1. One of the main difficulty for moderators (as well as high-rep users) is to consistently respect the scope of the site. There have been quite some discussions about it here on meta. But I would like to know the views of the candidates on two critical elements of our scopes, namely idea generation/broadness and individual actions/plot questions How do you view those questions? Can you specify their limits and own definition?

Both of these topics are grey areas and hence have been difficult to lock down. While most sites have a limited scope, the complication with world building is that in the end, all topics are on topic though it is also true that not all questions are on topic. That may seem counterintuitive but stick with me.

When we discuss off topic here what we really mean is the form of the question is not appropriate for the site.' For example, is baking on topic on world building? If someone came to the site and asked, "How do I bake a cake?" we would certainly close it and very politely recommend another site. If on the other hand the question was, "I want to tell a story about a bakery on an alien planet, what would the impact be on the baking process if I change x aspect of the environment." That would be a perfectly appropriate and I am guessing strangely complicated question to answer.

Addressing Plot and Idea Generation

Individual Actions and Plot Questions. These questions can be both on and off topic. Again let me explain.

If you ask a question about what a person should do, the question is off topic. We as world builders are neither here to write your story nor help develop the personality of a single character.

On the other hand if you were to ask about a system. Given x can my character do y? You are on-topic. Yes the question is in relation to the action of the character, but the question is actually about the system and would be the same question if the character were not even mentioned.

Idea Generation and Broadness

These questions are tough, and I predict they will continue to be difficult to manage. I know many prefer clear black and white, yes or no answers (we do after all have a lot of people that work in technology) but simply put this issue is neither white nor black.

When I review these questions I utilize the following system and it works pretty well, at least in my opinion/experience.

• Ask: Am I helping someone gain knowledge to build a world?
• Ask: Am I helping someone write a story

In a Yes, No situation no issues we are good to go.

In a No, Yes situation I vote to close

In a Yes, Yes situation I vote to close and suggest a way to rework the question to avoid the idea generation portion.

In a No, No situation I suggest deletion.

If you have questions on this topic feel free to ask in the comments.

2. Why do you want to be a moderator?

Simply put, I love this site. I have been around World Building since it was first opened on area 51 and helped get the proposal reopened when it was shut down. I volunteered to be a pro-tem moderator when the beta site was opened up but my experience on the network was somewhat lacking. Now that I am familiar with the tools available to high rep user I am far more able to fill the role, and would appreciate the opportunity to do so.

3. 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 start with a one on one conversation mentioning the following:

• The issue has been raised, and explaining the problem.
• Ensure the expectations of the community regarding behavior were explained.
• Inform the person that if it continues to be an issue the impacts for them will gradually escalate...or less gradually depending on the nature of the offenses.

In short, it is situation specific, but I tend to give people clear explanations, open communication and ample opportunity to improve and adhere to community norms. Failing that enforcement of the rules is carried out.

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

This one is pretty straightforward. I would have a private conversation with the moderator in question and come to a mutual agreement on the proper course of action. If it is a matter of opinion I would be ok agreeing to disagree. Disagreements between moderators should generally not be public knowledge, it just serves to divide the community.

If the other moderator is abusing their authority or unwilling to discuss in a reasonable manner (not being a respectful community member) escalate to the proper authorities.

5. What do you think are the greatest challenges facing the Worldbuilding site at the moment and how should we approach those challenges?

I feel our challenges are all linked together. Namely, fairly rapid growth, site changes (graduation!) and the aforementioned (item #1) site scope.

Rapid growth means change and new people with new opinions. The best way to manage growth is to welcome new members and educate them on the expectations of the community. New blood means change and that is not a bad thing, but we do have to be careful to adhere to the expectations of the site, and network at large. These issues of course tie directly into the scope question answered above.

6. Right now, a lot of the candidates are really high-rep users. If elected moderator, how will you be more effective than as a 10k or 20k user?

I don't believe it would make a significant change beyond what responsibilities/privileges are afforded to mods above and beyond what a 10k rep user can already do. If there will be a significant change in your behavior at this point I feel you are not performing the responsibilities you already have as a site user.

7. The scope of the site is generally the result of a consensus. As a moderator, you are expected to participate and to lead that continuous definition. How do you feel about enforcing definitions on which you do not necessarily agree?

The site is the community what the community agrees upon is fine with me so long as it doesn't violate the expectations of the greater network of SO sites.

8. During what (UTC) times of day, and on what days, are you most likely to be active on the site? Our site is an active one, and having moderators able to check in on the site around the clock allows keeping closer tabs on activity and handle problematic behavior quickly. Let's look at when you might be available during the week rather than timezone. Please give times and weekdays in UTC to allow for easy comparison between different candidates.

I am generally on the site from 1400 - 2300 UTC Monday through Friday. Were I to become a moderator I would make an effort to be more available Saturday and Sunday.

9. What has your review queues activity been like so far? How do you expect this to change when a single vote from you results in immediate action on the post? Having a diamond associated to your name isn't just a fancy gimmick; it effectively means that you are no longer participating as a "mere" high-reputation community member. Particularly in this case, it means actionable votes are binding and take effect immediately. You can close, reopen, delete, undelete, spam-flag, migrate, etc. posts with just a few clicks regardless of how the rest of the community feels about the post. You can lock posts such that they cannot be touched by community members. Explain the ways in which your review queue behavior might change (or remain the same) in light of these privileges.

I am quite active in the site queues and generally in the top 5 for reviews all time. I expect this rate would significantly decrease as I would wait for at least 3 other close/reopen/etc votes before voting with moderator powers. Again, the community is the site and sets the standards, I don't want to take away from the value that adds. I would only use moderator powers to circumvent the community voting power in the cases of clearly off topic or clearly offensive posts.

10. What do you like most about the current moderation and want to preserve?

The hands off approach. The moderators have been very good and frankly the site would do great if our current moderators all stayed in their positions. As mentioned in the previous few answers, the moderator is there to deal with conflict and disagreements not to control how the site functions and its scope.

11. Are you active elsewhere on the Stack Exchange network? If so, where and in what ways? On the flip side, are you active in non-SE worldbuilding communities? If so, tell us more.

World Building is far and away my most active profile. I am active on several other sites, including SO, Writers, Woodworking, Home Improvement and a few others. I generally use those sites in far more specific as needed scenarios. Though I do tend to ghost around writers pretty regularly.