments. They also threatened to quit the site. Despite the warning, they continue to post similar comments. What steps, if any, will you take in order to address this situation? What if the comments were on Meta instead of main? Does that change your approach at all?

As a young moderator, I would need to educate myself on proper procedure for this type of situation. After education on the matter, no matter how high someone's reputation is, no matter how useful they are, their continued poor behavior would be a larger negative impact to the site than them leaving. This is true whether they leave of their own accord or by way of being suspended or, if applicable, banned. No one wants to see their most valuable member go, but if their behavior isn't tolerated, then it's simply not tolerated. My approach would remain the same, regardless of main versus Meta.

9. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Moderators in my opinion have a responsibility the community to be helpful. This doesn't mean their sitting around waiting to answer every question, or respond to every situation. Rather, moderators are just like us typical community members, with more power, and as a result, more responsibility. Moderators look at new questions or answers to ensure they're of good quality, read comments to ensure that community members aren't diverging from SE guidelines, look for potentially duplicate questions to help users get the answers they're after, faster, and much more.

10. 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?

I'm fairly new to the Arqade community, and as a result haven't really said a lot here yet. As a result, personally, I believe having the knowledge that a diamond will now be attached to my name everywhere will be a constant reminder that I should continue to remain a positive and helpful force for the community.

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?

Passion in a community is extremely valuable, but that passion needs to be civil and follow our Code of Conduct. I would approach that user individually and, first, thank them for their valuable contributions. Next, I would communicate how their actions are being perceived by others, and work with them towards an amicable solution.

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

This is a conversation that can easily be had by simply communicating with the moderator that closed the question. If the two of us cannot come to an agreeable solution, we can create a meta post and let the community decide how to proceed.

3. A fellow moderator takes an action the community disagrees with, and the community takes it to meta. You also disagree with the moderator's decision. What do you do?

This is the site working exactly as intended. I'd cast votes in the thread where I deem appropriate, and only chime in where I feel my perspective is not yet shared.

4. What would you do if you were the moderator who took action the community disagreed with in the situation described in question 3?

Concede that my actions were not in line with the community's wants, and seek to rectify that. A moderator is a representative of the community, not someone who can do whatever they want.

5. You (a moderator) and another community member both answer a question on the main site. The other answer is well written but (objectively) incorrect, and has gathered a similar amount of upvotes to yours. What do you do?

Add a comment on the community member's answer with evidence around how I think their answer could be improved. From there, the voting system can continue its course. If the community member refuses to improve their answer and I still think that it is incorrect, I downvote it and move on.

6. Which moderation tool do you use most often during your average day on Arqade? Which do you use least often? Do you see that changing in case you get elected?

The review queue, particularly new posts, are where I see the most opportunities to engage. If I am elected, I still plan to review these posts and make sure that new users do not feel shunned when asking an imperfect first question.

7. Moderators are not selected because they are domain experts in certain tags, but it so happens that you are an expert in one such tag. You see that several members of the community have elected to close a question as a duplicate, but you see that the duplicates don't actually answer the question as stated, nor do they provide a useful signpost for the asker. How do you proceed?

First, make sure that the asker has a signpost in the short term. Next, create a meta thread outlining my concerns around the question and how I think it can be improved. If the community agrees with my sentiment, I'd reopen the question and edit both threads to clarify their differences and prevent confusion in the future.

8. There is a high-rep user who is very active on the site, but frequently uses strong language which violates the Code of Conduct in their comments. When you warned them, they replied stating that the questions are of low quality which is why they left those comments. They also threatened to quit the site. Despite the warning, they continue to post similar comments. What steps, if any, will you take in order to address this situation? What if the comments were on Meta instead of main? Does that change your approach at all?

Code of Conduct supersedes quality answers. I would approach the user and ask that they be patient with new users, as StackExchange has a lot of nuances that aren't immediately recognizable. If they continue with their unacceptable behavior after multiple warnings, a temporary suspension would be apt for the user. If they continue with their strong language after the temporary suspension, then I feel a permanent suspension would be in order.

9. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Moderators make sure that the community runs smoothly. This includes, but is not limited to, welcoming new users, providing solutions where the community might be split on a topic, and keeping hostile users (such as spammers and trolls) out.

10. 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?

It would be an honor and a privilege to have the diamond next to my name.

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?

I would check every one of their answers like its a brand new user. You can post good answers, that doesn't mean that all your answers are perfect and good.

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

Open a post on Meta where we can discuss. The line of what is off-topic can be blurry at times, and we all have a different line at which we declare something is out of bounds.

3. A fellow moderator takes an action the community disagrees with, and the community takes it to meta. You also disagree with the moderator's decision. What do you do?

Before taking sides publicly, I would chat with other moderators in the moderator private chat, or a private channel of some kind. See who is the outlier. Him or me. And also be able to take a stance as a team instead of all going in our own direction.

4. What would you do if you were the moderator who took action the community disagreed with in the situation described in question 3?

When I screw up I have a simple mentality. See where I screwed up, what can I learn from it to not screw up again. I would take a look at how I approached things, maybe poke around with other mods see how I tripped up and try to not do the screw-up again.

5. You (a moderator) and another community member both answer a question on the main site. The other answer is well written but (objectively) incorrect, and has gathered a similar amount of upvotes to yours. What do you do?

I would comment on their answer to try to figure out how they got to their conclusion. Sometimes memory can be a fickle thing and you are certain you remember it being one way when its clearly another.

So by challenging their answer, pointing out proof that something is not exactly right or things that do not align thats a way where they can modify their answer and put something down that is right.

6. Which moderation tool do you use most often during your average day on Arqade? Which do you use least often? Do you see that changing in case you get elected?

I don't often use the editing function of a post. English is not my first language, so as long as its not obviously completely wrong, I don't touch it.

Modifying a sentence is hard because you don't want to change what the person meant either.

So I don't really use it. And I would not plan in 'using it more'. I'm more about trying to have the user fix their own question/answer, and if they are not willing to do so (not answering), closing bad questions rather than try to doctor them to have a decent question.

7. Moderators are not selected because they are domain experts in certain tags, but it so happens that you are an expert in one such tag. You see that several members of the community have elected to close a question as a duplicate, but you see that the duplicates don't actually answer the question as stated, nor do they provide a useful signpost for the asker. How do you proceed?

Debate with the closers in the comments about how the question might look at asking the same thing, but are actually asking for different things. If the closers do not relent, I would check with other online moderators see if I'm the outlier or not. If I'm alone or not the outlier, I would comment why I think its not a duplicate and protect the question from other close votes (I think mods can do so? Not certain.)

8. There is a high-rep user who is very active on the site, but frequently uses strong language which violates the Code of Conduct in their comments. When you warned them, they replied stating that the questions are of low quality which is why they left those comments. They also threatened to quit the site. Despite the warning, they continue to post similar comments. What steps, if any, will you take in order to address this situation? What if the comments were on Meta instead of main? Does that change your approach at all?

1- Warning.

2- If warning is not heeded and continues, see for a ban. Temporary at first, and if he continues move towards permanent. (24h, 7 days, permanent)

3- If he threatens to leave the site... well ciao. We do not want toxic members in here and if you are toxic and want to leave, we won't stop you.

9. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Make sure the cogs are oiled and this machine works well. Even if this is a big ship, pilot it to be a great community based on respect and getting the information you need.

Without someone in charge like a mod, that ship would have no direction and could quickly go crash in the reefs.

10. 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?

In 10 years of posting, I don't think I have a lot of things that could be taken out of context or that have aged poorly.

I usually am more of a middle of the road, see both sides kind of guy. And that, I think, makes that I don't do much takes that can be shown as 'a horrible take' a few years later.

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?

I would think in cases like this that the comment chain could be migrated into a chat so it can further be discussed - so long as the comments aren't anything abusive/offensive. Comments aren't meant to be used for discussion (or arguing), thus a chat room would be better suited. From here, we could continue the discussion to hear each party out fairly.

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

I would reach out to that moderator and ask for their perspective as to why they closed/deleted the question. If I am questioning their action in the first place, it's likely that I missed something that the other moderator picked up on, which I could then use to improve upon my own knowledge!

3. A fellow moderator takes an action the community disagrees with, and the community takes it to meta. You also disagree with the moderator's decision. What do you do?

First, I would see what the disagreement between the community and the moderator is about. I would assume that the meta post would highlight the reasons the community disagrees with the moderator's action, and if the moderator has not responded on the meta post, I would reach out to them to see what they thought. I myself may weigh in on the meta post to provide my perspective of the situation.

4. What would you do if you were the moderator who took action the community disagreed with in the situation described in question 3?

If I was the moderator the community took action against, I would certainly hear out the community, and respond to their meta post explaining why I took those actions. When these events happen, the community usually has a very good reason, and should be listened to.

5. You (a moderator) and another community member both answer a question on the main site. The other answer is well written but (objectively) incorrect, and has gathered a similar amount of upvotes to yours. What do you do?

If the objectively incorrect post provides helpful information (which the votes should be indicative of), I would leave it! I may leave a comment on it saying what wrong about it, but also what is good about it! An incorrect answer isn't grounds for deletion. That is instead what voting is for, and if the answer was still useful, then vote away!

6. Which moderation tool do you use most often during your average day on Arqade? Which do you use least often? Do you see that changing in case you get elected?

The tool I use the most is the Lowest Votes for questions. I probably least often find myself using the site analytics tool. Should I be elected, I honestly don't really see this changing much. A lot of the time, I come across the posts in the moderator tools via the home page, or hot network questions list.

7. Moderators are not selected because they are domain experts in certain tags, but it so happens that you are an expert in one such tag. You see that several members of the community have elected to close a question as a duplicate, but you see that the duplicates don't actually answer the question as stated, nor do they provide a useful signpost for the asker. How do you proceed?

I think the best thing to do in this situation is to leave a comment on the post being flagged as the duplicate stating why it is not, using my "expertise" as to why it isn't. I think this is something we have seen other users (moderators or not) do in the past on questions that fall victim to this. Should the question still be closed, I would vote to reopen it through the normal reopen process, explaining why it shouldn't have been closed.

8. There is a high-rep user who is very active on the site, but frequently uses strong language which violates the Code of Conduct in their comments. When you warned them, they replied stating that the questions are of low quality which is why they left those comments. They also threatened to quit the site. Despite the warning, they continue to post similar comments. What steps, if any, will you take in order to address this situation? What if the comments were on Meta instead of main? Does that change your approach at all?

High reputation or not, meta or main site, users who continuously violate the Code of Conduct are subject to consequences. Even if their reason of it being a low quality post is valid, they can't keep breaking the Code of Conduct in order to get their point across. If the user continues to ignore warnings, I would ask fellow moderators about how to approach the user further, and issue the appropriate actions against the user.

9. In your opinion, what do moderators do?

Moderators serve the community. Moderators are present to help community members when they encounter a problem they are unsure of. Moderators should not be "bosses," but instead leaders. They should work together with the community, and do what is best for it.

10. 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?

Absolutely fine!