In connection with the moderator elections, we are holding a Q&A thread for the candidates. Questions collected [from an earlier thread](https://math.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/32115/2020-moderator-election-qa-question-collection) have been compiled into this one, which shall now serve as the space for the candidates to provide their answers. Not every question was compiled - as noted, we only selected the top 8 questions as submitted by the community, plus 2 pre-set questions from us. As a candidate, your job is simple - post an answer to this question, citing each of the questions and then post your answer to each question given in that same answer. For your convenience, I will include all of the questions in quote format with a break in between each, suitable for you to insert your answers. Just [copy the whole thing after the first set of three dashes](https://math.meta.stackexchange.com/revisions/e9966a0f-41d7-4487-a1c1-eac91d3fe362/view-source).Please consider putting your name at the top of your post so that readers will know who you are before they finish reading everything you have written, and also including a link to your answer on your nomination post. Once all the answers have been compiled, this will serve as a transcript for voters to view the thoughts of their candidates, and will be appropriately linked in the Election page. Good luck to all of the candidates! **Oh, and when you've completed your answer, please provide a link to it after this blurb here, before that set of three dashes. Please leave the list of links in the order of submission.** To save scrolling here are links to the submissions from each candidate (in order of submission): - candidate 1 --- > 1. Regarding actions by moderators, do you think that MathSE is (over/under)moderated? If so, can you elaborate on which aspects, why, and what would be your suggestions regarding this? > 2. MSE seems to, in practice, fulfill dual purposes: to be a repository of mathematical knowledge in a Q&A format, and a place for people to get specialist, individual help with mathematics. Often these purposes align, but sometimes they clash. Which do you see as the primary purpose of MSE? Please describe a situation, real or realistic, where the two purposes clash, and how you would preference one over the other. > 3. The [CURED](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/2165/cured) chatroom (formerly CRUDE) is extremely active and plays a large role in closing and deleting questions and answers. > 1. Are you aware of this chatroom? > 2. Do you think this chat room is healthy for this site, unhealthy, or somewhere in between? Please justify your answer. > 4. What do you think is the biggest problem facing Math.SE in 2020, and how do you think we should approach it as a community, and as moderators? > 5. Have you ever been suspended from this site or another StackExchange site? If so, please provide a description of the situation that led to the suspension, and how you have reacted to it. Would you have suspended a user for a similar behavior today? > 6. Moderators disagree with each other all the time on issues large and small. How will you deal with disagreement with other moderators? At what point do you reverse their actions? > 7. In discussions about the quality of questions the word "context" is frequently invoked. The perception of "missing context" is the most frequently selected reason for closure of questions. What role should "context" play in assessing the quality and suitability of a question on Mathematics Stack Exchange? Ideally, please be explicit what you mean by "context" and discuss potential actions to be taken (or not taken), rather than giving an abstract answer. > 8. When and how much do you think a moderator should get involved in activities such as undeleting, closing posts, or other stuff that normally would require more than a single user in order to be accomplished? Furthermore, as a moderator, would you change your approach regarding those activities in any way? > 9. How would you describe the primary role of a moderator? <feel free to leave the rest of this question out of your answer> For example, is the primary role of a moderator to be... > - ...a civil rights advocate? > - ...a senator/congressman leading the formulation of policies? > - ...a judge? > - ...a [UN Blue Beret](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_peacekeeping), i.e. peace enforcement? > - ...a detective, police officer? > - ...a home plate umpire/referee (depending on whether baseball or association football is your sport)? > - ...a janitor? > - ...something else? > > Please **explain** what this means to you, and how this will influence your actions as a moderator. > 10. 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?