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Old 02-10-2024, 08:39 PM   #1
Sneaze
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Sylveon Moderator Election

After the events towards the end of last year, we split the moderation team's responsibilities and created a new role to help patch up gaps to prevent burnout for the moderation team. And with it now being a bit over a month into the near year, it's time we fill the remaining role. With Enigma sliding from the original role of Empath to the much more fitting Adhesive, we need someone to fill the Empath role.

As a reminder, the responsibilities for the Empath role are as follows:
Quote:
The Empath - The Empath is the public face of the mod team. They make sure that the community is happy and are easily approachable by the community. They make sure that everyone feels heard and welcome in the community and deal with any problems within the community. In terms of member problems, the Empath is the one who should be handling them. They usually are calm, light-headed, and fun, and can remain unbiased and justly listen to both sides of the issue. The Empath should also be the primary mod when dealing with questions in the FAQ threads.
Spoiled below are the expected responsibilities for all moderators, regardless of individual role.
Spoiler: show
Quote:
Shop Owners
  • Punctually confirm shop transactions (at least once per week unless otherwise stated)
  • Be knowledgeable on shop rules and answer questions about their shop
  • Actively participates in any discussion regarding changes to their shop or rules that may directly affect their shop
  • Notify the Head Shop Owner regarding periods of unavailability
Quote:
Zone Admins
  • Full knowledge of the lore and locations within their respective zone
  • Work with Zone Updators within their respective zone to ensure all zone intros have an assigned updator
  • Find replacement updators in the event a Zone Updator becomes unable to finish an adventure due to extended periods of unavailability, taking on the adventure themself if no Zone Updator is available
  • Tracks money gain and Legendary Adventure Slot points at set monthly intervals
  • Notify the Head Zone Admin regarding periods of unavailability
Quote:
Gym Leaders
  • Currently suspended from live duties due to ongoing Gym changes
  • Expected to occasionally assist in testing for future Gym/Contest functions
  • Responsibility List to be updated once Gyms/Contests proceed outside of testing phases
  • Notify the Head Gym Leader regarding periods of unavailability


So how will this work? Well, for starters we need names! So the first steps are as follows:
  • Any member may nominate up to two names for this position.
  • Once someone has been nominated by at least two members, they will be added to the list below
  • Any nominees listed below will have until March 31st to reject or accept the nomination and continue to the next step

Additionally, we will be conducting interviews of sorts with nominees before the March 31st deadline. These interviews are not to rule anyone out, but rather so that we all are on the same page as to what to expect, and so that we can make sure said nominee is fully aware of the expectations of the role.

So, as of this time, Nominations are Open!

Current Nominations:
1. Naru
2. Missingno. Master (declined)
3. Emi

Needs a Second Nomination:
1. Marion Ette (declined)
2. OkikuMew
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Last edited by Sneaze; 02-28-2024 at 06:39 PM.
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Old 02-10-2024, 09:50 PM   #2
Naru
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Quote:
The Empath - The Empath is the public face of the mod team. They make sure that the community is happy and are easily approachable by the community. They make sure that everyone feels heard and welcome in the community and deal with any problems within the community. In terms of member problems, the Empath is the one who should be handling them. They usually are calm, light-headed, and fun, and can remain unbiased and justly listen to both sides of the issue. The Empath should also be the primary mod when dealing with questions in the FAQ threads.
I'm unsure if she has any desire for the position but I really think Marion Ette fits this description to a T. She loves fun, encourages participation, and always seems to approach issues within the discord with an unbiased and calm face.

My second nomination is... myself. I don't mean to sound conceited in doing so, but this was largely the role I was forced to take on when I was an active member of the moderation team. I was the "reach out to members when needed" and was always deemed the "more approachable" by quite a few members at the time. I can understand hesitation and resistance to this nomination, especially considering the events of a few years prior but I believe I have grown, as have many of the members of this roleplay. I want to strive to make Fizzy as strong as it can be, and I already have the experience as well as interpersonal connections with all of the moderation team.
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Old 02-10-2024, 10:00 PM   #3
Missingno. Master
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I'm basically gonna second Naru's self-nomination, I honestly agree with the notion that she's approachable, and I was seriously considering nominating her even before she nominated herself, so I feel as though there's no real ambiguity as to whether she'd be interested in the position LOL. I don't know whether self-nominations need to be seconded or anything, but I figured I'd make my agreement with the idea known all the same.

For my second nomination, I'm gonna say lilboocorsola. Whether she's interested in the position I couldn't say, but I remember a time when I was... very immature and obnoxious, and she was still nice to me and made me feel welcome in FB even when I was not very popular among most anyone else in the community at the time. That's always kinda stuck with me.
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Old 02-10-2024, 11:38 PM   #4
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For the first nomination I'm gonna go for Missingno. Master. He's been a vital part of the community and one of the most approachable members imo.

The Second nomination may sound a little biased but I'm gonna vote for OkikuMew. The description given fits hee to a T.
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Old 02-11-2024, 01:27 AM   #5
Marion Ette
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I am going to also voice my support for Naru's nomination (even though she's already fully nominated), and additionally nominate Emi.

Put bluntly, the Empath is not a role for a beginner moderator. Don't let the "fun" part fool you. Being friendly and approachable is part of the persona, yes, but beyond that, there's a strong element of advocacy, as someone who must represent the community as a whole and ensure that everyone's voice is heard. You have to be able to set aside your personal desires and viewpoints, even acting against them at times to ensure the community's desires are met, and approach conflicts without bias. It's harder than it sounds. Sometimes - most times, actually - there's no clear "right" or "wrong", and you're essentially dealing with a lot of hurt feelings, strong emotions and even if YOU are among the hurting, you HAVE to keep a level head.

I was this moderator at one time. I cannot even begin to describe to you all how exhausting this role can be. Over time, it will take a toll on you emotionally. If you are an empathic person by nature, it will drain those reserves, sometimes until you have nothing left. In fact, in many ways, I still play the role behind the scenes, when called upon... and, perhaps ironically, that is why I would like to respectfully request that my nomination be withdrawn, despite how much I appreciate the kind words and the sentiment. I've learned from the past that I serve the community better in this weird in-between state, where I'm not an official moderator, but can still offer an empathic ear to whoever needs it, regardless of their role in the community. At this point, I've basically become FB's unofficial Ombudsman, and that's how I'd like to continue.

So, why Emi and Naru? Simple. They have seen this community from both sides of the fence, and the fact that they are willing to step back into an incredibly difficult position knowing what it will mean is what clinches it here.
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Old 02-11-2024, 02:00 AM   #6
Missingno. Master
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I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect my name to get brought up here sooner or later. It certainly isn't the first time I've been nominated for FB mod. And I will forever appreciate every vote of confidence I get in this regard, it says a lot about how I'm seen by this community. That being the case, however, I don't feel as though the role of moderator would befit me all that well, especially in addition to my usual duties in my capacity as Head Shop Owner these days- that in and of itself, while I do enjoy it, can be slightly wearing at times, so throwing even more responsibility on top of it, I fear it might get to be too much, especially in light of what Marion said when she declined her own nomination- as she's actually had experience with being an FB mod before, I am very much prepared to take her words about this being a taxing role at face value, and this solidifies my current stance all the more. So, while I absolutely intend to continue to be a friendly and approachable presence in FB, with no end to that in sight that I can feasibly imagine, I must insist on doing so without a moderator's duties and responsibilities attached, and respectfully decline the nomination. My sincere thanks to CB for the nomination in any case, though. After what I said earlier about there being a time I was not very popular in this community, however long ago that was, the fact that there are now people within it who see me as a natural choice to help run said community, it... well, it means a lot to me.
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Old 02-11-2024, 02:01 AM   #7
Emi
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Moderator Election Nominees

I do not think these nominees are easy. What I wanted to avoid when choosing my nominees was choosing members who are merely nice. Nice is a bit of a trap when it comes to these positions: the more important qualities are transparent fairness and the ability to stand one's ground. They need an understanding of tone and place. Someone who is simply nice will struggle and fail to mediate disputes between members. Being fair does not mean simply never holding a position: some positions are just not worth holding, that risks giving too much potential leverage to future bad actors in the community.

Does a nominee have the ability to step into a conversation that is heated and tell everyone to cool it, and then by firm on that front? Or will they only enter a conversation later, often after its self-regulated, and simply tell everyone off? We don't ask members to do this, we ask mods to do this, and so it can be really hard to tell whether someone is capable of doing that. It can also be really hard to tell whether a member is actually mediating or simply doesn't want any kind of drama. Those have different impetuses, and I feel the latter is actually disqualifying.

This also underlines an unstated but important facet of this role: since the point of the empath is to act as the public face of the moderation team, needing the ability to settle member disputes and answer FAQ questions, this is not a small time investment role. You cannot expect to simply log in for an hour or two and then log out to do whatever. This is going to be a role that has a significantly bigger time investment. If you aren't consistently around to mediate or to take feedback or to answer FAQ questions timely...you're not going to be a good fit for the role.

This, for me, disqualifies a lot of people who might be fine in other roles. There's a particular mix of attributes that a person needs to have in order to fit into this kind of role. In addition, there are those who feel like good fits but have traditionally expressed a lack of desire for the role. I would nominate Connor here but I think Connor would kill me if I nominated him again. That would be bad for my long term health goals.

My first nomination will be someone who has traditionally turned down the role however. Out of the available options, they are one of the only people who I feel would have the greatest chance of naturally filling into the role, for several reasons. They are extremely active in the community, they have a lot of free time devoted to doing Fizzy Bubbles stuff, and they have been around for a very long time. In addition, I think they are the best out of the available candidates who have never been a mod: ex-mods honestly are distinctly advantage in this regard. My first nomination will be for Missingno. Master. The only thing I am personally worried about is MM's mediation ability: this isn't really something MM ever really does because, again, we do not expect it from our members, so I don't have first hand experience with how MM will handle difficult situations.

The second...well okay I didn't want to do this with our current elections because I wanted to bring people's names to the table other than me, but I only have one other really viable choice, and that's Naru, and Naru has already secured her nomination. Naru I think can do a good job. I have no doubts on her ability, especially in an environment that will actually be healthy.

But yes, I would like to nominate myself. I am not the nicest person in the world, and I understand if that makes some people a bit uncomfortable. To start with, I would like to make the case for myself if possible. First, I would like to share a number of responses to the last mod nominations [(1), (2), (3), (4)]. The most important of these really is my position on what being a moderator actually is, because I still hold that to be true. Being a moderator means, ultimately, working for the community. Being in the Empath position really amplifies that. The second and more important thing is that in comparison to the length of time I was last a moderator, I have had a tremendous amount more experience in public facing roles. I was the Senior Student Worker at my university's LGBT Center, which often meant managing a lot of different projects and communications. I was in leadership positions in other organizations and regularly interfaced with university administration which, let me tell you, pretty much requires you to keep a cool face the entire time. This has given me a lot of experience that I didn't have for quite a long time as a previous moderator. I worked at the Center for probably four years or so, and "being an angry git" was never a complaint.

Currently I'm unemployed and not in university, which means I have more than enough free time to do this. I would not offer myself for this position if I was planning to go back to uni (it was not a good mix the last time I did it). I'm very confident of my ability to commit time into the role.

I cannot promise I will never make a mistake. That's absurd. What I can promise, ultimately, is that I'm almost 30, and listen I've been told to knock it off in the past and I've kept to that. I am confident in my ability to do this, this does not mean I am not aware I will have shortcomings. This, ultimately, is why we have a team of mods.

I dunno I have ADHD and it's one in the morning and I think I had more I wanted to say but I've since forgot. So yeah, Missingno. Master and myself.

EDIT: FUCK
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