In re. the now-closed Forums Restructuring thread: questions remain. These are, to wit: If wcutler, Cherry Scout, is a moderator, is she paid for her services? If wcutler, Cherry Scout, is an unpaid volunteer, why then is there opposition to the idea of other unpaid volunteer moderators---who have publicly avowed their willingness to serve in this capacity? If wcutler, Cherry Scout, is a moderator, how many other moderators are there? Of these, how many are paid and how many are not? What supervision, if any, is exercised over these moderators? Since it appears that at least one of their number felt free to seize power and was allowed to do so, what shall we Forum members next expect? As the entire infraction point issue has been made redundant, will the moderators be allowed to delete posts at their whim? To any or all of these questions, answers will be welcome.
No. 1) ensuring privacy / security: a) a clever person could build trust, have "need" to access information to take over add'l duties, then abuse them; b) for some of the most laborious of duties, we ask ourselves, "Can we trust non-UBC staff with email addresses / IP addresses?" None of the moderators have access to these. 2) ergo, the absolute need to have the time to invest in determining suitable moderators 3) once those suitable moderators are found, the time for training beyond "moving threads" and "editing thread titles" 4) however, if there were layers of bureaucracy, a hierarchy, a training guide it would all be easier -- except all of these add time. In other words, not enough time to implement time-saving measures. The listing of moderators is available to all members here. Andre is unpaid. He is a Wikipedia editor with a concentration on maples, so I trusted him as I was able to see his work there; he wanted specifically to organize the photo galleries. He's relatively inactive. Frog is unpaid. You're certainly aware of her being a moderator. I've met Frog in person and she has a great reputation, so that's a huge point in favour of selecting a moderator. None, other than communication when something important occurs and communication when there are questions about forum functionality. Hard to say. If people participate in the forums within the rules of the charter and the scope of the restructured forums, I'll say "not much". They can soft-delete in the forums they have moderation responsibilities for. Unlike the residents of Animal Farm, people have choices.
