What's the Process for Picking Mods?

Due to a seeming decrease in interest regarding JC politics...

You count that as a factor for there being fewer good mod candidates? In my experience, board 'politics' are a 98% waste of time and those who regularly take part generally take this whole thing too seriously. Let's not forget that there have been mods in the past who intentionally avoided Comms and JC politics unless it specifically involved their dedicated forums. IMO, they modded all the better for it.

And if there's any wonder why there's been a decreased interest in JC politics, maybe people are just tired of JC drama, which is typically synonymous with politics, and simply want to post about Star Wars.

In addition, I think JC politics hinder the selection of the best mod candidates. Since it causes division within MS, User Y may not be selected because they were endorsed by Mod A and Mod B really doesn't like Mod A or anything she does and figures User Y will be about the same, even though he doesn't know User Y. Meanwhile, User Y is the best for the forum but gets the shaft because of this absurd partisanship. That's not to say that every mod would make their choices because of something like that, but I'm certain it happens.

 

In addition, I think JC politics hinder the selection of the best mod candidates. Since it causes division within MS, User Y may not be selected because they were endorsed by Mod A and Mod B really doesn't like Mod A or anything she does and figures User Y will be about the same, even though he doesn't know User Y. Meanwhile, User Y is the best for the forum but gets the shaft because of this absurd partisanship. That's not to say that every mod would make their choices because of something like that, but I'm certain it happens.

Interesting point. That sounds like the veto power someone mentioned. Just wondering, how does the mod squad decide that the reasons given for a user not being a good candidate are legitimate and not personal?

 

You count that as a factor for there being fewer good mod candidates?

I think I could have worded what I said better, and I went into more detail last summer, with my Fundamental Changes thread. Instead of politics, I mean more that the majority of members are concerned just with coming here, posting in one or two forums and then leaving. There's little to no interest in bettering the JC in general, or a big picture view of what goes on here. And that's perfectly okay. Nothing wrong with it. In the past, I think idealism for the JC was more prevalent, and you had standout people seemingly all over the place. A trip back into a few old Communications threads exemplifies that.

Related to this is a downturn in the amount of outwardly intellectual people we have, and by extension a decrease in the amount of high-quality posts (particularly essay-type posts). Those tended to be put together more by people who were interested in the JC as a whole than by people with just a casual interest in a couple forums. People like Vertical, epic, Valiowk, and so on were more commonplace in Communications than they are today. Currently, you see a few of those type of people in individual forums (sellars in the Senate is an example), but they just don't seem to take the same interest in Communications or the JC as they once did.

All this ties into there being fewer standout candidates to go around, along with much less name recognition across the JC. One forum's star poster is another forum's unknown member.

The dynamics of the JC have changed over the years (although some things have, of course, remained constant), and moderator selection is part of what has changed.

 

Just wondering, how does the mod squad decide that the reasons given for a user not being a good candidate are legitimate and not personal?


Well when this issue was discussed before, the one point that the administration made was that no moderator should have a new mod "forced" upon them that they didn't think they could get along with.

So basically if a mod says "I can't/won't work with that person" then the nomination is effectively scuttled unless the head admin overrides the objection.


If I'm remembering correctly from that other MS thread, that is.

 

KW: Thanks for clarifying your meaning there. I hope interest in the JC in general doesn't equal interest in JC politics.

Related to this is a downturn in the amount of outwardly intellectual people we have, and by extension a decrease in the amount of high-quality posts (particularly essay-type posts). Those tended to be put together more by people who were interested in the JC as a whole than by people with just a casual interest in a couple forums.

I think the JC has simply become too large for posters to follow all or even most of the forums, and thus mainly stick to a few forums. But, that doesn't negate the interest in those few forums. As far as this concerns mod selections, it makes it much more difficult for current mods unfamilar with certain forums to decide who would be the best choice for a new mod. So, in smaller forums, the decision is inevitably based on the judgement of maybe a few current mods. With so few opinions to base it on, we're lead back to the question of what parts partisanship, favoritism, etc. play in selecting mods.

 

Related to this is a downturn in the amount of outwardly intellectual people we have, and by extension a decrease in the amount of high-quality posts (particularly essay-type posts).

Woah, slow down. First of all, 'essay-type' posts doesn't necessarily equate to 'high quality', and vice-versa. I've seen plenty of short, witty replies (often disguised in humor or sarcasm - whatever it takes to get the point across) that I'd call 'high quality' and on the reverse side of the coin, I've also seen a goodly amount of 'essay-type' posts that are nonsensical drivel (I can personally attest to that as I've probably made quite a few over the years, and this very post probably being one of them ).

But since this is more about the decline of Comms. regulars than what constitutes a 'quality post', I'm going to have to say that just because not as many people publicly make statements or suggestions about the JC doesn't mean that people don't care. They still do. I do. Maybe some of them have resigned to letting others making such a statement for them, and chiming in if/when that happens, or are just plain scared of being ridiculed by the administration/other members (I'll flat-out say it, I'm guilty of the latter).

Comms. is a rather docile forum now, but perhaps its reputation as a 'drama house' also drives people away from voicing their opinions/ideas. Who knows. From time to time, though, I PM admins with ideas on how to improve the JC as a whole and what-not (most of them think I'm wacko, oh well) but yeah, whatever it takes to let them know that, hey, there's someone out there that still gives a hoot.

I don't know how to get people to post more often in Comms, as it's probably a lost cause now, but I'm just saying that there's people out there that still care and listing possibilities why they're not as vocal as they have been in the past.

 

Duh, of course people are gonna stay away from comms when the conclusion to just about any discussion is one of the following options:

1. PM an administrator about it.

2. That's what the board owner wants, and that decision is final.

3. My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith...Lord. (A stab at levity)

When you, in so many words tell people enough times that their opinions ultimately don't matter, they will eventually stop voicing them.

When people have a reason to believe their words, time and effort mean something in the big picture, that's when you will see more of them care in a more outwardly manner.

And I'll take a two-sentence post that is right on the money over a 3,000-word essay any day of the week.

 

And I'll take a two-sentence post that is right on the money over a 3,000-word essay any day of the week

Certainly, and I don't mean to imply that verbiage=intelligence. Rather, that the number of people who are highly intelligent and thoughtful and who speak up has gone down over time. Those were the kind of people who made (and sometimes still make) posts that you feel nail down a particular issue or problem. Such posts were just as often short as they were long, but my point is that those people can use any number of methods to get their points across and have it make sense. Those were also the people who garnered the "make him/her a moderator" praise.

I don't see that as much I used to.

Edit: Actually, I think such people might be even less inclined than the average person to become a moderator, instead of just as likely (as seemed to be the case in the past).

 

I certainly feel I need to step up my game now that I'm a Mod. I'd like to be able to contribute to the JC (and especially the CT Forum) as a whole, rather than just enjoying shooting the breeze about SW and making my 'witty' comments

Fortunately so far, the CT Forum regulars have been pretty calm. Apart from some debate about the SW DVDs getting a little heated, it's been straightforward up to this point.

 

KW, I think what you're referring to is simply a by-product of this place growing to the population it has.

It's like expansion in baseball. The more teams you have, the fewer good starting pitchers you have to go around. Talent gets watered down. Same forumla can apply here.

But...that doesn't mean there aren't still intelligent, thoughtful people here who make posts that reflect those qualities. Several of those people you refer to have been driven away from this place, in many cases, because of the politics that come up.

Perhaps the JC has become too big for its own good?

 

1. PM an administrator about it.

2. That's what the board owner wants, and that decision is final.

3. My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith...Lord. (A stab at levity)


Brad... you forgot:

4. Stop being drama-hounds and stop trolling comms and trying to make trouble. You are just trying to create DRAMA!!1!!

EDIT: and a sprots analogy from brad, I am so amazed hehe

 

Good analogy, royal. But, I think there's a difference between the two. In baseball, there's a steady supply of top-notch pitching that comes along to replace those who leave the game, no matter how watered down the talent level of the league may be. There's not enough to go around, but at least the great ones still exist. In the JC, I'm of the opinion that that supply line (such as it is or was) has slowed to a trickle at best. People are getting driven off for whatever reason or fading away, and there isn't the same level and number of quality members to replace those who have left.

This view may be a product of being too close to this time period, thereby not being able to see it objectively (much as someone from 2002 might have felt the same way about things back then), but I think there's some real truth to it.

 

I said this in the "Fundamental Changes" thread last year, and I'll give the short version this time, but the insinuation that there aren't as many good mod candidates out there is, in my opinion, a lazy way of looking at things. If in the space of a single hour, two fine and upstanding candidates can be found for intense consideration for the Music forum (BTW, both are now current mods), and 7 possible names could be found for Fan Art in a day, then finding a longer list for larger forums, in a shorter time-frame, should not be difficult.

Edit:

If there is one standout candidate, who is obvious mod material, why go through the farce of trying to scratch up a couple of other less suitable candidates just to go through the whole rigmarole of setting up a meaningless vote?

I agree to a certain extent, but only in the cases where a large percentage of the MS actually think that said person is a good candidate, not cases where a single person or two say that they would be, and noone else knows anything about them. That is why I've never much liked the whole "I don't know them, but I'll endorse them because Mod X says they're good". I believe you either take the time to do a little looking and see what they're like, or just say I have no clue as to who these candidates are, so I'll abstain.

 

But you have to keep in mind that there's the occasional 'sleeper' member who might not look so hot now, but in 6 months or so, you suddenly got yourself a new frontrunner.

 

The problem, as I've always maintained (I know this discussion has been had numerous times before), is a signal-to-noise-ratio one.

It's not that there aren't quality posters out there, there most certainly are. It's just that they're getting harder to distinguish, harder to see, harder to get to know. When the JC was smaller, and more 'intimate', it was easy to see who was just here to 'talk shop', and who was here to 'talk shop' and to also make the place as good/cool as it could be. Now, with the hundreds of thousands of members, dispersed over multiple forums, it's a decidedly difficult task to distinguish posters. Couple this with the fact that moderators' jobs aren't getting any easier with the increasing size, so they're spending less and less time actually socializing, and you've got a recipe for breeding unfamiliarity with the user-base in mods.

Unfamiliarity and overwhelming 'noise' cause by the huge and growing population of people who are solely here to have fun (which is totally fine) and not worry about the 'behind the scenes' stuff make the process of choosing the 'right' candidate difficult.

Vertical

 

Good point

But wouldn't it stand to reason that comms could then be the universal zone for interaction?

That should be the purpose of comms.

Even if user A only posts in forum X, so Mod B never sees him, comms is the constant.

However, people on both sides avoid the forum like the plague.

It wouldn't be so hard for all the mods to come in and make their presence know, even if just to offer an unoffical opinion.

Over time, their views, styles would then become more familiar.

 

However, people on both sides avoid the forum like the plague.

Wouldn't stand to reason though that a potential candidate that could handle him/herself in Comms would be a better candidate than one that was afraid to be challenged and remained in their forum at all costs? I believe that the majority fo the best mods we've seen have been active in Comms and could stand up for themselves. If you can take the heat of Comms, insults from a little troll shouldn't faze you.


EDIT: I'm not sure where the Cooms forum is, but it doesn't sound pleasant.

 

Hob...
"Wouldn't stand to reason though that a potential candidate that could handle him/herself in Comms would be a better candidate than one that was afraid to be challenged and remained in their forum at all costs?"

Not really. Comms is its own unique entity. Mastery of its rather esoteric nuances, while perhaps being fun, is practically useless for handling any given "real" forum at this site.